Apple Reminders Integration
Sync PrimeTask with Apple Reminders so you can capture tasks anywhere - on your Mac, on your iPhone, or hands-free with Siri - and have them all land in PrimeTask.
Apple Reminders is the fastest capture surface on any Apple device. You can say "Hey Siri, remind me to call the supplier at 4pm" from your iPhone, your Apple Watch, or anywhere CarPlay is playing - and the reminder is there when you get back to your computer.
When PrimeTask is synced with Apple Reminders, those quick captures don't stay stranded. They come in as real PrimeTask tasks, tagged so you can review them, and your PrimeTask tasks go the other way so the work you plan on your Mac shows up on your iPhone too.
For the Integrations category hub, see Integrations Overview. For a Dashboard glance at Apple Reminders without the full sync, see Reminders widget.
macOS only
The Apple Reminders integration uses macOS's own Reminders framework. It's available on macOS. On Windows, the toggle is hidden.
What you can do
Sync your PrimeTask tasks to Apple Reminders
so they appear on your iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch.
Capture on the go with Siri
"remind me to send the proposal tomorrow morning" - and have it land in PrimeTask.
Let reminders come back as tasks
Sync completion both ways
check off on your Mac or your phone, and the other side agrees.
Pick which Reminders list
Scope the integration to one Space
so work and personal stay separate.
Revoke access at any time
in PrimeTask settings or macOS System Settings.
How to turn it on
Step 1
Open Settings → Integrations.
Step 2
Enable Apple Reminders Integration.
Step 3
Allow Reminders access when macOS prompts you.
Step 4
Pick the target Space - synced tasks and incoming reminders will live in this Space.
Step 5
Choose which Reminders list to sync with. Let PrimeTask create a PrimeTask list, or pick an existing list.
Step 6
Turn on bidirectional sync if you want reminders from Siri, iPhone, or Apple Watch to come into PrimeTask.
See Integrations Settings for the integration toggle itself.
macOS permission is required
PrimeTask can't read or write Apple Reminders without permission from macOS. If you skip the prompt, grant access later in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Reminders.
The two sync modes
One-way (default)
Out of the box, PrimeTask tasks sync to Apple Reminders. Reminders you create elsewhere stay in Apple Reminders only. Use this when:
- You want your PrimeTask work to appear on your Apple devices.
- You don't need reminders from Siri or iPhone to come back to PrimeTask.
Bidirectional (opt-in)
When you turn on bidirectional sync, reminders created anywhere on your Apple devices come into PrimeTask as tasks, tagged Reminder. The first time you turn it on, PrimeTask shows a consent explainer so you understand exactly what the sync will do.
This is where the "on the go" story pays off:
- iPhone - add a reminder from the Reminders app → it becomes a task in PrimeTask.
- Siri - say "Hey Siri, remind me to review the contract at 10am tomorrow" → it becomes a task with that date.
- Apple Watch - same flow through the Watch's Reminders app or via Siri.
- iPad, Mac, or anywhere else that writes to Apple Reminders - same behavior.
Each incoming reminder arrives as a regular task you can edit, assign to a project, promote to a subtask, focus on, or reschedule - it's a real task from the moment it lands.
Use Siri as your frictionless inbox
Capture things the moment they come up - in the car, on a walk, between meetings. Review and organise them in PrimeTask when you sit down. The Reminder tag makes the review list easy to find.
What carries across
The Apple Reminders format covers these fields, and PrimeTask carries them in both directions:
- Title
- Notes / description
- Due date
- Priority
- Completion status
Subtasks, attachments, time tracking, custom fields, and other PrimeTask-only concepts don't exist in Apple Reminders, so they stay on the PrimeTask side and don't sync out. A task with subtasks and attachments still syncs its title and due date to Apple Reminders - the richer pieces stay in PrimeTask where they belong.
Completion stays in sync
Mark a task done in PrimeTask and the reminder marks done in Apple Reminders. Check off a reminder on your iPhone and the PrimeTask task updates on the next sync. The same applies when you reopen a completed task or reminder.
Picking a Reminders list
When you turn the integration on, you choose which Apple Reminders list to sync with. Two common choices:
- Create a "PrimeTask" list - recommended when you want a clean boundary between the sync list and your personal reminders. PrimeTask creates the list for you as soon as you set it up.
- Use an existing list - useful when you already have a work or shared list and want PrimeTask to live there.
You can change which list PrimeTask syncs with whenever you like, from either of these places:
- Settings → Integrations → Apple Reminders
- Calendar → Settings, in the Apple Reminders section
When you change it, PrimeTask brings your tasks with you. Every task that was connected to the old list is reconnected to the new one, and a matching reminder is created there. Your existing reminders in the old list are left exactly as they are, so nothing you put in that list is taken away. If you no longer want them, delete them yourself in Apple Reminders.
Renaming the list inside Apple Reminders is a different thing. PrimeTask looks for the list by the name you gave it, so a rename there can disconnect the sync. If that happens, use the Create List action next to the list name in Settings to recreate it in one step, which also switches syncing back on.
If the sync list goes missing
If the list is deleted or renamed in Apple Reminders, PrimeTask pauses syncing so your tasks stay safe. Press Create List next to the list name in Settings to recreate the list and switch syncing back on, or point the integration at a different list.
Permissions and privacy
- PrimeTask reads and writes through macOS directly - nothing is sent to any server along the way.
- macOS controls access. Revoke it at any time in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Reminders.
- Bidirectional sync is opt-in. Until you turn it on, reminders from Siri or your iPhone don't come into PrimeTask.
Things worth knowing
"Reminder" is a tag you can filter on
Incoming reminders arrive tagged Reminder. Filter or search on that tag in PrimeTask to see every capture from Apple Reminders that hasn't been triaged yet. Manage tag styles in Category Management Settings.
PrimeTask only touches the list you chose
PrimeTask will only ever remove a reminder from the list it is set to sync with. If you move a reminder into one of your other lists, it stops being PrimeTask's to look after, and PrimeTask leaves it alone from then on.
Your other lists are yours
Nothing outside the list you picked is ever changed or removed, whatever else is happening in the sync.
When a reminder goes missing
If a reminder is no longer in the sync list, PrimeTask disconnects the matching task and keeps the task itself. Nothing is deleted.
There is a Delete Task When Reminder Deleted option in the Apple Reminders settings if you would rather the task go as well. It stays off until you turn it on. Turn it on only if you are happy for a reminder you delete on your iPhone to take the matching PrimeTask task with it.
Think before turning this on
With Delete Task When Reminder Deleted on, clearing out reminders on any of your Apple devices also removes those tasks from PrimeTask. Marking things done is safer than deleting them.
If PrimeTask looks at the sync list and finds nothing in it while tasks are still connected to it, it treats that as a reading it cannot trust rather than as a set of deletions. It changes nothing, tells you it skipped that round, and tries again next time.
The Reminders widget is not the same thing
The Reminders widget on your Dashboard surfaces Apple Reminders without the full sync - it's a read-only glance. The integration covered here brings reminders in as real tasks and pushes tasks back out. Use the widget when you want a peek; enable the integration when you want them treated as tasks.
One Space per integration
The integration is scoped to a single Space. If you have work and personal Spaces, pick the one where synced reminders should live - typically personal, since Siri usually captures everyday items.
macOS only
Apple Reminders is a macOS framework. It's not available on Windows. On Windows, use PrimeTask's own quick capture - the App Header Quick Note input and Quick Add are the fastest.
Available on every PrimeTask license
The integration is available on every license.
Common questions
"Will reminders I've already added to Apple Reminders come into PrimeTask?"
When you turn on bidirectional sync, PrimeTask brings in reminders from the selected list. After that, new reminders arrive as they appear on any of your Apple devices.
"If I use Siri, how quickly does it appear in PrimeTask?"
Soon after - sync runs in the background so Siri captures land automatically. It's not meant to be instant like a chat message; think "captured once, reviewed later."
"Can I stop reminders from syncing both ways later?"
Yes. Turn off bidirectional sync to go back to one-way. Turn off the integration entirely to stop syncing.
"What if I complete the same task on both devices at nearly the same time?"
Completion is idempotent - the task ends up completed on both sides. No double-counting happens.
"Will deleting a synced task in PrimeTask delete the Apple Reminder?"
Yes, as long as that reminder is still sitting in the list PrimeTask syncs with. If you had moved it into one of your other lists, PrimeTask leaves it where it is. It's usually cleaner to mark things done than to delete them.
"What happens if I change which Reminders list I sync with?"
Your tasks come with you. Each connected task is reconnected to the new list and a matching reminder is created there, so you don't have to move anything by hand. Whatever was already in the old list stays put and is never removed. Delete those older reminders yourself if you don't want them.
"Is this the same as Apple Calendar integration?"
No. Apple Calendar handles events; Apple Reminders handles reminders (which act like tasks). They're separate integrations and can be enabled independently. See Apple Calendar Integration.
Where to go next
| If you want to… | Read this |
|---|---|
| See Apple Calendar events too | Apple Calendar Integration |
| Surface reminders without syncing | Reminders widget |
| Manage the Reminder tag | Category Management Settings |
| Use PrimeTask's own quick capture | App Header |
| Turn integrations on or off | Integrations Settings |
| Understand every integration PrimeTask offers | Integrations Overview |