The Reminders app has several issues...

Question

Level 1

9 points

The Reminders app has several issues...

...and I can't understand why there isn't a fix on the new iOS.

I'm on an iPhone 6S Plus running the last version of iOS (10.2.1). For at least 6 months, the reminders app has not worked correctly. I have reported the bugs at least 3 times.

1) The app no longer works when I say "remind me when I get home". I get the message that I need to enable location services for the reminders app. I go to location services settings, enable the option "while using the app" and try again. I get the same message over and over, finding out each time that location services has been disabled again (after I enabled it). This is frustrating because I have really relied on this function while driving.

2) If I power off my phone and later power it back on, I lose all my reminders. They are actually still on the app, but the app no longer dings my phone at the time a reminder is due. So I have to go to the app and reset all the reminders, which is a PITA considering I have about 10 daily or weekly reminders.

3) The reminders often just stop working for no reason at all. Same situation as above - they are out there but the app stops dinging my phone and I have to rebuild them.

4) Occasionally, all my reminders will go off at once, for absolutely no reason at all. This happens about once a week at a time when no reminders are due to ding my phone. So my phone goes crazy with 10 dings in a row. Luckily this has not happened when I'm somewhere important when my phone is supposed to be silenced.

I have tried all the tips and tricks that others have mentioned as work-arounds for many of the reminders app bugs and they DO NOT work for me. It's obvious that many people rely on this app and want it to work the way it used to. I was disappointed to learn that the latest iOS update did not address this problem. Rather than focus on creating new emoticons, could you please focus on fixing the bugs in useful apps like the reminders app, or alternatively, could you remove the app from our devices and give us the space to fill with an app that works. There's no reason to take up space with apps that do not work. My contract ends this year and I'm considering something other than an iPhone as my next phone. Tired of this frustration with Apple - things that the users complain about never seem to end up fixed.

iPhone 6s Plus, iOS 10.2.1

Posted on Apr 21, 2017 5:58 AM

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Answer 1

KiltedTim

Level 10

225,984 points

Apr 21, 2017 6:07 AM in response to Fitnesskelly

The latest version of iOS is 10.3.1, not 10.2.1. Update your phone.

I've encountered no such problems with the reminders app. These are not "bugs". The problem is specific to your phone.

If updating doesn't fix the problem, try erasing the phone and setting it up as a new phone. See if that corrects the problem.

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Answer 2

Fitnesskelly Author

Level 1

9 points

May 4, 2017 11:49 AM in response to Fitnesskelly

UPDATE #2: The Reminders app still would not work to remind me when I get home. I found this old post and the suggestions seems to work to correct the problem. Why are location-based reminders not working in 8.1?

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Answer 3

Fitnesskelly Author

Level 1

9 points

Apr 23, 2017 2:25 PM in response to Fitnesskelly

I'm not stupid. I know there is a newer iOS that very recently came out. There is no mention of the reminders app in the details about the new iOS, therefore I refuse to update and find that even more things no longer work as they used to (by the way, the podcasts app is and has been super buggy too). It can't just be my phone if other people are having similar issues with the reminders app. I am tired of wasting time trying to fix something that I can't fix. There's no way I'm going to erase my phone and start over. I'll just buy an Android if I want to start over again.

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Answer 4

Fitnesskelly Author

Level 1

9 points

May 2, 2017 5:33 AM in response to KiltedTim

I updates the iOS to the new one. Reminders still DO NOT WORK! All the same issues as before, plus as expected, I now have new issues with my phone since updating to the new iOS.

Does ANYONE ELSE have advice? This KiltedTim guy is not helpful and a jerk hiding behind a screen name. I could use some real, useful help.

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Answer 5

Fitnesskelly Author

Level 1

9 points

May 2, 2017 7:48 AM in response to KiltedTim

Waiting for the backup, deleting my phone contents, restoring the backup and going through all the startup prompts are BASIC???? Who the F has time for that??? Why have I NEVER had to do that with a previous iPhone??? How can the reminders magically stop working when they worked just hours prior??? Are you a software expert??? In all my years of using both Apple and PC products that run Windows, I have NEVER had software just stop working without something prompting it to stop working (like a operating system update, Virus, etc.)

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Answer 6

anypats

Level 7

21,357 points

May 2, 2017 8:49 AM in response to Fitnesskelly

For Apple to consider something a "bug" and for them to fix an issue, they have to have a significant number of people report the issue and they have to be able to replicate it or be able to get diagnostics from devices that experience the problem. Simply telling them there is a bug multiple times won't help.

My suggestion would be to delete the Reminders app and then install again from the app store. If that doesn't work then you may need to do as KiltedTim suggest and restore your iPhone. Of course there are also a lot of third-party free (and paid) options for To-Do lists in the app store.

If you decide to move to an Android phone don't expect anyone to beg you to stay with Apple. Just don't think that Android will magically fix all of your problems. Getting software to work correctly with Android can sometimes be a much bigger challenge due to the fragmentation of the OS.

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Answer 7

Fitnesskelly Author

Level 1

9 points

May 2, 2017 9:34 AM in response to anypats

I have reported it a number of times. I have seen other people saying here and various other forums that they have similar reminders app issues. The reason I posted here is because I thought Apple occasionally responded and might be of help (as they haven't contacted me regarding my 3-4 times reporting the issue to them). I don't think the reminders app can be deleted...if I can, I would appreciate knowing how to delete it. At this point I would like to use a 3rd party, but want the useless Apple-based reminders app off my phone.

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Answer 8

Fitnesskelly Author

Level 1

9 points

May 3, 2017 6:20 AM in response to Fitnesskelly

UPDATE: My husband thinks he figures out the problem. Time will tell. If I keep losing reminders, this wasn't the fix.

My husband found that my phone had 3 email accounts associated with it - one that I closed 5-6 years ago, another one that I haven't used in 2.5 years (prior to having this phone) and my current email. The old email accounts kept transferring over with the other data when I would get a new phone (so the suggestion of deleting everything and reloading would not have helped). We had to log into my Apple account on a computer and delete those old email accounts. It appears that the reminders were associating with the two old email accounts and not the current email account.

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Answer 9

Aug 8, 2017 11:18 AM in response to Fitnesskelly

I have several issues with Reminders app.

First of all, to make things clear - I have the latest 10.3.3 ios version and iphone 7

I tried to soft reset the phone.

The issue I am reporting is , when I search for a reminder item, it shows the item and when I click on it, it is supposed to show me and bring that item up for me to edit. But when clicked it goes back to the entire list, rendering the search functionality useless.

Secondly there are several times, the reminders dont showup . I use to setup "remind daily" for some important tasks, so that even if I miss a day by chance, I get a chance to be reminded again, but it does not work Many times, the remind daily does not seem to work, It simply does not remind. Some times it works and sometimes it does not work.

I had this issue before and also after i got a new upgraded iphone 7 . So the problem is not in my phone, it is definitely in the phone. Why is Apple not fixing these basic useful issues ?? . This is one of the most productive apps and they dont seem to take action ! .

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Answer 10

anypats

Level 7

21,357 points

May 2, 2017 9:46 AM in response to Fitnesskelly

Hold down the icon until all the icons start jiggling. You will see an "x" in the upper left for all apps that can be deleted. The stock Reminders app from Apple can be deleted.

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