Bad News: Google’s Calendar Reminders Migration will be mandatory and barebones

Recently discovered by 9to5Google, Google decided that it was going to be killing off Assistant-based reminders (as well as location-based reminders in Assistant) in favor of its Google Calendar-focused solution.

Use Tasks to get notified about your to-dos and keep track of them wherever you are in Google Workspace.

9to5Google

Now, it seems the outlet has uncovered more depressing details via its latest APK Insights report. Keep in mind that while these don’t always guarantee a specific direction or app update, they’re usually fairly accurate since they’re pulling directly from the code Google has baked into the app release.

Apparently, the migration from Assistant to Calendar for reminders will come at a cost to extended integration into Google Keep, and there will be no capability to tie locations to tasks to be reminded once you enter a geofenced area.

Additionally, and perhaps the least surprising thing about the entire ordeal is that the move will be mandatory. Strings in the app code for Calendar, version 2022.26.x state that “Soon your reminders will be upgraded to tasks”, with the option to make the conversion on the spot. The latter indicates that the option to swap over to the new system will exist, but the implication is that at a later date, this will be done for you.

Any reminders being ported over that previously had a location in Assistant will now simply append said location to the description box. You know, because that’s so useful and happens to be a great, automated way to remind you of something. I’m being facetious, of course, but my point remains – this migration is going to take the appeal away from reminders because, well, they’re not exactly reminders at all without these features, are they?

Ultimately, this move is meant to make Workspace more straightforward as more users begin paying Google for its services and operating their businesses and schools out of it. I have no doubt that at some point in the future, location-based reminders and such will be added back in, but I don’t see the same being true for Google Keep integration. As it stands, Keep has never really been pushed by Google as a Workspace tool, even though it’s a part of the Workspace bundle.