Google Tasks, once a standalone website, was transitioned into the Gmail Sidebar as part of the company’s new “integrated workspace” strategy. This strategy aimed at streamlining productivity by housing multiple tools and apps, including Meet and Chat, in one central location: Gmail. As the approach evolved, additional services such as Calendar, Keep, and Maps were also incorporated, but into the right-hand sidebar of Gmail.
However, this transition left some users longing for the convenience of the standalone format they were used to – myself included. To adapt to this change, we resorted to utilizing third-party Chrome extensions and Workspace app installs to rip tasks from its confinement and give it space to breathe.
In line with Google’s efforts to merge Reminders into Tasks, its web-based Assistant Reminders landing page evolved into a central hub for to-dos saved to your account. Recently, this page has undergone further transformation and now mirrors the aesthetics of the Google Tasks app and sidebar, logo and all!
By visiting https://assistant.google.com/tasks, you can now access your tasks and task lists in a standalone format, and manage them in the same way as you would on other platforms. I don’t know exactly when this change took place, but I stumbled upon it last night, got excited and wanted to share with you all.
There is one small thing to note, however. Despite the new standalone experience being, well, standalone, you can’t “create a shortcut” on Chrome for desktop using the browser’s menu options, so turning it into a web app in its own window is out of the question. My guess is that anything Assistant related is considered a “system process” for Chrome, and those sadly never have that option. Oddly enough, you can turn it into a shortcut on your phone’s home screen, so there’s that. Do you plan on using this new individualized desktop version of Tasks, or do you still prefer managing your to-do items in the sidebar while using your calendar, deleting emails, and chatting with others?
