14 DAY TRIAL // The Reminders app on iOS is great if you just need to be, well... reminded of something. However, the app lacks some of the advanced features of other To Do apps and task managers. Apple is probably thinking about changing that and it filled a patent covering some of the solutions for the problem.
According to the US Patent and Trademark office (via Patentlyapple), the Cupertino, California-based tech giant has received a patent application for their technologies.
The current Reminder app is basically just a list of things to do. They are location and time based, but if you need more than that, you are going to have to use some other apps. The new way of showing reminders is more interesting and it helps the user to do the next steps.
The patent filing explains how the user may set a reminder to get an oil change for his car. In order to do that, the user enters an appointment in the calendar for a time and date and he may add a short text like "get oil changed." When the reminder pops up on the screen, the user has to select a place to get that done so he would have to remember when and where the last oil change was made.
Apple thinks that by adding images to reminders users will make much more sense of said reminder. For example, a mobile device can provide an option for the user to request one or more images obtained from the camera. That image can also provide info on the location and it can be linked to a map. The user does not have to enter the location, but the mobile phone will do it automatically.
Apple details how the user could take a picture of an oil change store so the image will get GPS data. When the reminder time is reached, he will get a text, picture and location, all on one screen. The user could also use Siri to set the reminder to have a GPS location attached to it.
This patent was awarded to Apple's employees Swapnil Dave and Kaustubh Rao.
Apple will not be using the above in the first iteration of iOS 8. So far, they have announced that iOS 8 will have a close relation with Siri and the Notification Center. You will be able to see your reminders pop as banners and you can also get two buttons to Mark as Completed and Snooze.