Things is available for iPhone and iPod touch on the App Store.
There is also a version of Things for the Mac.
“Things definitely tops our list of GTD applications for the iPhone.”
“If Things sounds simple, that's because it is. Other to-do list managers I've tried have, quite honestly, gotten in the way of me getting things done. Things doesn't do that. And I wouldn't have it any other way.”
“...my personal favorite is Things because it gives me the option of syncing with a desktop app, which I find more convenient than using a web app.”
“Am I getting more done? Yes, and I think most of this is due to Things being on my iMac and iPhone.”
“In amongst a swathe of lacklustre applications on the App Store, Things (like my other favourites Exposure and Twitterrific) is one of the few apps to look, feel and work as though Apple themselves produced it.”
“In summary, Things on the iPhone is an extremely capable list management tool. With its tight integration with the desktop version and a very capable and passionate developer behind it, it is hard to see how you would want to look anywhere else.”
General Questions
Will updates be free?
Yes, we plan on releasing a whole series of updates that will be available for free to our customers. These updates will bring new features such as Tags, Areas, Repeating Tasks, and some interesting new teamwork functionality.
I've installed an update but nothing has changed.
Occasionally the App Store wrongly announces that a new update is available although it is not yet the case. The same version that you had before, will be downloaded and installed.
Do you offer a bundle for the Mac and the iPhone version?
The only way to distribute iPhone applications is on the App Store. So we have to sell the Mac and iPhone versions separately. Apple does not provide a way to offer bundles. However there is a 20% discount on the Mac version for newsletter subscribers who sign up before the release.
Using Things
How does Things sync with the desktop version on my Mac?
Things can sync with the desktop version via Wi-Fi while both your iPhone/iPod and your Mac are connected to the same network.
Start Things both on your iPhone/iPod and on your Mac. On the Mac, go to Things > Preferences > iPhone and follow the on-screen instructions. The very first time you sync, it might take a while depending on the number of to-dos in your database.
You can find more information here if it doesn't work.
How do I delete items?
Deleting to-dos works like deleting emails in Mail. When you see a list of your to-dos, tap the "Edit" button at the upper right. On the left side of every item a red control appears to delete it. Or you can just swipe your finger from left to right across an item.
How do I change the order of items?
Rearranging items works like in other iPhone applications. In any list just press the "Edit" button at the upper right. At the right side of every item a new control appears (three gray stripes). Tap it and drag it to another position in the list.
How do I edit a project's title, due date, or note?
To go inside a project and see all contained to-dos tap on the project's title. To view or edit a project's details (title, due date, or note) tap on the blue arrow.
Completed to-dos are still shown in my lists
Completed tasks are logged (moved to the logbook) every day when you start Things for the first time on that day.
In "Settings" you can change this behaviour, if you prefer to log them every time you start Things. Start "Settings" from your home screen, scroll down and choose "Things".
Feature Requests
Repeating Tasks?
The current version of Things for iPhone does not yet support repeating tasks. But we are working hard on adding the missing features. Things for Mac already has a very nice and powerful implementation of repeating tasks. And Things for iPhone will of course get that feature too.
Tags?
Tags are not yet supported in the current version. We are currently working very hard on that feature. It will be added in the next (free) update.
Areas of Responsibility?
Areas are not yet supported in the current version. If you use that feature in the Mac version, your to-dos are nonetheless synced to your iPhone, but you can't browse by Area. This feature will of course be added in one of the next (free) updates.
A badge on the application icon?
Things can display a badge indicating the number of Today's to-dos. To activate it, start the "Settings" application, scroll down and choose "Things".
Please note that due to technical limitations in the iPhone OS, the displayed number can only be updated while Things is running. That means, you have to start Things once a day, to make sure the badge is showing the right number.
Alarms?
Unfortunately there are some restrictions in the iPhone OS that prevent third party applications from showing an alarm. Things would have to run constantly in the background to do that, but this is not possible on the iPhone. Maybe a workaround is possible using future iPhone OS updates.
Syncing with iCal?
A direct sync between third party iPhone apps and iCal (or Calendar on the iPhone) is technically not possible at this time. We hope that in the future Apple will allow third parties to sync to-dos and calendar events with Mobile me. But right now you need a helper program running on the desktop that mediates between iCal and Things on the iPhone.
The Mac version of Things can sync with the iPhone version (more). You can use the existing functionality of Things for Mac to sync your to-dos to iCal (requires Mac OS X Leopard).
Syncing with Outlook?
A direct sync of to-dos between Things and Outlook is technically not possible at this time. We hope that in the future Apple will allow third parties to sync to-dos and calendar events with Mobile me.
There is no Windows version of Things yet. We'd love to have Things on Windows as well, but that is still further down the road.
Solving Problems
How do backups work?
The backup and restore mechanism is created by Apple and works the same for all iPhone applications. iTunes backs up your data automatically every time you connect your iPhone to your computer. Please note that iTunes will not back up an iPhone that is not configured to sync with that computer.
However there is one problem: If you lose your data (e.g. by removing an application from your iPhone) and connect your iPhone again to your computer, iTunes automatically overwrites the existing backup with a new one. Since you just lost your data on the device, this will effectively delete your previous backup from iTunes! To prevent this, you need to do the following:
- Disable automatic syncing for your iPhone in iTunes’ preferences before you connect the iPhone again (iTunes > Preferences > Syncing > Disable automatic syncing for all iPhones and iPods).
- Connect your iPhone and wait until it appears in iTunes’ sidebar. Since syncing is disabled, iTunes won’t back up your data automatically.
- Right-click (or control click) on the iPhone and select “Restore from backup”.
Updating safely
Users of many other iPhone applications have reported data loss problems after installing updates, and sadly, Things is no exception. This is not a fault on our side, but rather a strange bug in iTunes/iPhone OS. From a quick survey on Twitter we can tell, that for most users the update went without a hitch. But a few users reportedly lost their data. As far as we know, no one has yet been able to reliably reproduce this bug, so we don’t know how long it will take Apple to fix it.
There is a procedure you can follow to prevent data losses until Apple has resolved the issue. Note that this procedure works equally well for all iPhone applications, not just Things.
- Back up your iPhone by syncing it with iTunes just before you install any update.
- Disconnect your iPhone and install the update on the device.
- If you didn’t lose your data, all is fine. If you did lose your data, you can restore it from the backup. But you have to be very careful. When you connect your iPhone to your computer, iTunes automatically overwrites the existing backup with a new one. Since you just lost your data on the device, this will effectively delete your previous backup from iTunes! To prevent this, you need to do the following:
- Disable automatic syncing for your iPhone in iTunes’ preferences before you connect the iPhone again (iTunes > Preferences > Syncing > Disable automatic syncing for all iPhones and iPods).
- Connect your iPhone and wait until it appears in iTunes’ sidebar. Since syncing is disabled, iTunes won’t back up your data automatically.
- Right-click (or control click) on the iPhone and select “Restore from backup”.
Syncing with the Mac version doesn't work
- Make sure that your iPhone is connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your Mac. Look for the status icon in the upper left on your iPhone, there should be a Wi-Fi icon (not a 3G, EDGE or GPRS icon).
- Things has to be running on your iPhone while you open the Assistant, otherwise your Mac cannot detect it.
- Have you tried restarting Things on your Mac?
- Are you using the latest version of Things for iPhone? (You can find out by tapping on the "+" to create a new task. If you can start typing right away, you have the latest version. If you have to tap on the title first, you need to update to 1.1).
The wrong language is displayed
Things supports English, French, Spanish, German and Japanese. Which of these languages is used for the interface, depends on your iPhone's language settings. But apparentely there is a bug in the iPhone OS. In some cases the iPhone picks the wrong language.
To fix this, change your iPhone's language settings to another language. Then change it back to your preferred language. You can switch languages in the "Settings" application.
Things doesn't start anymore
This appears to be a common bug in the iPhone OS. Restart your iPhone twice by switching it completely off and on again (press and hold the Sleep/Wake button for a few seconds until the red slider appears, then drag the slider...)
I've just purchased Things but the application doesn't start on my iPhone/iPod touch.
This appears to be a common bug in the iPhone OS. Restart your iPhone twice by switching it completely off and on again (press and hold the Sleep/Wake button for a few seconds until the red slider appears, then drag the slider...)
If it still doesn't work and you haven't entered any to-dos yet, try re-installing Things.
How do I re-install Things?
Please note that by re-installing the app all your to-dos will be lost.
- Remove Things from your iTunes Library. All downloaded apps are listed in "Applications".
- Remove Things from your iPhone. Touch and hold the Things icon on the home screen until the icons start to wiggle. Tap the "x" in the corner of the Things icon. Tap Delete to remove the application and all of its data from your iPhone. Then press the Home button.
To re-download the application to your iPhone, iPod touch, or computer:
- Make sure you are signed in with the same account used for the original purchase.
- Locate Things on the App Store and click the "Buy app" button or tap the price on the device.
- A dialog will appear: "You have already purchased this item. To download it again for free, select OK." Click OK to continue with the download. (Depending on your iTunes settings, you might get this message first: "Are you sure you want to buy and download the Application Things?")
