Google Tasks has finally introduced a highly requested feature: the ability to set deadlines for tasks. This update allows users on the Android app to assign a specific due date to each task, marking a significant usability improvement over the previous version where such a feature did not exist. Users can now input a deadline date when creating or editing a task, which helps differentiate important tasks that need completing by certain days from more vague reminders or indefinite “someday” items.
However, the current implementation has notable limitations. Most importantly, Google Tasks does not yet allow users to specify a precise time for deadlines, only a date. This means deadlines act like all-day markers rather than time-sensitive commitments, which can pose challenges for tasks needing exact due times—such as meetings, submissions, or time-zone coordinated work. Notifications still need to be set manually, lacking automated reminders tied directly to the deadline time. Users must therefore workaround by adding notification alerts corresponding to their real cut-off time and including the expected finishing time in the task title.
Compared to competitors like Todoist, Microsoft To Do, and TickTick, which all support time-specific deadlines and advanced reminder options, Google Tasks remains a simpler, minimalistic tool focused on speed and light integration with Gmail and Calendar. The deadline feature represents a step toward making Google Tasks more useful for everyday planning and prioritization but falls short for users requiring detailed scheduling or project management functionality.
The rollout of this feature is gradual and mainly affects the Android app; Google has not announced clear plans for iOS or web support yet. The deadline date also does not currently display prominently in the main task list, reducing its visibility. Future improvements might include flexible lead-time reminders, backward compatibility across platforms, and integration with Google Calendar deadline visibility.
In practical terms, users should start using the new date-based deadlines as a way to boost task completion rates and reduce decision fatigue by clearly setting “must-do” dates. For precision scheduling, users are advised to pair deadlines with manual reminder times and label tasks explicitly with due times in titles until Google adds time-specific deadline support. This update makes Google Tasks a more credible tool for daily workflow planning, though serious schedulers will likely await further enhancements.
This balanced approach acknowledges the welcomed upgrade while noting current drawbacks and potential future directions, helping users understand how to make the best use of Google Tasks’ new deadline feature now.
