Update: OmniFocus 2.21, released alongside iOS 11, introduced support for using Siri to access OmniFocus directly. Direct Siri integration is also available in OmniFocus 3 for iOS. To learn more, check out the OmniFocus 3 Reference Manual for iOS: Interacting With Siri.
This article describes an older method of collecting from Siri using the Reminders app, and may still be useful for those looking to use Reminders as a way to migrate tasks from other applications or services into OmniFocus.
OmniFocus for iOS offers a Reminders Capture feature on Siri-compatible devices, which will import information from Apple’s Reminders app. This includes items dictated using Siri into the Reminders app (hereinafter referred to as “reminders”). If you’re using OmniFocus on an iOS device with Siri (iPhone 4S and later, iPad 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro, all iPad Minis, and iPod Touch 5th generation and later), all you need to do is check a few settings on your device and you can start adding spoken items to your Inbox in no time.
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To set up OmniFocus so it captures your reminders from Siri:
- In OmniFocus 3 on your iPhone or iPad, navigate to the Home screen and tap the Settings icon. In OmniFocus 2, swipe down on the OmniFocus home screen to reveal the secret bar and tap Settings (on iPhone), or drag down on the home sidebar (iPad and iPhone Plus) to reveal the secret bar, then tap Settings.
- In the Capture section, tap Reminders.
- You’ll see the Reminders screen. Tap Allow Access to Reminders to prompt OmniFocus to request access. If you’ve previously declined reminders access, tap “Open Settings” to enable this capability. Finally, turn on the Reminders Capture switch in the OmniFocus settings. If you only have one reminders list, no additional configuration will be necessary. (If you have multiple Reminders lists configured, you’ll need to select a single list you want OmniFocus to capture from.)
OmniFocus for the Web requires a subscription after the free two-week trial. There are two options, both available from our online store: OmniFocus Subscription ($9.99/month or $99.99/year): Gets you OmniFocus Pro for Mac, OmniFocus Pro for iOS, and OmniFocus for the Web. This is a great option for people who have not already purchased.
Warning: You should only configure Reminders Capture on a single iOS device. If you rely on iCloud to sync your reminders across devices and you have OmniFocus on iPad and iPhone, you could end up with duplicate entries in your Inbox.
To record a new Inbox item with Siri, try these phrases:
- “Siri, remember to…” records a task to the system default Reminders list. OmniFocus grabs it from that list if it’s the one you have chosen to capture.
- “Siri, remind me to…at (date and time)” records a task to the default list, and assigns a due date.In iOS 8, you can now use “remember to” and “remind me to” somewhat interchangeably. If you specify a time after either of these phrases, it will be assigned as a due date.
- “Siri, remind me when I get to (or leave)…” records a task to the default list with a contact location attached. If you choose a specific location, make sure it matches an OmniFocus context location.
Chameleon 1989. Note: Use the small dot distance (200 meters/650 feet) if you would like OmniFocus to capture Siri-transcribed actions associated with that location.
- “Add … to my OmniFocus list” records a task to a list named OmniFocus if you have one set up in Reminders. OmniFocus captures the task if that’s the list you’ve chosen.
- Replace OmniFocus with the name of whatever list you’d prefer!
What Gets Captured?
One of our primary goals with Reminders Capture is to avoid losing your data during import. OmniFocus will try to bring along as much metadata as possible, but we don’t have a direct equivalent for everything that can be set on a Reminder. During import, OmniFocus will capture the following bits of information on a task:
- The title
- The due date
- The plain-text notes
- One alarm (as the due date, if no explicit due date is set)
- One location (as a location-based context)
- The repetition rule (if it’s regular or fixed-interval)
OmniFocus avoids capturing a given reminder, leaving it in the original list, if:
- It has already been marked completed
- It has any attendees from its source calendar
- It has more than one alarm
- It has an irregular repeat interval (e.g. “Every first Thursday”)
- It has a location that doesn’t match any existing context
- It has a location, but location-based alerts are turned off in OmniFocus
OmniFocus will try to capture reminders every time the app is opened, and at regular intervals thereafter (e.g. when a sync happens). This way, if you go back and modify a reminder in the Reminders app, OmniFocus can take another shot at capturing that reminder the next time you return to our app.
An Important Note on Reminders Capture
Please note: We’ve designed this feature to migrate as much information as possible from Apple’s Reminders app into OmniFocus. In order to prevent you from having duplicates at the end of this import process, OmniFocus will remove the original reminder from the Reminders app after it has been imported into OmniFocus. If you’ve configured the Reminders app to sync tasks with another service like Outlook or Google, the deleted reminder will also be removed from any other devices you’re syncing with. This means that if you want to use OmniFocus without removing any tasks from the Reminders app or services that sync with Reminders, you probably don’t want to turn on the Reminders Capture option.
If you decide not to use Reminders Capture, fear not! There are still many other methods for capturing data into OmniFocus 2 for iOS.
iOS 9 “Remember This” Limitations
In iOS 9, Apple introduced the ability to have Siri remind you about things you’re looking at in your apps and want to follow up on later. If you’re in the middle of composing an email, you can say “Remind me about this tonight” to get taken back to your draft later on. When you set up a reminder about “this,” an app can offer a deep link back to itself, so you can return to this point via a reminder.
Unfortunately, Apple does not expose these links through the third-party APIs that OmniFocus use to read Reminders data. As a result, we’re met with a few limitations when importing reminders:
- OmniFocus can’t read the deep links Siri puts on reminders to take you back into an app
- OmniFocus doesn’t know when it encounters a reminder with a deep link that can’t be read
- OmniFocus can’t link to a specific reminder within the Reminders app (or even to the Reminders app in general)
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OmniFocus Subscriptions are optional
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You can still purchase and use OmniFocus for Mac and OmniFocus for iOS individually if you prefer.
Subscribing to OmniFocus gives you the option to pay monthly or yearly for access to OmniFocus on all of your devices. From the App Store versions of OmniFocus for iOS and Mac, you can purchase the cross-platform OmniFocus Subscription. From our website, you can purchase the same cross-platform option, or the OmniFocus Web Add-On (for customers who already own the standalone version of OmniFocus for Mac or iOS).
No matter where you subscribe, your Omni Account tracks your subscription so that you don’t accidentally subscribe twice. Beat hazard ultra 1 download free.
Try before you buy with an Omni Account
Trials of our applications are no longer linked to the subscription or purchase process, so with an Omni Account you can start a trial and have no fear of being charged at the end. Learn more about trialing an app with an Omni Account here.
- Accessing your subscription
- Managing or cancelling your Subscription
Subscribing via the Omni Store
To purchase a subscription direcly from Omni, visit the Omni Store and choose OmniFocus for the Web from the main store page. You’ll be asked to log in to your Omni Account, or create a new Omni Account if you don’t have one.
Already using OmniFocus?
If you use the Omni Sync Server to sync your OmniFocus data, you already have an Omni Account: use your Omni Sync Server credentials to log in here.
After logging into your Omni Account, choose a subscription type:
- OmniFocus Subscription—Includes OmniFocus Pro for Mac, OmniFocus Pro for iOS, and OmniFocus for the Web.
- OmniFocus Web Add-On—This subscription lets customers who already own the standalone version of OmniFocus for Mac and/or iOS use OmniFocus for the Web at a discounted price.
Select a monthly or yearly subscription, enter your payment details, and click Pay and Subscribe. If your purchase is successful you’ll see a summary of your account status and subscription information.
Once you have an active subscription, sign into your Omni Account on each of your devices to unlock the Pro features.
Subscribing via the App Store
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The Mac App Store version of OmniFocus for Mac is pictured below, but OmniFocus for iOS uses the same subscription flow with slightly different visuals.
To subscribe using an App Store version of OmniFocus, download OmniFocus for iOS or the Mac App Store version of OmniFocus for Mac. The first time you launch the app, you can choose to Try or Buy.
If you already have OmniFocus for iOS installed, head to Settings > In-App Purchases to begin the subscription process instead. In OmniFocus from the Mac App Store, choose the In-App Purchases item in the OmniFocus app menu.
When you’re prompted to choose OmniFocus 3 for iOS/Mac or OmniFocus Subscription, tap or click Subscription Options. Monthly and yearly subscription options are available.
Try before you buy with an Omni Account
Trials of our applications are no longer linked to the subscription or purchase process, so with an Omni Account you can start a trial and have no fear of being charged at the end. Learn more about trialing an app with an Omni Account here.
Signing in to your Omni Account
If you use the Omni Sync Server to sync your OmniFocus data, you already have an Omni Account: use your Omni Sync Server credentials to log in here.
Before your subscription can be billed, you’ll be asked to log in to your Omni Account, or create a new Omni Account if you don’t have one.
After you finish signing in to your Omni Account, confirm your purchase. If you purchased as part of the OmniFocus first-run experience, you’ll continue on to database setup.
Once you have an active subscription, sign into your Omni Account on each of your devices to unlock the Pro features.
Accessing your subscription
OmniFocus for Mac and iOS
If your subscription includes OmniFocus Pro for Mac and iOS, signing into the Omni Account which you used to subscribe will unlock Pro features in each app.
- OmniFocus 3 for Mac—Download from the Omni website (direct OmniFocus download link). Click Restore during first run to unlock OmniFocus Pro by signing in to your Omni Account. If you’ve already gone through the first run experience, choose Sign in to Omni Account from the OmniFocus app menu.
- OmniFocus 3 for iOS—Download from the iOS App Store. Tap Restore during first run to unlock OmniFocus Pro by signing in to your Omni Account. If you’ve already gone through the first run experience, choose Omni Account from the OmniFocus Settings and enter your Omni Account credentials.
OmniFocus for the Web
Once your subscription is active, you can log in to OmniFocus for the Web using your Omni Account credentials at https://web.omnifocus.com.
Managing or cancelling your Subscription
For App Store subscriptions
Manage your OmniFocus subscription via the central iTunes subscription management page. This page is also accessible via the Omni Account and In-App Purchase sections of OmniFocus Settings on iOS and the corresponding OmniFocus app menu items on Mac.
The subscription management page shows the date on which your subscription will renew. You must cancel your subscription at least 24 hours before this date to avoid being charged. If you start a subscription with a free trial, the first renewal date will be two weeks after your subscription begins.
For subscriptions purchased directly from Omni
If you subscribed in the Omni Store, you can manage or cancel your OmniFocus subscription via the Omni Accounts interface at https://accounts.omnigroup.com/.
Last Modified: Sep 2, 2020