If you rely on Google Keep for your daily planning and grocery lists, your workflow is about to face a major shakeup. Google has officially started moving reminders from the Keep app over to Google Tasks. This integration aims to streamline how you manage your to-do lists across the Android ecosystem. However, this update comes with a significant trade-off that might upset long-time users. The popular location-based reminders feature is disappearing during this transition.
Google is currently pushing this update to select accounts after teasing the change back in October. Users opening the app are now greeted with a prompt stating that “Reminders are now Google Tasks.” This move signals Google’s intent to consolidate its productivity tools into a single, unified experience. While organization enthusiasts may welcome the cleanup, the loss of location triggers is a bitter pill for many to swallow.
The Rollout Hits Android Devices
The migration is not happening all at once for everyone. It is a slow rollout that depends on your specific account and app version. Reports confirm that the change is appearing in Keep Notes version 5.25.461.02.90. If you have not seen it yet, it is likely just a matter of days or weeks before it hits your device.
When the feature lands on your phone, you will notice a distinct change when you tap the bell icon to set a reminder. A pop-up explains that you can now view, edit, and complete your reminders across the entire Google suite. This includes Google Assistant, Calendar, Gemini, and the standalone Tasks app.
The goal is to stop users from having scattered to-do lists in different apps.
Previously, a reminder set in Keep lived only in Keep or the old Assistant memory. Now, everything funnels into the Tasks database. You will see a blue Tasks icon at the top of the time-selection sheet inside Keep. This visual cue confirms that your note is linking directly to the Tasks backend system.
Google keep app interface showing tasks integration prompt
Key Changes at a Glance
| Feature | Old Google Keep | New Tasks Integration |
|---|---|---|
| Reminder Storage | Stored within Keep | Stored in Google Tasks |
| Cross-App View | Limited visibility | Visible in Calendar, Tasks, Gemini |
| Location Triggers | Supported (Home, Work, etc.) | Removed |
| Notifications | Sent by Keep | Sent by Tasks or Calendar |
Location Reminders Are Gone
The most controversial part of this update is the removal of location-based reminders. For years, Keep users utilized this feature for context-aware alerts. You could write a shopping list and set it to ping you exactly when you arrived at your local supermarket.
With this new update, those options are deleted. The standard time-based options remain intact. You can still select “Tomorrow morning,” “Tomorrow evening,” or “Pick a date & time.” But the options for “Home,” “Work,” or “Pick a place” are strictly removed from the menu.
“This is because Google Tasks does not offer location-based reminders,” explains the technical breakdown of the update.
Since the Tasks backend structure does not support geofencing technology, Keep had to drop the feature to make the integration work. This puts users in a difficult spot. Those who relied on location triggers will now need to look for third-party alternatives or rely on manual checks. It is a classic case of simplifying software by removing complex but beloved features.
Understanding The New Workflow
Once you get past the loss of location features, the new system does offer better organization. When you create a reminder in Keep, it instantly syncs to your Google Calendar grid. This is great for visual planners who like to see their notes alongside their meetings.
In the Google Tasks app, these items will appear with a specific label.
Each entry created through the note-taking app will carry a small “From Keep” tag.
This helps you distinguish between a generic task you typed in manually and a reminder that is attached to a specific note. You can tap this link in the Tasks app to jump straight back to the original Keep note. This deep linking ensures you do not lose the context of your reminder.
The “Reminders” page inside Google Keep still exists in the side navigation drawer. However, it now acts more like a filtered view of your notes that have Tasks attached to them. It is no longer a siloed list of alerts but a window into your broader Google Tasks schedule.
Managing Your Notifications
Another major shift involves which app actually buzzes your phone. In the past, Google Keep was responsible for sending the notification for its own reminders. That responsibility has now shifted.
Google Keep will no longer send notifications for reminders on its own.
Instead, Google Calendar or the Tasks app will handle the actual alerting process. This centralizes your notifications, which can be cleaner, but it requires you to have notifications enabled for those apps.
Editing these reminders comes with new rules as well. You can change the date and time from almost anywhere—Keep, Tasks, or Calendar. However, if you want to rename the reminder itself, you must do that in Calendar or Tasks. Keep treats the note title as the source, but the task name is managed separately once created.
If you decide to delete a note in Keep, you have options. You can delete just the note, or you can delete both the note and the associated reminder. Be careful here. If you delete the reminder from inside the Tasks app, the note in Keep remains but loses its alert status. It is a one-way street in that regard.
Conclusion
This update marks a significant step in Google’s effort to clean up its messy ecosystem of productivity apps. By forcing Google Keep to use the Tasks backend, the company is finally creating a centralized place for all user obligations. The integration offers seamless syncing with Calendar and Gemini, which is a massive win for power users. However, the removal of location-based reminders is a steep price to pay. It simplifies the code but complicates life for users who need context-aware alerts. As the rollout continues to version 5.25.461.02.90 and beyond, users will have to adapt to a time-only structure for their daily planning.
What do you think about losing location-based reminders in favor of better Calendar syncing? Is this a fair trade-off for you? Let us know in the comments below. If you are discussing this on social media, use the hashtag #GoogleKeepUpdate to share your thoughts with the community.
