Google Tasks Finally Gets Deadlines, But There’s a Catch

According to Android Police, Google Tasks is finally adding deadline support after years of lacking basic features. The feature was first spotted by Android Police founder Artem Russakovskii and is rolling out gradually via server-side updates. While you could previously set dates and times for tasks, deadlines specifically mark when something must be completed by. The feature is available on both mobile and web versions, but requires the latest app update. However, the implementation is surprisingly limited – you can only set dates without specific times. This puts Google Tasks years behind competitors like Todoist and TickTick that have offered full deadline functionality for ages.

Better Late Than Never?

Look, it’s about time. Google Tasks has been around for nearly seven years, and the fact that we’re just now getting something as fundamental as deadlines is kind of wild. I mean, what were people supposed to do before? Just hope they remembered that important project was due on Friday? The deadline feature at least lets you set a hard cutoff date and get reminders leading up to it.

But here’s the thing – without time-specific deadlines, it’s only half useful. Think about it: if you have a meeting at 2 PM or a report due by end of business, just knowing the date isn’t enough. You need that time component to actually plan your day effectively. It’s like Google built 80% of the feature and called it done.

Google’s To-Do Problem

This is classic Google, honestly. They have this pattern of launching products with barebones features and then taking forever to add what should have been there from day one. Remember when Google Tasks launched without even basic integrations with other Google services? It’s been playing catch-up ever since.

And it’s not like they’re not working on improvements. They’re testing Google Drive integration for file attachments, and they recently added the ability to create tasks directly from Keep, Gmail, and other apps. But when you compare it to what’s available elsewhere, it’s hard not to feel like Google Tasks is the neglected stepchild of their productivity suite.

Why This Matters

So why should anyone care about deadlines in a free to-do app? Because task management is fundamentally about time management. Deadlines create urgency and help prioritize. They’re not just nice-to-have features – they’re core to how people actually get things done.

The fact that Google is finally adding this suggests they haven’t completely abandoned Tasks. But it also highlights how far behind they are in the productivity space. When your competitors have had features for years that you’re just now rolling out, it makes you wonder about the commitment level. Will Google stick with Tasks long-term, or is this just another product that will eventually get the axe?

For now, if you’re a Google Tasks user, deadlines are a welcome addition. Just don’t expect them to revolutionize your workflow until Google adds times and maybe a few other basic features that the rest of the to-do app world takes for granted.