Support location-based notifications on the iPhone using iOS geofencing
At present, MLO iPhone (1.4.0.1761.2) allows locations to be added to contexts. It also has a 'Nearby' ToDo view, which will look for active tasks by their context location, and show those that are closest.
However, this still means that unless you actually open MLO and tap on the 'Nearby' icon, you cannot be alerted when you're close to a particular context. What would be even more useful, is if the iPhone can actually alert you when you pass by, arrive at, or leave, a location.
iOS 5+ supports this feature, called geofencing. The idea, is that when a user sets a context (eg. "Supermarket"), they would set the location, and also a radius from that location - ideally this would be using the Maps/Google Maps view and API.
Generally you want to be reminded of something at 1. a specific time, 2. in a specific place, or 3. when a specific event occurs. MLO can do (1); this is (2).
Hence, whenever a user creates a task that is active in the geofence (eg. "Get Milk"), they can select whether or not they want Geofence alerts for that task. MLO would then send the geofence to the iOS Location Manager.
Then, when the user passes the supermarket, MLO would generate the notification "get milk". The user can open the alert, and complete the task.
Ideally, the user can also set a defined period after arriving at/leaving from the location (eg. "Remind me 10 minutes after arriving at Supermarket, to Post Letter at Check-out"). This should probably be on a per-task basis, rather than per-location basis.
Reason for feature:
I often forget to check MLO while actually in a location (eg. Office; the Shops). This would allow MLO to remind me, without me having to check
Other products doing this
Apple's own Reminders app allows geofenced notifications on arriving/leaving an address. It only works with addresses however.
Checkmark is another, very good app promoted by Lifehacker as specifically focused on this. I use it at present - however, it would be great just to use MLO as the one, central app for this, rather than having to use two
Foreseen issues:
- There might be 'notification fatigue' if a lot of alerts pop up on arrival at a context location. Putting notification on/off settings in the task, rather than context, can help here.
- Geofencing can only tell the OS to wake the app if the location fence is crossed; it cannot check first whether the task at that location is actually active or not, at the time the fence is crossed. However, if the geofence can wake MLO first, so that it can check if the task if currently active, that would help
- Battery life is traditionally reduced by apps that continually check location (eg. SatNav). However, Geofencing is designed to greatly reduce this, by checking location intelligently and occasionally; users of Checkmark often quote no noticeable additional drain.
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Damo commented
Just got the alert that this has been implemented - looking forward to trying it. I moved from iOS to Android a few months ago, so am using this existing feature in Android... but will be moving back to iOS with the iPhone 6, so it'll be good to have this when I come back.
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Damo commented
There is a duplicate here, although it does not specify the details of how this can be done.
http://mlo.uservoice.com/forums/9235-general/suggestions/2475205-location-based-reminder