New Mobile App for iPhone and Android

This weekend we have taken the new mobile application out of Beta and it has become the new official FacileThings app, version 2. Although it is (and always will be) a work in progress, we believe it’s already a much better app than the previous version ¹.

The new app is available for iPhone (App Store) and Android (Google Play) under the name of FacileThings 2. This is a completely new application, so you’ll have to download it from the store (it will not automatically update over version 1).

Let’s take a look at the current features of the new app.

1. Working off-line and synchronizing data

This application uses a data synchronization algorithm that lets you get and post to the server only the new data and the ones that have changed since the last synchronization. With this system you can work with the app even if you have no internet access. The data is synchronized again after restoring the connection.

If you have internet access, synchronization is performed automatically each time you enter and exit the application. Sync is performed steadily in iPhones, because here the process cannot be run once you exit the application.

You will see a white sync icon (1) when all the local information is already synchronized with the server and an orange sync icon when it is not synced yet. Although not necessary, you can force the synchronization process manually, by touching that icon.

In case something goes wrong or your local data get corrupted by whatever reason, the “Reset data” option (2) in the Settings menu will clean all local data and force a full synchronization, leaving the data updated.

2. Collecting

The option to collect stuff is the default screen and opens automatically when you start the application. You can also access it from the main menu (3) and from virtually any place. You will see a collect icon on the top right of most options (4).

As in the web application, you have a tool to help you enter the most used tags without writing them (5).

3. Processing

You can process the captured stuff by following the sequence of steps established by David Allen in his GTD book (Getting Things Done).

First you must think about what you have at sight and write a correct, accurate and unambiguous statement. Then you must decide whether it is an action or not (6). According to your answer, the next step will present all the possible options for that input to get perfectly organized (7).

If it is an action that should be done by someone else you have the opportunity to delegate it to the appropriate person (8):

During the first step of processing you can edit the text, add tags, assign a reminder, add notes and define a checklist. You will see all these things in detail below, in the “Editing tasks” section.

4. Managing lists

The following five menu items (9) give you access to the next lists: Inbox, Calendar, Next actions, Waiting for and Reference material. Other lists, like Tickler file, Trash and Done, do not appear in the mobile version for two reasons: simplicity (they’re not necessary when you’re out there 99% of the time) and efficiency (the Done list can accumulate easily thousands of actions).

In each list, you can see the items ordered following the same criteria as in the web application, except the Calendar, in which the events are shown grouped by date (10), for quick visual recognition.

In the bottom of the lists you have a tool that allows you to filter (11) the elements of the list by one or more tags (if there are elements in the list containing tags.) At any time you can reduce the Next Actions list to those actions that you can actually get done in the context you are in.

All lists with actions (Calendar, Next actions and Waiting for) allow you to mark any of their actions as done (12).

5. Editing tasks

Tapping on a list item allows you to edit all its data (13). The edit window also lets you edit its notes (14) and checklist (15).

The checklist management screen allows you, in addition to edit the check points and mark the ones already done (16), to do something you still cannot do in the web application (we will add it soon): change their order (17).

6. What comes next

As I said earlier, this app will always be in constant evolution and we will be adding new features and improving the existing ones so that its use will become more and more comfortable and, above all, useful.

Our idea is to constantly improve it with the support of your feedback and publish a new release every 3-6 weeks.

The next improvements we are working on will allow you to assign Perspective values (projects, goals and areas of responsibility) when you are processing stuff , search for information on the lists, organize items in lists according to the GTD workflow, etc.

How can you help? Simply warning of any malfunction you can find and telling us what feature you are missing the most at the moment. When a good number of users point in the same direction, priorities become clear ;)

¹ Although version 1 is obsolete and will no longer receive more updates, you can continue using it if you still have it downloaded on your mobile (it is no longer shown in the Apple App Store and Google Play to not cause confusion to new users.)