How To Share a Reminders List (And Why You Should)

Picture this: You are in the supermarket, making your way up Aisle 4B.

Then you see it, on a lower shelf, and you think to yourself, “Do we need flour?”

Well, better to be on the safe side. So you grab the five-pound bag.

And the scene repeats with the frozen pizza on Aisle 7A. And with the English muffins on Aisle 10B. You call your spouse to see if you need pretzels, but there is no answer. And no response to a text, either.

So the pretzels end up in your cart.

You get home, and are in the middle of unpacking your grocery bags when your spouse walks in, with a grocery bag in hand, pretzels peeking out the top.

“I got pretzels, too,” you say.

You open the pantry door, and there they are: a bag of flour…and two bags of pretzels.

Before you dare to open the freezer and the bread box, you think, “Isn’t there an easier way?”

Shared reminders to the rescue

You probably already know that you can sync much of your own data–such as contacts, calendars, or Safari bookmarks–on all your devices via iCloud. Reminders, in fact, is one of those apps whose data can be synced.

But–and it’s not obvious in the Reminders app–lists can also be shared with other iCloud users. So instead of trying to maintain a written grocery list, why not instead use the Reminders app and the power of sharing it via iCloud?

Here’s how to get things rolling on a Mac:

1. Open Reminders. (If you want to share an existing list on iCloud, skip to Step 4.)
2. To create a new list on iCloud, click the Add List button and choose iCloud from the pop-up menu that appears.
   
3. A New List will appear. Type a name for the list, such as Groceries, and press return.
   
4. Move the pointer over the name of your list and when the share button appears, click it.
   
5. In the Share With… field type the email address of another iCloud user with whom you want to share the list (press return after each email address to add additional users) and click Done. An invitation to share the list will be sent via email to each user.
   

Once the invitees agree to share the list it will appear in their Reminders app. You and everyone who has accepted the invitation can add, delete, and mark as complete any of the items on the list.

The share button will appear next to the name of a shared list. You can use this button to edit the list of iCloud users who are sharing the list. Deleting all users will stop sharing of the list.

And here’s how to do it on an iOS device:

1. Tap Reminders. (If you want to share an existing list on iCloud, skip to Step 4.)
2. Tap the + button to create a new list on iCloud. (On an iPad, the button is labeled Add List).
3. A new empty list will appear. Type a name for the list, such as Groceries, tap a color, and tap Done.
4. With your list selected, tap Edit.

1. Tap Sharing.
2. Tap Add person….
3. Type the email address of another iCloud user with whom you want to share the list (or use the + button to show your contacts) and press return. Type additional names or use the + button to add more than one person. Tap Add when you are finished.

1. Tap Done to close the sharing window.
2. Tap Done to finish editing.

An invitation to share the list will be sent via email to each user.

Once the invitees agree to share the list it will appear in their Reminders app. You and everyone who has accepted the invitation can add, delete, and mark as complete any of the items on the list.

The names of iCloud users who are sharing a list will appear below the list’s name. You can use the list’s Edit button to add or delete people on the list of iCloud users who are sharing the list. Deleting all users will stop sharing of the list.

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You Get a List, You Get a List, and You Get a List…

A grocery list is an easy example of the benefits of a shared list. So is a vacation packing list, a bucket list, or a compendium of household chores. What ideas do you have for other shared lists?