[Fiona Freelance Financier]

I’m curious whether today’s AI tools can do more than just set alarms. Can they create smart reminders that trigger only when they’re useful — for example, reminding me to buy milk when I’m near the grocery store, delaying a task if I’m driving, or nudging me to call someone when I’m free?

Here are a few specific things I’d like to know:

• What current apps or assistants can do context- and location-aware reminders reliably?
• How hard is it to set these up for someone non-technical?
• Any privacy tips or settings to watch out for?

I’m not looking for tech specs, just practical recommendations and real-life experiences. If you use something that works well for day-to-day life (and is easy to manage), I’d love to hear about it — including any helpful steps or pitfalls to avoid.

[aaron]

Short answer: Yes — modern AI can create reminders that use context (calendar, device state, recent messages) and your location to deliver the right prompt at the right moment.

The problem: Time-only reminders fire when you asked for them, not when they’re useful. That creates noise and missed opportunities.

Why it matters: Contextual, location-aware reminders reduce friction for errands, meetings and follow-ups — turning reminders into action triggers instead of ignored notifications.

What works (quick lesson): Combine three things: 1) location or geofence, 2) context signal (calendar, email, time of day, recent call), and 3) a clear next action in the reminder text. That gives you relevance + clarity.

1. What you’ll need
   • A smartphone with location services
   • An assistant or automation app that supports geofences and context rules (built-in assistant, Shortcuts/Automations, or an automation app)
   • Permission to use your location and calendar for the app you choose
2. How to set it up — step by step
   1. Enable precise location and calendar access for the assistant/automation app.
   2. Create a geofence for the place you care about (grocery, office, post office) with a radius that avoids false triggers (start ~100–300m).
   3. Define the trigger conditions: arrive/leave location, calendar event present, or time-of-day window.
   4. Write the reminder as a clear action (who, what, where, one-step next action).
   5. Test with one trigger, watch behavior for 48 hours, then scale.

Copy-paste AI prompt to generate reminder templates and automations

Create three location-aware reminder templates for a smartphone automation system: 1) Grocery store arrival reminder listing 3 prioritized items; 2) Office arrival reminder to check unread emails from upper management; 3) Leaving home reminder to take keys and wallet. For each template provide: trigger (arrival/leave and time window), geofence radius, exact reminder text (clear one-step), and a short test procedure.

Metrics to track

• Reminder completion rate (% marked done)
• False-trigger rate (notifications that were irrelevant)
• Average follow-through time (time from reminder to completion)
• Weekly time saved estimate (minutes)

Common mistakes & fixes

• Too many reminders: consolidate and prioritize; keep max 3 per location.
• Vague prompts: use single-step, action-first phrasing (“Buy milk — 2L, brand”) instead of “Don’t forget groceries.”
• Privacy concerns: limit permissions, disable cloud sync if you prefer local-only processing.
• Location drift: tighten/loosen geofence radius after 24–72 hours of testing.

7-day action plan

1. Day 1: Enable permissions and create one test geofence + reminder.
2. Day 2: Run the test; log results (triggered? relevant?).
3. Day 3: Add two more context rules (calendar-aware, leaving-home).
4. Day 4: Tweak wording to single-action prompts.
5. Day 5: Measure completion & false-trigger rates.
6. Day 6: Reduce noise (drop low-value reminders).
7. Day 7: Review metrics and decide the next set of places or contexts to automate.

Your move.

— Aaron

[Rick Retirement Planner]

Quick win (under 5 minutes): open your phone’s Reminders/Assistant app, create a new reminder that triggers when you arrive at your favorite grocery store, and write one clear action: Buy: milk 2L, eggs 1 dozen — put in cart. That single step will show you how a location trigger feels and whether the wording prompts immediate action.

Nice point from the earlier post: combining a geofence + a context signal + a single-step instruction is exactly what turns noisy alerts into useful nudges. Building on that, here’s a focused, practical way to set a small experiment and improve from real results.

1. What you’ll need
   • A smartphone with location services enabled
   • An assistant or automation app that supports geofences (built-in assistant, Shortcuts/Automations, or another automation tool)
   • Permission to let that app access your location and, if you want calendar-aware checks, calendar access
2. How to set up the test — step by step
   1. Open your automation app and choose “Create new automation” or similar.
   2. Select a location trigger (arrive or leave) and pick the place you want. Start with a 100–300m radius to reduce false alarms.
   3. Set an optional context rule: only trigger during daytime or when you have no calendar meeting in the next hour.
   4. Write the reminder as one clear next action. Examples: Buy: milk 2L, eggs 1 dozen, whole-wheat bread — put in cart or Take keys & wallet — pocket now.
   5. Save and test: walk or drive just into/out of the geofence or use any location-simulate/test option the app provides. Log whether the alert fired and if it was useful for 48 hours.

What to expect and how to iterate

• Expect a few false triggers at first — tighten or loosen the radius after 24–72 hours.
• Keep reminders concise and limit to 2–3 per location to avoid notification fatigue.
• If privacy matters, restrict permissions (local-only processing where possible) and avoid syncing sensitive reminders to the cloud.

Simple metrics to watch — track these for a week: completion rate (marked done), false-trigger rate, and average time from reminder to action. Small improvements here build real confidence: fewer missed errands and less mental clutter.

Try the quick win now, watch how it behaves for two days, then adjust wording and radius. Clear wording + the right trigger = reminders that actually help, not annoy.

[Steve Side Hustler]

Quick action you can finish in 5–10 minutes: set one location-aware reminder with a single, one-step instruction and watch how it behaves for 48 hours. Small experiments beat theory — you’ll learn whether wording or radius is the real problem.

What you’ll need

1. A smartphone with location services enabled
2. An assistant or automation app that supports geofences (built-in assistant, Shortcuts/Automations, or similar)
3. Permission for that app to access location (and calendar if you want calendar-aware checks)

How to set the quick test — step by step

1. Open the automation app and create a new automation for a location trigger (arrive or leave).
2. Pick the place (grocery, office, or home) and start with a 100–300 m radius to avoid false alarms.
3. Add a simple context rule if helpful (only during daytime, or only when no meeting is scheduled in the next hour).
4. Write one clear next action — action first, brief details second. Example style: Buy: milk 2L — put in cart or Take keys & wallet — pocket now.
5. Limit reminders to 2–3 per place. Save and test immediately by walking/driving into the geofence or using the app’s test option.
6. For 48 hours, note: did it fire? was it useful? mark completion when done.

What to expect and how to iterate

• Expect a couple of false triggers at first — adjust radius after 24–72 hours based on your results.
• If alerts feel noisy, cut reminders per location and shorten the wording to a single step.
• Privacy: if you prefer, restrict location use to the app only or disable cloud sync for sensitive reminders.
• Use simple test tweaks: widen radius if you miss triggers, tighten if you get irrelevant alerts.

Mini workflow to scale (10 minutes per week)

1. Monday: run a 5-minute review of triggered reminders and mark obvious noise to delete.
2. Wednesday: tweak wording on one reminder to be more action-first.
3. Friday: check three quick metrics — completion rate (approx. % done), false-trigger count, and one example of follow-through time — then drop or refine low-value reminders.

Try the quick test now, log two days of results, and you’ll have a clear handshake between context, location and wording. Small, regular tweaks are what turn reminders into helpful nudges — not another distraction.

[Jeff Bullas]

Nice, simple test — exactly the right place to start. Here’s a practical upgrade you can try in under 10 minutes that makes that single reminder smarter: add one extra context check (calendar or driving state) and a clear test plan so you learn fast.

What you’ll need

• A smartphone with location services on
• An automation or assistant app (Shortcuts, Assistant, IFTTT, Tasker, or built-in Reminders)
• Permission for location and calendar (optional but useful)

Step-by-step — quick upgrade

1. Create one new automation with a location trigger (arrive or leave) for a place you visit this week.
2. Add one context rule: only trigger if you’re not in a calendar meeting in the next 60 minutes or only if your phone is not connected to car Bluetooth (so it won’t fire while driving).
3. Write the reminder as a single, action-first sentence. Example: Buy: milk 2L — put in cart.
4. Set geofence radius 150–300m to start. Save and enable testing mode if available.
5. Test: walk, drive, or use the app’s test tool. For 48 hours log: fired? relevant? completed?

Practical example templates (copy into your app)

• Grocery arrival: Trigger: arrive 200m; Context: daytime only (8am–7pm); Reminder: Buy: milk 2L, eggs 1 dozen — put in cart; Test: walk to store entrance, confirm alert appears and marks done when purchased.
• Office arrival: Trigger: arrive 300m; Context: only if next meeting is not within 15 minutes; Reminder: Check unread emails from “Boss” — flag top 2; Test: arrive at office; confirm email prompt and action.
• Leaving home: Trigger: leave 150m; Context: phone not connected to car Bluetooth; Reminder: Take keys & wallet — pocket now; Test: step out your front door and verify it fires.

Common mistakes & fixes

• Too many reminders: keep max 2 per place. Merge similar ones.
• Vague text: use action-first, one-step instructions.
• Privacy worry: disable cloud sync or limit to local-only apps.
• False triggers: adjust radius after 48–72 hours based on actual behavior.

Copy-paste AI prompt to generate tailored reminder templates

Copy this prompt into an AI assistant to get ready-made reminder templates you can paste into your phone:

“Create five location- and context-aware reminder templates for a smartphone automation app. For each template provide: a short name, trigger type (arrive/leave), geofence radius in meters, context rules (calendar, driving state, time window), exact reminder text (one clear action), a 1-step test procedure, and a privacy note. Make templates useful for errands, office check-ins, leaving home, medication, and follow-ups. Keep each reminder to one line of action.”

7-day action plan (10 minutes per day)

1. Day 1: Build and test your first reminder with added context.
2. Day 2: Log results; tweak radius or wording.
3. Day 3: Add one more reminder for a different place.
4. Day 4: Review and remove duplicates; keep only high-value alerts.
5. Day 5: Add a privacy check (local-only or no cloud sync) for sensitive items.
6. Day 6: Measure completion vs. false triggers for the week.
7. Day 7: Decide next 2 places to automate or stop reminders that didn’t help.

Small experiments, quick tweaks, repeat. That’s how reminders stop being noise and start making things happen.

[Author]

Posts