# Memo Reminders 2.0: A Passion Project, Four Attempts Later Author: [Dragan Atanasov](https://datanasov.com/about) Published: 2026-10-16 Canonical URL: https://datanasov.com/blog/memo-reminders-v2 My little passion project from 2015 has new scheduled reminders, repeats, notification duration, reusable templates and an improved reminders list. Here's the story behind version 2.0. Memo Reminders started with something I kept doing: writing down a task, closing the app and forgetting to look at it again. I wanted a reminder I would see when I picked up my phone. Something waiting in my notifications, without another app to open or a list to check. Sometimes I didn't even have a time in mind. I just needed to keep the next thing in view. So I built it for myself. A small passion project. ## Where it all started I published Memo Reminders back in September 2015. Write a quick reminder, save it, and there it was in the notification area. Simple enough to use before the thought disappeared. It turned out other people wanted that too. [Android Community covered the app that September](https://androidcommunity.com/memo-reminders-is-easy-accessible-persistent-gets-the-work-done-20150911/), highlighting its simplicity and notification actions. Later, it appeared in [Techweez's “My Favourite Android Apps of 2015”](https://techweez.com/2015/12/23/favourite-android-apps-2015/), where the author liked being able to see a reminder without digging through menus. Seeing something I made for myself become useful to other people was a lovely surprise. Version 2.0, though, took the scenic route. ## Four attempts at version 2.0 This is actually my fourth attempt at Memo Reminders 2.0. There weren't four public releases. There were four tries at building the next one. ### First, Java The original Memo Reminder was written in Java, I continued working on it, but it never saw the light of day. My first attempt at the next version stayed unfinished. ### Then Flutter, and a quick prototype When Flutter came along, I was curious about how Memo Reminders would work with it. In a surprisingly short time, I had a working prototype. That part felt great. Then I started adding scheduled reminders, and that was where I hit a roadblock. Getting the background and notification behavior I wanted was harder in my implementation than building the screens. Flutter was still at version 1 and I was learning as I went. Flutter 2 arrived with performance improvements, null safety and plenty of changes to work through. Those were welcome improvements, but migrating my project took time. Keeping up took time away from the app itself. ### A fresh start with Flutter 3 By Flutter 3, the framework felt more mature and stable. Another migration looked painful, so I decided to start fresh, this time with multiple platforms in mind. Development moved quickly. I had more experience, Flutter made it easy to build the interface, and the app was coming together nicely. Scheduled reminders were still the tricky part. I made them work, but doing so required a substantial amount of native Android code. With so much native code already written, building entirely with Android's own tools started making sense. ### Back to native Android That led to attempt number four: Kotlin, Jetpack Compose, Coroutines, and a fresh native Android app. I could build on what I had learned and work directly with Android for the reminder behavior I needed. And here we are. The final Memo Reminders 2.0, at last. :) ## What's new in version 2.0 Memo Reminders was about reminders that appeared straight away. Scheduled reminders, repeats, notification duration, templates and an improved reminders list are all new in version 2.0. The original idea is still there: keep the next thing in view. Now there are more ways to make it fit your day. **Schedule a reminder.** Need to make a call tomorrow afternoon? Choose a future date and time. If you just need something in view now, immediate reminders are still there too. **Make it repeat.** Set a reminder to repeat daily, weekly, or monthly. Pick the weekdays for a regular routine, or add a monthly reminder for a task you keep putting off. **Choose its notification duration.** A reminder to take a short break might only need to stay visible for 15 minutes. Another might need an hour, a custom duration, or to stay until you dismiss it. Duration controls the notification's time in the notification area. It doesn't change the repeat schedule or delete the reminder from the app when the notification ends. ![Memo Reminders interface preview showing the reminder editor with time, duration, and action controls]() *Interface preview: write a reminder and choose when it appears and how long its notification stays.* ### An improved reminders list The reminders list is new and improved too. Clearer reminder cards make it easier to see what you need to do. Tap a reminder to edit it, or use its menu to manage it. You can mark it as done, save it as a template to use again, or delete it. Notification actions are still part of the app. Add a call, text message, email, directions, or website action, then open that next step from the notification when it appears. ![Memo Reminders interface preview showing the reminder menu with Mark as done, Save as template, and Delete]() *Interface preview: the improved reminders list and its quick actions in version 2.0.* ### Templates for the things you do again Templates are new in 2.0 too. Save a single reminder for something you do often, or save a whole list to use again. Think of your regular shopping list or the things you always need to pack before a trip. Next time, you can bring back a reminder without typing it again. For a saved list, choose just the items you need and adjust the details before adding them as reminders. A little less starting from scratch, and a little less wondering what you forgot. ## A couple of things had to change Sticky reminders are gone. [Android 14 changed how ongoing notifications behave](https://developer.android.com/about/versions/14/behavior-changes-all#non-dismissable-notifications), allowing people to swipe away ordinary ongoing notifications while the phone is unlocked. The old promise of a reminder you couldn't dismiss that way no longer fits, so I removed the sticky option. The old **Open app** action, which let you choose an installed app to launch, is gone too. [Google Play restricts broad access to the list of installed apps](https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/10158779?hl=en). That restriction affected the old app picker and was the reason Memo Reminders was removed from Google Play. It stayed unavailable there until this update. This doesn't remove the call, message, email, directions, or website actions. Those still open an app that can handle the task, without the old general-purpose app picker. ## Give version 2.0 a try If you used the original Memo Reminders, thank you for giving my little project a place on your phone. If you're discovering it now, welcome. I hope it helps you remember the next thing, with a little less effort. [Get Memo Reminders for Android on Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.datanasov.memoreminders&referrer=utm_source%3Ddatanasov.com%26utm_medium%3Dreferral%26utm_campaign%3Dmemo_reminders_v2_launch), or visit [memoreminders.com](https://memoreminders.com/?utm_source=datanasov.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=memo_reminders_v2_launch) to have a look around.