WhatsApp is a hugely popular messaging platform, but it's largely kept itself focused on the consumer side of the market. While services like Slack, Skype, and Microsoft Teams provide workplace collaboration, WhatsApp has become a favorite for everyday use.
That said, the Facebook-owned app has increasingly expressed its desire to introduce more productivity-minded features. With that in mind, the introduction of task management this week is an important step.
WhatsApp hasn't built a task management tool from the ground up. Instead, the company has teamed with Any.do to integrate its task manager into its service.
Found by Android Police, the integration allows users to set reminders and tasks on WhatsApp. Any.do's availability is provided by a bot. Everything is achieved directly in the app, including notifications for reminders.
Users can also forward messages to the bot and ask it to create tasks. For example, if someone messages you asking for you to pick them up, WhatsApp will automatically remember and remind you if the message is forwarded to the app.
Other task management features include the ability to assign tasks to contacts, share lists, and sync with Any.do tasks not held on WhatsApp.
It is worth noting Any.do is not a free service, so you will have to be a subscriber to enjoy the tool on WhatsApp. That costs $2.99. To entice users who are not sure, there is a free seven-day trial available at the whatsapp.any.do website.
Users must activate the feature directly in Any.do before the bot works on the app. To do this, head to settings > integrations > WhatsApp.
Windows Phone Demise
Unfortunately, this feature will not be coming to Windows Phone users. WhatsApp on Microsoft's defunct platform is shuttering this month. This has been inevitable as the company has not been supporting the app for some time. That means WhatsApp on Windows Phone has not been receiving updates and is not visible in the Microsoft Store. However, users with the app already installed have been able to continue using it.