A project and task management app for iPhone and iPad.
- Getting Started
- App Navigation
- Managing Projects
- Managing Tasks
- Task Steps (Subtasks)
- Recurring Tasks
- Calendar View
- Search & Filters
- Archive & Completed Items
- PDF Export
- Data Backup (Export & Import)
- Notifications
- Home Screen Widgets
- Siri Shortcuts
- iPad Features
When you first launch ProjectSimple, a "Getting Started" project is created automatically with six tutorial tasks that walk you through the app's features. You can complete, edit, or delete these tasks as you explore.
The app has four main tabs at the bottom of the screen:
| Tab | Icon | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Calendar | calendar | View tasks by date, see overdue items |
| Projects | folder | Browse, create, and manage projects |
| Search | magnifyingglass | Find tasks and projects with filters |
| Archive | archivebox | Access archived and completed items |
On iPad, these tabs can also appear as a sidebar that you can toggle.
- Go to the Projects tab.
- Tap the + button (top right).
- Fill in the project details:
- Name (required)
- Description (optional)
- Start Date and End Date
- Category — Work, Personal, Education, Health, Finance, or Other
- Color — Choose from six accent colors (blue, purple, orange, red, green, pink)
- Tap Add.
Tap any project in the list to see its detail view, which includes:
- Project description, category, and dates
- Progress bar showing completion percentage
- Status badges: To Do, In Progress, and Done counts
- Task list sorted by completion status, then priority, then due date
- Swipe left on a project row and tap the blue edit button, or
- Open the project detail view, tap the menu (...) at the top right, and select Edit Project.
- Swipe left on a project row and tap the red delete button.
- A confirmation dialog will appear — this permanently deletes the project and all its tasks.
- Swipe left on a project row and tap the orange archive button, or
- From the project detail view menu, select Archive Project.
Archived projects are moved to the Archive tab and no longer appear in the main list.
- Open a project's detail view.
- Tap the menu (...) at the top right and select Add Task.
- Fill in:
- Title (required)
- Details (optional)
- Due Date
- Priority — Low, Medium, or High
- Recurrence — None, Daily, Weekly, Biweekly, Monthly, or Yearly
- Steps — Optional subtasks (see below)
- Tap Add.
Each task has a status icon on its left side. Tap the icon to cycle through:
- Not Started (empty circle)
- In Progress (half-filled circle)
- Completed (green checkmark)
- Swipe right on a task row to see the blue edit button, or
- Swipe left for archive and delete options.
In the edit view you can change all fields including status, priority, recurrence, and steps.
Swipe left on a task row and tap the red delete button.
Swipe left on a task row and tap the orange archive button. Archived tasks move to the Archive tab.
Tasks display a colored priority badge:
- High — Red
- Medium — Orange
- Low — Green
Steps let you break a task into smaller checklist items.
- When creating or editing a task, scroll to the Steps section.
- Type a step title in the text field.
- Tap the + button to add it.
- Repeat for additional steps.
- Tap the checkbox next to a step to mark it complete (strikethrough appears).
- Swipe left on a step to delete it.
- Drag steps to reorder them.
A counter like "2/5 steps" appears on task rows when steps exist.
When a recurring task is completed and a new occurrence is generated, all steps are copied to the new task with their completion reset — so you start fresh each cycle.
Set a recurrence rule when creating or editing a task:
| Rule | Behavior |
|---|---|
| None | One-time task |
| Daily | New occurrence due the next day |
| Weekly | New occurrence due in 7 days |
| Biweekly | New occurrence due in 14 days |
| Monthly | New occurrence due next month (same day) |
| Yearly | New occurrence due next year (same day) |
How it works: When you mark a recurring task as Completed, the app automatically creates a new task with the next due date. The original completed task remains in your history. The new task inherits the title, details, priority, recurrence rule, and steps (reset to uncompleted).
A repeat icon appears on recurring task rows.
The Calendar tab shows a monthly calendar with your tasks.
Use the left (←) and right (→) arrows next to the month name to move between months.
- Blue highlight — Today's date
- Colored dots below a date — Tasks are due on that day (dot colors match project colors, up to 3 shown)
Tap a date to see all non-completed tasks due that day in the list below the calendar.
When no date is selected, the calendar view shows an Overdue Tasks section listing all tasks past their due date that haven't been completed, sorted oldest first.
Tap any task row in the calendar view to navigate to its project detail view.
The Search tab lets you find tasks and projects across your entire app.
Type in the search bar to filter by:
- Project names and descriptions
- Task titles and details
Results are grouped into Projects and Tasks sections.
- Tap the filter icon (top right).
- Under Priority, select High, Medium, or Low.
- The filter icon fills in to indicate an active filter.
- Tap the filter icon.
- Under Category, select Work, Personal, Education, Health, Finance, or Other.
You can use search text and filters together. For example, search for "meeting" with priority set to "High" to find only high-priority tasks matching "meeting".
To clear a filter, tap the same option again in the filter menu.
The Archive tab has two sections, toggled by a segmented control at the top:
Shows projects and tasks you've explicitly archived.
- Swipe left on an archived project or task to Unarchive it (returns to active list).
- Swipe right to Delete it permanently.
Shows projects where all tasks are complete, and individual completed tasks.
- Swipe left on a completed task to Reopen it (sets status back to In Progress).
- Swipe right to Archive it.
You can generate a formatted PDF report for any project.
- Open a project's detail view.
- Tap the menu (...) at the top right.
- Select Export as PDF.
- The share sheet appears — save to Files, send via AirDrop, email, print, etc.
The PDF includes:
- Project name, description, category, and date range
- Progress bar with completion percentage
- Status count summary (To Do / In Progress / Done)
- Full task list with priority indicators, status, due dates, and details
Back up all your data as a JSON file and restore it later. This is especially useful if you need to delete and reinstall the app.
- Go to the Projects tab.
- Tap the gear icon (top left).
- Select Export Data.
- The share sheet appears with a file named
ProjectSimple_Backup_YYYY-MM-DD.json. - Save it to Files, AirDrop it, email it, etc.
The export includes all projects, tasks, steps, and settings — active, archived, and completed.
- Go to the Projects tab.
- Tap the gear icon (top left).
- Select Import Data.
- Pick a
.jsonbackup file from the file picker. - A confirmation alert shows how many projects were imported.
Important notes:
- Import is additive — imported projects are added alongside existing data, not replacing it.
- Imported items get fresh IDs, so you can import the same backup multiple times without conflicts.
- If you want a clean restore, delete existing projects first before importing.
ProjectSimple can send reminders for upcoming tasks and project deadlines.
The app will request notification permission on first launch. You can also manage this in Settings > ProjectSimple > Notifications.
| Trigger | Timing |
|---|---|
| Task due date | Day of at 9:00 AM |
| Task due soon | 5 days before at 9:00 AM |
| Project end date | Day of at 9:00 AM |
| Project end soon | 5 days before at 9:00 AM |
Completed tasks and archived projects do not generate notifications.
The app icon badge shows the total number of overdue tasks plus tasks due today.
ProjectSimple offers widgets to see your tasks at a glance without opening the app.
- Long-press your home screen and tap + (top left).
- Search for ProjectSimple.
- Choose a widget size and tap Add Widget.
| Widget | Size | What It Shows |
|---|---|---|
| Overdue Tasks | Small | Overdue count with up to 3 task titles, sorted by priority |
| Overdue Tasks | Medium | Overdue count, up to 4 tasks with project names and priority dots |
| Lock Screen | Circular | Overdue task count |
| Lock Screen | Rectangular | Up to 2 overdue task titles |
Tapping any widget opens the app to the Calendar view.
Widgets refresh automatically at midnight and whenever you make changes in the app.
You can use Siri voice commands and the Shortcuts app with ProjectSimple.
| Command | What It Does |
|---|---|
| "Create a new project in ProjectSimple" | Opens the app to the Add Project screen |
| "Add a task in [Project Name]" | Opens the specific project with the Add Task screen |
| "Show overdue tasks in ProjectSimple" | Siri reads out up to 5 overdue tasks (no need to open the app) |
| "Task summary in ProjectSimple" | Siri tells you how many active, overdue, and due-today tasks you have |
| "Mark [Task Name] done in ProjectSimple" | Marks a specific task as completed (handles recurrence automatically) |
All five intents are available in the Shortcuts app, letting you build custom automations — for example, a morning routine shortcut that reads your task summary.
ProjectSimple adapts its layout for the larger iPad screen.
The bottom tab bar transforms into a collapsible sidebar on iPad. Tap the sidebar button to toggle between sidebar and tab bar views.
The Projects tab uses a two-column layout:
- Left column — Project list (sidebar)
- Right column — Selected project's detail view
In landscape orientation on iPad, the Calendar tab shows a side-by-side layout:
- Left side — Calendar grid
- Right side — Task list for the selected date
ProjectSimple supports iPad multitasking modes (Split View and Slide Over).
- Quick status change: Tap the status icon on any task to cycle through statuses without opening the edit view.
- Swipe gestures: Swipe right to edit, swipe left to archive or delete — works on both project and task rows.
- Overdue at a glance: Check the Calendar tab with no date selected to see all overdue tasks in one list.
- Backup before testing: Use Export Data before deleting the app to preserve your test data.
- Widget for accountability: Add the medium home screen widget to always see your overdue tasks front and center.
- Siri for quick checks: Ask Siri for your task summary without even picking up your phone — works great with AirPods.