This Android app turns your to-dos into persistent notifications you can't ignore

I sometimes worry I’m a total dolt when I forget things on my to-do list, despite putting them in a task management app myself and setting reminders with notifications. Clearly, most existing solutions aren’t entirely idiot-proof. But Pinnit is taking a stab at helping the morons among us stay on track.

This new Android app is as elegant as it is simple. Just jot down a task, and Pinnit will turn it into a persistent notification that will remain visible for all eternity.

Okay, that’s not true. You can actually dismiss it from within the app; you can even dismiss it from the notification itself, but the button is cleverly hidden until you expand the notification.

Unlike other apps’ notifications that are designed to be dealt with when they pop up, Pinnit works great for tasks that aren’t time-sensitive, and just need doing at some point in the day — such as writing that email to my accountant or calling my brother.

The free app was built by Sasikanth Miriyampalli, an Android developer based in India who also works as a product engineer at design firm Obvious. He got the idea for using persistent notifications from his friend and collaborator, Brazil-based designer Eduardo Pratti.

The duo plan to introduce a bunch more features they’ve already been working on, like creating to-dos using text from other apps, full notification history support, task tracking, and filtering. They also intend for Pinnit to remain free to use forever.

Do you need Pinnit? Honestly, I can’t simply recommend this to everyone, as most folks either have something built-in on their phones, or have settled on a favorite app for to-dos. But Pinnit’s persistent notifications are certainly handy for reminders that don’t require your immediate attention — so if that’s something you need, this is the right tool for the job.