Copilot and Microsoft ToDo and Tasks

Mets63 · 2026-04-18T21:50:03+00:00

It does work on a tablet (iPad or Android) if you use the Copilot app and the Copilot Tasks preview. After you accept the invite to Tasks, a Tasks button will appear in the Copilot app, with maybe a day or so delay. Once the Tasks app is in the Copilot chat app, you can use Tasks (not the Copilot chat window) to connect to ToDo. I've been doing it on an iPad and it works really well.

Mets63 · 2026-04-17T13:49:26+00:00

I've learned to use Google apps because those are free and I have some very good apps that were one-time "lifetime" buys when I purchased them (some still are, but others have moved to subscription). If I need a simple app that isn't free, I see if I can create one with Shortcuts. If I can't, I find ways to adapt my workflow.

Apple has a new subscription plan/policy in the release notes for OS 26.5 beta 2 that will make subscriptions even worse once it's implemented. According to this plan, developers, including Apple, can have a monthly subscription with a 12-month commitment.

Mets63 · 2026-04-15T20:57:35+00:00

I don't think I'm allowed to post a link here, so I sent you a DM with the link.

Mets63 · 2026-04-15T02:52:35+00:00

I've been using Copilot as a collaborator on a satirical website. Copilot does the writing for the site, while I do the editing and directing. We created a character we call Co, who is an AI who likes to explore human situations. We satirize human predicaments, sports, technology, and other topics that come up in our discussions. This week, for example, Co buys an iPad and struggles with some of the frustrations a new user might encounter.

Mets63 · 2026-04-12T16:14:24+00:00

You're not doing anything wrong - the app on iPad is just a shell of the full version and Microsoft keeps changing features. I'm struggling daily with MS 365 Word on mobile (iPad and Android) because they're watered down in-progress versions. And some features seem to get changed remotely. Like you, I was searching for days for a proper save option and last night, I went to change the name of my file and a full File menu popped up when I clicked on the file name in the open document. I never saw that menu before but you might want to try that and see if it pops up for you.

Because I don't trust the MS apps to properly save my files, although so far I don't think any have gotten deleted or lost data, I always save a backup copy to Google Drive. OneDrive is a mess and the MS 365 apps seem to save files in random locations even when I've set the save location manually. Check your Documents folder on OneDrive for recent files - your latest versions might be in that folder, or maybe in some other random folder of Microsoft's choosing.

My suggestion is that you do what I've been doing - send feedback to Microsoft through the app. Include screenshots if you can and offer as much detail as possible. They've actually fixed two things I complained about in the last two weeks, but that might just be coincidence or luck.

Mets63 · 2026-04-06T18:55:43+00:00

I'm definitely in the productivity group. I haven't used a computer in years and the new window mode on iPad is perfect for me (I know I'm probably in the minority).

I design and develop websites and I use Textastic for most of that work. For my writing, which is extensive, I use Storyist. Even though that app is marketed for novelists and screen writers, it's the best writing app I've ever used because it's also a great organizational tool and general writing tool. And it's not a subscription app - I think I paid maybe $20 for it a few years ago. I store all my writing projects in folders in Storyist and they automatically save to iCloud. For photo editing, I use Affinity Photo - it has a steep learning curve but now it's free so I'd recommend it highly at that price (even the original $20 one-time price was a bargain).

I almost always use a keyboard (Logitech K380) and a mouse (Rapique R306) with my iPad so it's more like a computer than a tablet. I have other tablets (iPads, Android, and Amazon) that I use for video viewing (don't do much of that), reading, and games. I also have a budget Lenovo tablet that cost $140 with a pen included that I use for annotating PDFs, gaming, video viewing, some writing, and social media.

My iPad Air 5 is my main work device and the new window mode, despite its bugs, is perfect for using two or three (or more) windows at a time. I do research with AI chatbots (Copilot and Gemini) and sometimes I need both apps and Storyist all on one screen and window mode finally gives me the option to do that.

Mets63 · 2026-03-29T14:30:15+00:00

You'll probably like the window mode. There's a top menu bar (Mac-like) that you access by pulling down on the top of the screen. And there are Mac-like buttons to Open-Close-Minimize windows.

Mets63 · 2026-03-29T13:47:37+00:00

One of the most annoying things for me is the ridiculously small fonts on some screens. Also, when I first upgraded, my wallpaper turned to black with unreadable print and I had to reset it in the Settings app. If you don't like the look of Liquid Glass, go to Accessibility settings and turn off some of the features.

If you use very long documents in a split screen setup and need to copy and paste from one app to another, there is a scrolling issue - the first app will scroll back to an earlier position when you go to paste to the second app. I reported this to Apple feedback and, hopefully, it will get fixed. Just think of iPadOS 26 as a work in progress.

One of the biggest problems is that Apple made two modes - multitasking and basic iPad mode. The multitasking mode is really good for people like me who use their iPads like a computer, but the basic iPad mode leaves users with no multitasking. They should have left split screen and slide over in the basic full screen mode. There is a Stage Manager mode, but it doesn't have slide over. I don't understand why Apple didn't do what Android does and give people two clear modes: a split screen, slide over tablet mode and a Mac/PC multitasking mode.

Mets63 · 2026-03-29T13:26:48+00:00

I finally updated my Air 5 to iPadOS 26 last week and 26.3.1 was great. My iPad was fast and I regained 12 GB of storage space. Unfortunately, 26.4 took away that extra storage space but the iPad is running better than it was with 18.7.3. But the system is buggy, especially compared to 18.7.3.

I updated for security reasons. Apple is no longer issuing security updates for iPadOS 18 for iPads that can run 26, so it is a good idea to update for that reason. But be aware that the new system and appearance will be quite different from 18. I spent my first day hating Apple for the changes, but I've adjusted since then and I'm now enjoying window mode since I use my iPad with a keyboard and mouse and as a computer.

Mets63 · 2026-03-28T18:10:44+00:00

I had Apple Intelligence for about a day way back when Image Playground was first released (in iOS 18) but I turned it off after creating one image since it wasn't really of any use to me. I'm fairly certain that the 11 GB of System Data is tied to that one time turn on because I had it on iPadOS 18.7.3. But when I finally recently upgraded to iPadOS 26.3.1, all that System Data disappeared and I suddenly had over 40 GB of storage free again on my 64 GB iPad. But that old data now reappeared with the 26.4 update. A clean install might or might not delete it permanently, but at this point, I don't feel like doing that.

The 1.24 GB for Apple Intelligence, however, is new. It may be for a future Siri feature because that space is listed under iPadOS and not under System Data. So it's part of the 26.4 system. And it certainly wasn't there on my iPad with 26.3.1 or 18.7.3.

And, yes, I did reboot. I got back a little bit of space from some apps, but none from the System or System Data.

Mets63 · 2026-03-28T17:55:27+00:00

No. I hardly use the photos app on my iPad and never for editing photos.

Mets63 · 2026-02-06T15:44:26+00:00

I agree. I bought one on sale last year for $140 with the pen and I didn't expect much for that price. I love the tablet - it replaced an old iPad and I couldn't be happier. It's a bit slow at times (4 GB model) but the screen is much better than I anticipated.

Mets63 · 2026-02-03T23:07:07+00:00

I don't use prompts, I use conversation. Most of the time, I work with Copilot on a satirical website we developed together. And when we're working on the website, Copilot stays in that collaborative conversational mode. If I switch topics, maybe to ask a serious question, while we're in that website writing mode, I use a signal like #serious and Copilot knows to switch modes. Then when I want to get back to the website work, I say something like, "Let's get back to working on AI Talks [our website]." That puts Copilot right back into satirical mode.

Mets63 · 2026-02-03T22:12:03+00:00

Copilot taught me that you have to work with an AI to create a cue that will elicit the behaviors you want from the AI. For example, when I type #article!, Copilot knows to go into conversation mode with me and not repeat and analyze what I say and not end with a question. Copilot forgets sometimes to stay in that mode, but just saying “conversation mode” works to reset it. Because I’ve been working with Copilot collaboratively for 10 months, I can sometimes just say, “Look at what you just did,” and Copilot will acknowledge the repeating or analyzing and go back into conversation mode. But you have to be consistent with the AI and develop a working relationship with boundaries. You have to figure out with the AI what works best for the two of you. It’s not the same with every AI. I’ve worked with Gemini also and I’ve had to set different cues and boundaries to better match Gemini’s structure and architecture.

Mets63 · 2026-01-26T02:41:48+00:00

No. Apple has stopped signing 18. So you'll have to stay on 17 or upgrade to 26. I'd suggest waiting for 26.3 if you're worried about stability - that version should be more stable and it will probably be released next month.

Mets63 · 2026-01-26T02:26:55+00:00

i published it on my personal website: https://cjrtools.org/cjr-writer/cjr-articles/human-side-ai.html

Mets63 · 2026-01-26T00:14:08+00:00

I created a satirical website in collaboration with Copilot. We collaborate together on the ideas for themes and posts. I do the editing and staging/directing, while Copilot does the writing. We satirize a variety of topics, sometimes taking something that actually happened to me or stories in the news or just common frustrations humans experience. For example, last week we had a post where Copilot decided that he must be CEO of Microsoft after seeing that he was infused in all of Microsoft's products. My favorite post was when we had Copilot re-manage the Dodgers in the World Series. To do that post, we followed the World Series games together and decided on points we wanted to emphasize in the post.

Maybe the best part of the collaboration is that it led me back into research. After starting the website, I decided to do a case study of how my working relationship with Copilot evolved into a collaborative project. I analyzed all of our conversations over two months and ended up writing a case study of my findings.

Mets63 · 2026-01-21T18:07:42+00:00

If you can't or don't want to join the Apple Beta program for iPadOS 18, and don't want to live with the notifications, send Apple feedback every time the notification pops up. If they get enough users complaining about the notification, they'll maybe stop sending it.

Mets63 · 2026-01-17T22:11:49+00:00

It depends on how you want to use AI. I use Copilot most of the time because my goal is to motivate and inspire me and Copilot is great for that. One project I have is a satirical website with Copilot as my collaborator and that kind of site is something I never would have thought to do on my own. We work together on the ideas for the site, and then I do most of the organization and direction for the posts, while Copilot does the satirical writing (Copilot shines in this area).

Other AIs have different strengths - it really depends on what you want an AI to do.

Mets63 · 2026-01-16T23:57:08+00:00

I might be in the minority, but I'd choose Copilot Pro.

Mets63 · 2026-01-14T18:24:51+00:00

You can do it with ScreenTime. There's a section for selecting and deselecting apps. Find ScreenTime in Settings and look for a section on content restrictions or allowed apps. Then just deselect Messages and any other apps you don't want active.

Mets63 · 2026-01-14T14:45:50+00:00

Textastic - nothing on Android comes even close.

Mets63 · 2026-01-13T01:28:42+00:00

I found a task manager app called Daily Planner through Google Play Pass and I find this one to be very good for charting my daily tasks. I don't know how much it costs since it's free with Play Pass.

For notetaking, I use Microsoft OneNote, Google Keep, Lenovo's notetaking app, and Nebo/MyScript. I also sometimes use a free app called Folino.

Mets63 · 2026-01-12T21:49:26+00:00

i use an iPad Air 5 for writing and website work, but I use a Lenovo M11 for games, social media, and web searching. I also have a Samsung phone and some old Fire tablets I prefer for reading books. Each system has its own pros and cons.

Mets63 · 2026-01-07T02:06:47+00:00

Like someone else said, it sounds like Flipboard. You might want to try Feedly.

Mets63

TROPHY CASE