MustDo · BlogA short definition
An alarm-based to-do list is a task list where each item with a time is delivered as an alarm instead of a notification. Two things set it apart:
- It keeps ringing until you respond. Like the Clock app, it does not disappear after a second.
- "Not yet" is an answer, not an ending. When the alarm rings, you either mark the task done or snooze it, and the snoozed task rings again later. It stays in front of you until it is actually finished.
Notification-based vs. alarm-based
| Notification-based list | Alarm-based list | |
|---|---|---|
| At the set time | A banner and one sound | A full-screen alarm that keeps ringing |
| Silent mode and Focus | Usually silenced or hidden, depending on your settings | Rings, the same way Clock alarms do |
| If you miss it | It sits in Notification Center | You have not stopped it, so it is still ringing |
| If you are not done | Nothing happens until you look again | Snooze, and it rings again |
| Best for | Long lists, things with no fixed time | A few things that must happen at a certain time |
Why this became possible on iPhone
For a long time, only the Clock app could make a real alarm on iPhone. Other apps could send notifications, which follow your Silent switch and Focus settings. Since iOS 26, Apple lets apps schedule alarms through a framework called AlarmKit. These alarms ring with the Silent switch on and during Focus, take over the screen, and keep ringing until you stop them. Apps ask for your permission once before they can use it.
When an alarm-based list helps
- Tasks with a real deadline time: a call at 2:00, a form due today, a package pickup before the shop closes.
- Things you keep pushing to "later": an alarm turns "later" into a time. See turning "later" into a set time.
- When notifications simply do not reach you: the phone is face down, Focus is on, or you dismissed the banner without reading it. See a reminder that rings until it's done.
- Repeating chores: taking out the trash on the right day, paying a bill at the end of the month.
When a normal list is enough
Alarms are loud on purpose. If every item rings, they quickly become noise. Ideas, someday projects and shopping lists usually do not need an alarm. A good rule: give an alarm only to tasks that have to happen at a particular time, and keep everything else in a quiet list.
How MustDo does it
MustDo is an alarm-based to-do app for iOS 26 or later, made by Lightning LLC.
- Add a to-do and a time. At that time, an AlarmKit alarm rings until you stop it.
- Stopping means done. Not yet? Snooze for 10 minutes, 1 hour or until tomorrow, on the alarm screen or from the Lock Screen.
- Type just one line and it is set for tomorrow morning (9:00 by default, changeable in Settings).
- Repeats for daily, weekly and monthly tasks.
- Your to-dos are stored in your own iCloud. There is no account to create.
- It supports MCP, so you can add a to-do from an AI assistant such as Claude. See adding to-dos from Claude.
- Free for 30 days, then a subscription. If your subscription ends, alarms you already set keep ringing; only adding new to-dos stops.
Summary
- An alarm-based to-do list delivers timed tasks as alarms that ring until you respond
- Snoozing keeps unfinished tasks coming back until they are done
- On iPhone, iOS 26's AlarmKit made this possible for apps other than Clock
- Use alarms for the few tasks tied to a time, and a quiet list for everything else
Related
How to do a 10-minute weekly review
A short weekly review keeps a to-do list trustworthy. Four 10-minute steps: empty your notes, clear what is done, check next week and set times.
Read more →Turn "later" into a set time: a practical way to procrastinate less
"Later" never comes when nothing says when. Based on research on implementation intentions: how to give each task a time and place and make it easy to start.
Read more →How to write a To-Do list you will actually keep using
Five habits for a to-do list that keeps moving: start with a verb, one task per line, do two-minute tasks now, capture in one place, keep a done list.
Read more →