End Your App-Hopping: How This One Android App Became My Only Productivity Tool
If you’re an Android user who juggles notes, tasks, reminders, and a half‑dozen other apps just to keep your day straight, you know the feeling: you open Google Keep for a quick note, then hop to Todoist for a task, then to Google Calendar for a reminder, and somewhere along the way you lose focus—or lose the note itself. This cycle has a name: app‑hopping. And for a long time, I was stuck in it.
Last month, I decided to try a different approach. Instead of searching for yet another “better” app, I looked for one that could replace several of the ones I already used. The app that finally ended my hopping is Bundled Notes – a notes and tasks app that, despite being around for years, still flies under most people’s radar. Here’s why it worked for me, and how you can set it up to simplify your own workflow.
What Is Bundled Notes? (And Why It’s Underrated)
Bundled Notes is a note‑taking app with a built‑in task manager and reminders. It’s not a do‑everything platform like Notion, and it’s not a pure task app like Todoist. Instead, it sits in a sweet spot: you can write a note, convert part of it into a task, set a due date and a reminder, and see everything in one list. The app also supports tags, categories, and a not‑too‑overwhelming set of formatting options.
What makes it underrated, in my view, is that it doesn’t try to be your second brain. It tries to be one reliable notebook that also handles your to‑do list. That sounds simple, but most apps lean too hard in one direction—notes apps that tack on a checkbox (Google Keep), or task apps that make note‑taking awkward (Todoist). Bundled Notes blends the two without forcing you into a rigid system.
It’s compatible with Android 13 and later, and works well on phones and tablets. The basic version is free (with a 100‑note limit on the free tier), and the pro version (around $2–3 per month or a one‑time purchase of roughly $20) removes the limit and adds features like image attachments, folders, and backup.
Step‑by‑Step Setup for Beginners
If you want to stop hopping, don’t just install the app and start dumping everything in. A little setup upfront saves you from recreating your old messy habits. Here’s what I did:
Create core categories – In Bundled Notes, categories act like virtual notebooks. I created three: “Work,” “Personal,” and “Quick Capture.” (You can rename them later, so don’t overthink the names.)
Set up a default quick‑note widget – The app offers a home‑screen widget that opens a new note instantly. Place it on your home screen. This replaces the impulse to open Google Keep or a separate quick‑notes app.
Enable reminders – Inside any note, you can tap the bell icon to set a time‑based or location‑based reminder. I turned on persistent notifications to make sure I don’t miss one.
Install the companion app on your other devices – Bundled Notes has a web app and an Android tablet version. Syncing is automatic through the developer’s server (end‑to‑end encryption is not available, so avoid storing highly sensitive info).
Import existing data – If you’re coming from Google Keep, you can export your notes as HTML and import them (the app supports HTML and plain text). Todoist exports can be copied manually, but it’s easier to just start fresh for tasks.
Customizing the App to Replace Your Current Tools
Bundled Notes won’t replace every app out of the box, but with a few tweaks you can get close.
Replace Google Keep – Use Bundled Notes for all quick notes, checklists, and voice memos (the app supports voice input via Android’s keyboard). The lack of labels is fine if you use categories and tags. Note: Google Keep’s drawing features don’t exist here, so if you draw diagrams, keep a dedicated drawing app.
Replace Todoist or TickTick – The task view in Bundled Notes (accessible via the “Tasks” tab) shows all notes that contain checklists, plus standalone tasks created from the task icon. You can set due dates and repeating reminders. It lacks sub‑tasks and project dependencies, so if you manage complex projects, you may still need a dedicated task manager. But for day‑to‑day personal and light work tasks, it’s sufficient.
Replace a basic reminder app – The reminders work offline and can repeat. I set them for bills, medication, and daily habits. Location‑based reminders (e.g., “remind me to buy milk when I’m near the grocery store”) are available but less reliable than in Google Keep—test them first.
How It Stacks Up Against Popular Alternatives
I used to switch between Google Keep, Todoist, and Notion. Here’s how Bundled Notes compares:
| App | Best for | Weakness vs. Bundled Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Google Keep | Quick notes, light task lists | No real task management (no due dates apart from reminders); no categories folder structure |
| Todoist | Complex task management | Note‑taking is awkward; no rich text, no inline images |
| Notion | All‑in‑one workspace | Heavy, slow on older phones, steep learning curve |
| Bundled Notes | Notes + tasks in one clean app | No sub‑tasks, no Kanban, no databases |
For me, the trade‑off is worth it. I no longer open three apps to capture a thought and turn it into a task. One note, one task, one reminder—all in the same place.
How to Migrate and Maintain a Single‑App Workflow
If you decide to try it, start with a two‑week trial where you use Bundled Notes as your primary notes and tasks app. Keep your old apps installed but avoid opening them. After two weeks, uninstall the ones you no longer touch.
A few maintenance tips:
- Weekly cleanup – Go through your “Quick Capture” category and sort notes into the right category. This prevents the app from becoming a digital junk drawer.
- Use the search – The search is fast and searches note content, so you don’t need to obsess over tags.
- Back up manually – The pro version offers automatic backup to Google Drive. Without it, export your notes as HTML every few weeks.
One caveat: no app is perfect. On a few occasions, reminder notifications didn’t fire on time (especially after an Android system update). If you rely on strict time‑sensitive reminders, test this for a few days before committing.
The Bottom Line
Bundled Notes isn’t for everyone. If you need a full project management suite or a knowledge base like Notion, you’ll be frustrated. But if you’re tired of bouncing between four different apps to manage simple notes and tasks, it’s worth a shot. It helped me stop the hopping, and after a month, my desk feels a little less cluttered—and my phone feels a lot less like a toolbox.
You can download it from the Google Play Store (free trial, optional subscription). Give it a week, and see if it works for you.
This article was inspired by an Android Police piece on an underrated productivity app. The specific app mentioned in that article may differ, but the method of consolidating notes and tasks into one tool is sound for many users.