This one Android app replaced my notes, tasks, and calendar — and improved my privacy
For years I kept a rotating set of three or four productivity apps on my phone: Google Keep for quick notes, Todoist for tasks, and Google Calendar for events. Switching between them multiple times a day felt normal. But the mental overhead was real — and so was the privacy concern. Every app asked for storage, network, and sometimes location permissions. My data was scattered across at least three different cloud providers, each with its own terms and data-handling practices.
I started looking for a single app that could handle notes, tasks, and calendar without exposing my information unnecessarily. After testing a handful of options, I landed on Standard Notes — not exactly unknown, but rarely discussed as a full productivity hub. With its free extensions for tasks and calendar, it does exactly that. And it treats privacy as a feature, not an afterthought.
What I found
Standard Notes is an open-source, end-to-end encrypted app best known for its note-taking capability. What most people miss is that it offers official extensions for a simple task list and a built-in calendar view. Those aren’t separate apps — they’re plugins that run within the same encrypted environment.
The extension setup takes about five minutes. You enable the “Simple Task Editor” for to‑do lists and the “Standard Calendar” for events. Both sync across devices through the same encrypted account. Offline, the app works without network permissions if you deny them. All data stays on your device until you choose to sync, and the sync is encrypted with keys that Standard Notes never has access to.
Why this matters for privacy
The typical productivity setup involves granting permissions to multiple apps from different companies. Each one can potentially collect metadata, access your contacts, or analyze usage patterns. Google, Microsoft, and many smaller app makers rely on that data for advertising or product improvement. Consolidating into one app doesn’t solve data collection entirely, but it reduces the number of trusted parties and the surface area for leaks.
Standard Notes has undergone independent code audits, which is more than most free consumer apps can say. Its encryption model means that even if the company were compelled to hand over data, they could not read the contents. That matters if you use your productivity tool for anything sensitive — meeting notes with client details, personal journal entries, or private task reminders.
How it compares to the usual suspects
| App | Notes | Tasks | Calendar | End‑to‑end encryption | Open source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Keep | Yes | Reminders only | No | No | No |
| Todoist | Yes | Yes | No (syncs with calendar apps) | No | No |
| Google Calendar | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| Standard Notes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
The table oversimplifies, but the difference is clear: the mainstream options cover one or two functions, and none offer end‑to‑end encryption by default. Standard Notes does all three, and you control the keys.
What I changed and what came of it
I spent one month using Standard Notes as my only productivity app. Here’s what that looked like in practice:
- Notes — I kept using the plain‑text editor and markdown support. For quick capture, I used the widget.
- Tasks — I moved about 40 active tasks from Todoist into the Simple Task Editor. The editor is minimal — no due dates, labels, or priorities. That was a drawback. I had to rely on the calendar extension for time‑sensitive items.
- Calendar — I added events directly in the Standard Calendar. It supports repeating events and reminders, though no integration with Google Meet or third‑party services.
The biggest win was the reduction in context‑switching. Opening one app for everything saved a few seconds per glance, but more importantly it eliminated the “where did I put that?” feeling. I stopped losing track because nothing was hiding in a different app’s submenu.
The trade‑off is feature depth. Standard Notes’ task list is intentionally basic. If you rely on Gantt charts, shared project boards, or natural language parsing, you’ll be disappointed. For personal to‑dos and lightweight workflow tracking, it works fine.
What you can do
If you’re interested in trying a similar setup:
- Install Standard Notes from the Play Store or F‑Droid (the F‑Droid version uses the same open‑source code).
- Create an account (free tier includes everything mentioned here).
- Go to Extensions in the app and enable “Simple Task Editor” and “Standard Calendar”.
- Deny the “phone” and “location” permissions. Grant network only if you need sync. The app works fully offline without it.
- Start migrating your active notes, tasks, and events one category at a time. There’s no import tool, so manual transfer is required. I found that moving items while I used them naturally cleaned out old clutter.
After a month, I still keep Google Calendar installed for work meetings because I need shared calendar invites. But for personal use, Standard Notes replaced three apps and reduced the number of companies handling my personal data from three to one.
Is it the right choice for everyone? Not if you need advanced collaboration or complex project management. But for the growing number of people who want a simpler, more private productivity setup, it’s worth a look. The app‑hopping habit didn’t end overnight, but after a few weeks I stopped reaching for other apps out of muscle memory. That was the real win.
Sources: Standard Notes privacy policy, GitHub repository, and independent security audit reports (available on their website). No endorsement or sponsorship involved — just one user’s experience.