You can build your own reminder and task management system or use a service that works for your team. But it can be hard to get your family and friends to use the same task management app. iOS app Karo (which means “to do” in Hindi) aims to solve this problem, even if they don't use the app.
This isn't Mustafa Yusuf's first task management product. The India-based developer also has another to-do app called Tasks for more complex task management. Yusuf told TechCrunch that he developed Karo because other apps didn't offer the flexibility to assign tasks to people in his address book.
“There was no app that allowed me to easily delegate or track my tasks to people in my contacts – my accountant, my sister, my plumber, my electrician, etc. I just want to send them tasks, have them receive them on the apps they already use (WhatsApp/Messages) and be notified when they complete the task. And if they don't, I'd like the app to automatically remind me instead of me nagging them,” he said.
Yusuf said that before he created the app, he had to manually send reminders to complete tasks through WhatsApp and other chat apps, and he himself would forget about tasks as there was no tracking system.
Image credit: Karo
The app and its features
Karo makes it easy to enter tasks with a conversation-like interface in a messaging app. The app recognizes identifiers like “tomorrow” or “10am” so you can add tasks using natural language. Specify a specific time and date and it will automatically create a task with a due date. You can also @mention specific people to assign the task to them. There are also buttons to add a date, time, and contact to the task.
Users can optionally attach images, videos, PDF documents, and voice notes to their tasks. Because it's 2024, there's an AI element to it, too: users can call on Karo AI to split large tasks into smaller ones. They can also ask the AI to plan trips or create to-do lists.
When you assign a task to someone, if they have the Karo app, they'll get a notification in Karo. If not, a chat will be sent on WhatsApp first, and if that fails, a reminder will be sent via text message. For scheduled tasks, the person will get a reminder when the task is due, and 2 and 4 days after it's due. For non-scheduled tasks, the app will send reminders 2, 4, and 6 days after the task is created.
On the main screen, tasks are categorized by contacts. Tapping on someone's name opens a conversation interface with them where you can see past tasks or add a task. The app also has an Activity tab where you can see updates on all the tasks you're involved in.
While teams and small organisations may use dedicated solutions for task management, in countries like India, many businesses don't have a proper system in place and prefer to handle tasks directly in WhatsApp groups. Yusuf believes Karo's integration with the platform and the ability to create groups within the app will appeal to WhatsApp users.
Yusuf said several businesses are already using the app for their operations. For example, a dry fruit seller in Mumbai uses Karo to assign packing and delivery tasks to his team. Team members check the tasks through WhatsApp. Yusuf added that this could also be useful for study groups and book clubs.
Karo is free to use, but you'll have to pay if you want to use features like groups, themes, attachments, etc. The original price for the app is $4.99 per month, $39.99 per year, or $99.99 permanently unlocked with an introductory launch offer on all plans.
Yusuf plans to roll out an Android version to users soon, but he thinks the biggest draw is the ability to send reminders even if you don't use the app, or if your contacts don't use the app.