Bringing Back the Classic: The Open Source Revival of Astrid Tasks
Remember Astrid? For a lot of us in the Android community, it was the go-to task management app before it was acquired and subsequently shut down in 2013. It left a void that many other apps never quite filled in the same way. That's why this project caught my eye: it's a community-driven, open-source revival of that classic experience, rebuilt for the modern Android ecosystem.
It's not just a nostalgic clone. This is a full-fledged, actively maintained task manager built with today's tools, respecting the original's simplicity while adding the features we now expect. Let's dig in.
What It Does
This project, simply called Tasks, is a native Android to-do list application. It syncs seamlessly with a variety of backends, including CalDAV (for integration with Nextcloud, ownCloud, or Fastmail) and a number of popular task services like Google Tasks, Todoist, and Open Tasks. It gives you a clean, focused interface to manage your tasks, set reminders, and organize with lists—all while keeping your data under your control if you choose.
Why It's Cool
The cool factor here isn't about a single flashy feature; it's about the philosophy and execution.
- It's Truly Open Source: This isn't a proprietary app with an open core. The entire codebase is on GitHub, licensed under GPLv3. You can see every line, contribute to it, or fork it with confidence.
- Privacy-First & Self-Hostable: The default sync is via the open CalDAV standard. You can point it at your own Nextcloud instance and have a fully functional, synced task manager without sending your to-do list to a third party. This level of data ownership is rare.
- It Respects the Original UX: The interface is familiar and intuitive. It gets out of your way and lets you manage tasks quickly, which was the hallmark of the old Astrid app.
- Modern Foundation: It's built with current Android development practices, using Kotlin and following Material Design guidelines. It's a great example of a clean, modern Android app architecture in a real-world project.
How to Try It
The easiest way is to just install it. The app is available on the Google Play Store as "Tasks.org: To-do list & tasks". You can also grab the latest APK directly from the GitHub Releases page if you prefer to sideload.
If you're a developer and want to poke around the code or build it yourself, that's straightforward too:
- Clone the repo:
git clone https://github.com/tasks/tasks.git - Open the project in Android Studio. It should build and run without much fuss.
Check out the README.md for more detailed contribution guidelines if you're looking to help out.
Final Thoughts
As developers, we see great apps get acquired and sunset all the time. This project is a fantastic example of the community stepping in to preserve and improve something they found valuable. It's a solid, no-nonsense task manager that works exactly as advertised. Whether you're looking for a privacy-conscious alternative to mainstream apps, miss the old Astrid workflow, or just want to study a well-built Kotlin codebase, the Tasks project is worth your attention.
It's a quiet reminder that with open source, good tools don't have to disappear.
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Repository: https://github.com/tasks/tasks