Skip to Content

Things 3 for iPad Gets Major Update With Support for External Keyboards, Shortcuts and More

by

Cultured Code today released a major 3.6 update to its popular Things 3 app, introducing a slew of new features for the iPad.

The company says the goal with this update is to make Things 3 for the iPad truly desktop-class with full support for external keyboards and keyboard shortcuts to make the Things 3 experience when connected to a keyboard as easy as the touch-only experience.

things3foripad
To achieve this goal, Cultured Code has added support for selecting items in Things from the keyboard, mirroring how Things 3 works on the Mac.

Before you can use a shortcut, you need a persistent selection in the list that you can target. So that's exactly what we've built for Things 3.6. To see what we mean, just open the app and tap the down arrow; you'll see the first to-do selected.

Now you can move the selection around with the arrow keys, or hold down shift and use the arrows to select more to-dos. Yes, it works just like the Mac!

Things 3 supports a wide range of keyboard shortcuts for a selection, such as inserting a new to-do, opening a to-do, moving items up or down a list, duplicating or copying items, setting a date, marking an item complete, and more. Popovers in the app are also fully accessible from the keyboard.

Type Travel, a Things 3 navigation feature for the Mac, is also now available on the iPad. To use it, type where in the app you need to go, such as projects or a specific to-do, and then it automatically opens up.

Other new features include support for dragging and dropping to-dos into the Things sidebar to move them to other lists, the ability to apply tags and deadlines to multiple to-dos at once (also available on iPhone), and there's now an option to use undo and redo on iPad.

Things 3 for iPad can be downloaded from the App Store for $19.99. [Direct Link]

Things 3 for iPhone can also be downloaded from the App Store for $9.99. [Direct Link]

Top Rated Comments

BWhaler Avatar
102 months ago
Things is rapidly becoming the benchmark for how apps should work, particularly on the iPad. Yes, not perfect, but a good combination of power and simplicity.

Apple should study Things and improve it’s first party apps accordingly. Reminders, Calendars, Podcast app, itunes, et al., are rapidly becoming more and more like Microsoft apps from the 90’s.

A hearty congratulations to the Things teams. I am a paying customer for Mac, iPhone, and iPad apps, and will continue to be so and pay more in the future as long as this rate of innovation continues, the quality stays high, and there are no subscriptions. A 100 bucks every 24 months or so is the best money I csan spend on a tool I use all day long, 6-7 days per week.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
102 months ago
I love the interface of Things and would go back the second they'd introduce shared todo's and lists. We run a family business and need to be able to share and manage tasks together. Thus using Wunderlist at the moment which is ok but not nearly as neat and efficient as Things is.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
drumcat Avatar
102 months ago
Wow... hey everyone, we can do keyboards!

That's news? Things has been a steaming mess for a while... right about when they went to internal service on sync. The pricing is absurd. You know what does shared to-do lists for free?

Reminders. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Chopper9 Avatar
102 months ago
I love the interface of Things and would go back the second they'd introduce shared todo's and lists. We run a family business and need to be able to share and manage tasks together. Thus using Wunderlist at the moment which is ok but not nearly as neat and efficient as Things is.
How they omit something so basic and so widely used is a head scratcher.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
102 months ago
Things is great. I’ve had it on my iPhone for ages.

I do think their pricing model let’s them down really though, charging for different devices seperaty across iPhone, Mac and iPad.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
102 months ago
How they omit something so basic and so widely used is a head scratcher.
My experience is that the Things team rather roll out new features slowly but do it perfectly when they do it. The same with cloud sync which took them very long. But team features have taken more than long by now, feels at least five years over due...
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Apple Event Logo

Apple Released Seven New Products Today

Wednesday March 11, 2026 7:05 am PDT by
Starting today, the seven new Apple products that were announced last week are available at Apple Stores and beginning to arrive to customers. The colorful MacBook Neo and all of the other new products are on display at most Apple Store locations around the world starting today. Apple Stores have inventory of the new products for both walk-in customers and Apple Store pickup, but...
iOS 27 Mock Quick

10+ New Features Coming in iOS 27

Friday March 13, 2026 2:13 pm PDT by
We're only three months away from Apple's WWDC 2026 event, which will see the company unveil iOS 27. With the fully revamped version of Siri possibly delayed until September, iOS 27 is shaping up to be the update we wanted iOS 26 to be. There will be new Apple Intelligence features, updates for the iPhone Fold, and more, with the latest rumors summarized below. Foldable iPhone Features...
Apple 50 Years of Thinking Different

Apple Announces 50th Anniversary Plans

Thursday March 12, 2026 6:10 am PDT by
Apple today announced that it will celebrate the company's 50th anniversary over the coming weeks, but it has yet to reveal any specific plans. Apple was founded on April 1, 1976, so the company will turn 50 on April 1, 2026. "While Apple is known for looking forward, this milestone offers a special moment to reflect on the journey that has brought the company here, to celebrate the...