iOS 17 Reminders App Can Automatically Sort Your Groceries Into Categories

When creating a list in the Reminders app in iOS 17, you can select a "Groceries" list option that will cause your iPhone to automatically organize every food item added into categories for easier shopping.

ios 17 reminders app
Grocery items like produce, milk, and breads are automatically organized under different headers as you add them to your shopping list. Fruits and vegetables, for example, get organized under "Produce," while oatmeal and cereal go under "Breads & Cereals."

Categories include Produce, Breads & Cereals, Frozen Foods, Snacks & Candy, Meat, Dairy, Eggs & Cheese, Bakery, Baking Items, Household Items, Personal Care & Health, and Wine, Beer & Spirits.

Categories are customizable and you can add your own sections, or rearrange the order that sections are shown in the list.

If the ‌iPhone‌ doesn't recognize where an item should go, it remains uncategorized. It does recognize specific brands and types of food like "Sour Patch Kids," but some items like tofu are questionably categorized (Dairy, Eggs & Cheese).

While sections are turned on by default for the Grocery list option, any Reminder list that you create in iOS 17 can have sections added to it. You'll need to manually add sections and organize items into them, but the option exists for better list management.

There is a new column view that lets you see the sections you've created side-by-side, and this is in addition to the standard list view.

With interactive widgets in iOS 17, a reminder can be checked off directly from a widget without having to open the app, which is a convenient change. Other new additions include options to receive early reminders up to six months before a reminder becomes due, and tools for creating reminders from suggestions.

Related Forums: iOS 17, iPadOS 17

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Top Rated Comments

stiligFox Avatar
25 months ago
To be fair, where I’m at, tofu is always in the refrigerated Dairy, Eggs, and Cheese section of the various stores around me.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
3530025 Avatar
25 months ago
Definitely a reason to upgrade to the iOS 17 developer beta right now!
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ignatius345 Avatar
25 months ago

They should leave this to third parties.
Why?


And make the SiriAPI functional so I can reliably add groceries with my voice.
I use "add [thing] to the grocery list" every day, and it generally works well. It flubs recognizing some specific items, but that's a general non-grocery specific issue with Siri.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JGIGS Avatar
25 months ago
Another nice little QOL add to ios 17. Keep em coming!
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gaximus Avatar
25 months ago
It would be even more amazing if it used your location to determine what grocery store your were in, then reorganize by isle. I’d pay for a feature like that.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
klasma Avatar
25 months ago
I use Notes checklists for groceries, with the auto-sort option (checked items go to the bottom). It would be useful to have a category feature there as well, if only to be able to expand/collapse them within a note.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)