Use location-based reminders to remember gate codes

In Las Vegas, gated communities are common and increasing in popularity. Supposedly it’s a way to keep crime and loitering down. That’s the positive side of it. 

The negative aspects include constant repairs paid for by HOA fees. Also, it’s a pain to constantly ring friends/family/deliveries/etc through the gate when they arrive. And it’s not fun for your guests either as most people have to call the home or look up the gate codes. Until now, I’ve just kept the gate codes in the notes section of the contact card of the person that lives there.

In Las Vegas, it’s also common to find the gate code written with marker on top of the gate code box. 

For a long time, I’ve wanted a notes app that would be location aware. With this feature, I’d be able to pull up to the gate and the note with the gate code would automatically show up on the home screen of my iPhone. 

When I asked for this app on twitter, it was recommend to use the location aware Reminders app. I’ve done that now, and it works wonderfully. I thought I’d share the setup and steps:

1. Setup a new list called “Gate Codes” so that all of the items will be easy to find.
2. I found it easiest to list the location (ie, TPC Summerlin) and then the gate code. With this setup there isn’t any other information getting in the way. Find a naming scheme that works and stick with it. 
3. In each reminder, use the extra option to “Remind me at a location.” In that search field you can put an address, search your contacts, input an intersection, or even the name of a business. For instance, if you need the gate code for work, try searching for the name of your company. Each location could be setup just a little different depending on how it’s most useful.
4. Once you find the location, be sure that “When I Arrive” is selected. Also, the blue circle can be enlarged or made smaller. I like to include just a little of the street so it will show up just before I arrive.
   

That’s it. Now, every time you drive up to that location, the reminder will show up on your screen as a notification. 

A couple other tips that might be helpful:

• When the notification arrives, don’t mark the item as complete. Instead, you can swipe the notification and clear it. That way it will still be there in when you arrive at that location in future visits.
• In your iPhone notification settings, you might set the notifications to show on the lock screen, but not stick around in the Notification Center. The info is really only useful right when you need and doesn’t need to be around later.
• If you have a list dedicated to just these codes, you can easily share this list with others. For instance, if I make this a shared list with my wife than she won’t need to do all the input work on her own.
• I use this for gate codes but it can be setup for a number of other things. One person has a list just for airport food that he likes. That way, when he has a layover it’ll pop up that he liked a certain plate from his last visit.
• This takes a little setup, but luckily you can setup the location for the reminders from anywhere. So, next time you have an hour to kill on a plane or in a doctor’s office, you can do them all from there.