CINCH SUPPORT & HELP

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about Cinch, Pro features, iCloud sync, and macOS shortcuts.

01 / OVERVIEW & GETTING STARTED

About Cinch & Platform Sync

Native power-user client built for Apple Reminders and Calendar.

What is Cinch?

Cinch is a fast, native power-user client for Apple Reminders and Calendar across macOS, iOS, watchOS, and visionOS. Built 100% in Swift using EventKit with zero 3rd-party servers, Cinch offers time-of-day organization, natural language date parsing, and interactive widgets.

How does Cinch work with Apple Reminders and Siri?

Cinch connects directly to system Reminders using Apple's EventKit framework. Anything added via Siri ('Hey Siri, remind me to...'), Apple Watch, or default Apple Reminders automatically appears in Cinch with zero migration or setup required.

What devices and platforms does Cinch support?

Cinch supports macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and visionOS. Purchase Cinch Pro once via In-App Purchase and unlock Pro features across all your Apple devices and Apple Family Sharing (up to 5 members).
02 / ARCHITECTURE & PRIVACY

Core Architecture & Privacy

Zero proprietary cloud lock-in. Your data remains 100% private in iCloud.

Does Cinch require creating an account or email registration?

No. Cinch requires zero account creation, email sign-ups, or login passwords. Simply download the app and begin managing your reminders instantly.

Does Cinch store my tasks or calendar data on 3rd-party servers?

No. Cinch operates strictly on-device and relies on your personal iCloud account for device-to-device syncing. No reminder contents, notes, calendar events, or analytics are ever transmitted to external 3rd-party servers.

How does Cinch keep my task data safe?

Because Cinch uses Apple's native EventKit framework, all your reminders and calendar data are protected by Apple's built-in OS sandboxing, device encryption, and secure iCloud architecture.
03 / PRODUCTIVITY & WORKFLOWS

Productivity & Organization Features

Power-user tools designed to streamline daily execution.

What is Date-First Timeline organization?

Instead of plain static lists, Cinch presents your tasks in a unified timeline sorted by due dates and time-of-day slots (Morning, Afternoon, Evening), giving you immediate clarity on daily priorities.

How does natural language date and time parsing work?

When entering a task title, simply type natural phrases like 'Call Alex tomorrow 2pm' or 'Pay bill on Friday'. Cinch automatically parses date and time keywords and sets the reminder due date accordingly.

Can I attach geofenced location alerts to reminders?

Yes. Type phrases like 'at home' or 'leaving work' in your task title, or attach location arrival/departure alerts in the editor. Cinch includes a dedicated Nearby view that surfaces tasks matching your current location.

How does Drag & Drop rescheduling work?

On macOS and iOS, press and hold any reminder to pick it up, then drag it across date sections (e.g. Tomorrow, Saturday, Next Week) to instantly update its due date.

Does Cinch support multi-select and bulk actions?

Yes. Activate selection mode to batch select multiple reminders and defer them simultaneously to Today, Tomorrow, or Next Week, or reassign lists and complete tasks in bulk.

What is the Recently Deleted safety net?

Whenever a reminder is deleted in Cinch, a safety snapshot is stored in Settings > Behaviour > Recently Deleted for 30 days, allowing you to restore deleted items with title, notes, list, and dates intact.

How do Tags (#tag) and Contact mentions (@contact) work?

When creating or editing a task, type # followed by a tag name (e.g. #work, #"Deep Work") to categorize tasks, or @ followed by a contact's name (e.g. @Sarah, @"John Appleseed") to link people. Cinch features real-time autocomplete as you type so you can reuse existing tags and contacts instantly. You can filter your timeline by tapping any tag chip, or open the dedicated Labels browser (⌘+6) to view and multi-filter tasks across all tags and contacts.

Can I flag tasks in Cinch?

Yes. Tasks can be flagged for high-visibility tracking. Press F on macOS or tap the flag button in the task editor on iOS. Flagged tasks display a flag indicator across the timeline, can be filtered instantly, and can be queried or toggled via the Cinch CLI (--flag).
04 / PRICING & SUBSCRIPTION

Pricing & Subscription Details

Simple, transparent pricing. Try Cinch Pro free for 14 days.

Is Cinch free to use?

Yes. Cinch offers a generous Free tier that includes 1 custom reminder list, full Siri and Apple Watch support, time-of-day timeline organization, and natural language date parsing with zero ads.

What features are included in Cinch Pro ($9.99/year)?

Cinch Pro unlocks:

  • Unlimited custom reminder lists
  • Inline Apple Calendar events inside timeline
  • Dedicated Labels browser with multi-tag & contact filtering (inline #tag and @contact creation is free)
  • Priority task flagging & filtering
  • Geofenced location alerts & Nearby view
  • Custom accent color themes & quotes
  • Apple Family Sharing for up to 5 members

How do I manage or cancel my Cinch Pro subscription?

Subscriptions are managed directly through Apple. You can manage or cancel your subscription at any time by opening your iPhone or Mac App Store Account Settings under Subscriptions.
05 / CALENDAR, WIDGETS & WATCH

Calendar, Widgets & Apple Watch

Stay updated on Lock Screen, Home Screen, Mac Desktop, and Apple Watch.

How does Apple Calendar integration work in Cinch?

Cinch integrates your Apple Calendar events directly into your daily timeline alongside your tasks. Calendar events remain read-only in Cinch and will never pollute your task lists.

Does Cinch support Apple Watch, Complications, and Widgets?

Yes. Cinch includes a native watchOS app with voice dictation for dictating reminders on the wrist and watch face complications. On iOS and macOS, Cinch provides interactive widgets for Lock Screen, Home Screen, StandBy, and Mac Desktop.

How do I customize Cinch widget settings?

Long-press any Cinch widget on your Home Screen, Lock Screen, or Mac Desktop and select 'Edit Widget'. You can select a specific list or 'All', toggle inline Apple Calendar events, choose calendar tap actions, and customize indicator styles.
06 / MACOS POWER-USER SUITE

macOS Power-User Features

Mouse-free productivity with high-efficiency keyboard control.

How do I set up the global system-wide Quick Add hotkey on macOS?

To use Quick Add from anywhere on your Mac, assign a shortcut to Cinch’s macOS Service:

  1. Open System Settings, then go to Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts….
  2. Select Services in the sidebar and expand General.
  3. Find Cinch: New Quick Reminder, double-click its shortcut field, and press an unused key combination—for example ⇧+⌘+T.

You can assign shortcuts to these other Cinch Services in the same way:

  • Cinch: Show App — opens the main Cinch window.
  • Cinch: New Reminder — opens the full task editor.

These macOS Services shortcuts work system-wide. When Cinch is active, ⇧+⌘+N opens Quick Add. If you do not see the Cinch Services yet, open Cinch once and check the Services list again.

What keyboard shortcuts are available in the macOS app?

These macOS shortcuts work in the main Cinch window. Each key is shown in a monospaced keycap; use the keys in a combination together. In text fields, macOS editing shortcuts remain available as usual.

Create, switch & search

  • ⌘+N — Create a new task.
  • ⇧+⌘+N — Open Quick Add (New Quick Task).
  • ⇧+⌘+L — Create a new list.
  • ⌘+? — Open Cinch Help.
  • ⌘+, — Open Cinch Settings.
  • ⌘+Z or ⇧+⌘+Z — Undo / redo the previous action.
  • ⌘+0 — Open Dashboard.
  • ⌘+1–7 — Switch to Today, All, Upcoming, Anytime, Completed, Labels & Tags, or Recently Deleted.
  • ⌥+⌘+1–0 — Open one of the first ten reminder lists.
  • ⌘+F or ⌃+F — Search reminders.
  • Tab or ⌥+⌘+S — Show or hide the sidebar in the main window.

Navigate the timeline & search results

  • ↑ or ↓ or J or K — Move through timeline sections and tasks; also navigate search results.
  • ⇧+↑ or ⇧+↓ or ⇧+J or ⇧+K — Move through the timeline while adding or removing tasks from bulk selection.
  • ⌘+↑ or ⌘+↓ — Jump to the beginning / end of the timeline.
  • ↓ or Return — In Search, focus the first matching task.
  • ↑ — From the first search result, return focus to the search field.
  • Esc — Clear and dismiss Search, exit bulk selection, or clear timeline focus.

Work with tasks

  • Space — Complete or reopen the focused task.
  • F — Toggle flag on the focused task.
  • Return — Edit the focused task, create a task in the focused section, or save Quick Add.
  • ⌘+Return — In the main timeline, open the focused task in the full editor; in an inline editor, commit the edit.
  • Delete or Forward Delete or X — Delete the focused task.
  • O — Open the focused task’s URL, if it has one.
  • I — Create a task in the focused timeline section.
  • Tab or ⇧+Tab — In a task editor, move to the next / previous field. In the main window, Tab toggles the sidebar.
  • Esc — Close or cancel Quick Add and dismiss task-editing windows.

Priorities, dates & timeline length

  • 1 — Set High priority.
  • 2 — Set Medium priority.
  • 3 — Set Low priority.
  • 0 — Clear priority.
  • T — Reschedule to today.
  • S — Reschedule to tomorrow.
  • P — Reschedule to the previous day.
  • N — Reschedule to the next day.
  • M or A or E — Reschedule to morning / afternoon / evening.
  • + or = — Show more days in the timeline.
  • - — Show fewer days in the timeline.

How do I set up and use the Cinch Command-Line Interface (CLI)?

Cinch includes a built-in macOS CLI for creating, updating, filtering, and completing Apple Reminders from Terminal. For the App Store app, run "/Applications/Cinch.app/Contents/MacOS/Cinch" install-cli, then copy and run the user-local command it prints. The default setup needs no sudo.

After adding ~/.local/bin to PATH, verify with cinch version or the read-only cinch doctor.

Read the complete CLI guide.

Can AI agents and scripts integrate with the Cinch CLI?

Yes. Agents can use positional natural-language input or --text, explicit flags, --locale, --dry-run, and structured --json output. Run cinch schema to retrieve the machine-readable command and error contract.

See the full CLI documentation and examples.

07 / TROUBLESHOOTING & SYNC GUIDE

Troubleshooting & Sync Guide

Solutions for widget reloads, iCloud signals, and Apple Watch complications.

How does cross-device syncing work?

Cinch connects directly to native Apple Reminders. When you create, edit, or complete a task, Cinch dispatches a secure background signal via iCloud to refresh lists, widgets, and badges across your Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch.

Why is my widget or complication delayed, and how do I fix it?

If widget or watch complication updates appear delayed:

  1. Verify iCloud Sign-In: Ensure you are signed in on all devices.
  2. Background App Refresh: Verify it is enabled in iOS Settings > Cinch.
  3. Avoid Force-Quitting: Swiping up to quit Cinch pauses background signals.
  4. Low Power Mode: Turn off to allow background widget reloads.
  5. Watch Link: Ensure Bluetooth/Wi-Fi is active with iPhone.

Why don't widgets and complications update instantly?

Both iOS and watchOS strictly manage how often widgets and Apple Watch complications can refresh in the background to preserve your device's battery life.
Apple assigns each app a daily refresh budget, meaning background updates typically happen every 15 to 45 minutes rather than in real time.
Tapping the widget, opening the app, or checking off a task will always force an immediate refresh.

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