Lists that live in WhatsApp

Updated 3 November 2026.

A WhatsApp list app lets you keep shopping, grocery and to-do lists inside the chat app you already open all day. With Mindie, you text the items in one message, like "groceries: tomatoes, onions, rice, coffee", and Mindie saves them as a list. In the shop, you text "show my grocery list" and it comes back, one item per line.

Most people already try this in WhatsApp by messaging themselves. The trouble is that a list sent to your own chat is just a message. It can't be ticked off or edited, and two days later it's buried under photos and links. Mindie keeps each list saved under its name, so you can change it and call it up whenever you need it.

Mindie

on WhatsApp

groceries: tomatoes, onions, rice, coffee17:30

Saved your grocery list: tomatoes, onions, rice, coffee.17:30

show my shopping list18:20

Grocery list: tomatoes onions rice coffee18:20

How to create a to-do list in WhatsApp with Mindie

1. Sign up at getmindie.app. The first 7 days are free, with every feature on.
2. Connect your number. The website shows a six-digit code. Open WhatsApp and send "verify" followed by that code to Mindie.
3. Send the items. Two or more things to buy, get or do in one message become a list. A name helps: "packing: passport, charger, sunscreen".
4. Ask for it later. "Show my packing list" or "what's on my to-do list?" brings the saved list back.
5. Keep it up to date. Text "add socks to packing" or "remove charger" and Mindie updates the saved list.

Examples of what you can text

You can also send a list as a voice note. Say "shopping list: apples, yogurt, dish soap" and Mindie transcribes it and saves the list the same way it would a typed one. More on that in voice note reminders.

Shopping lists, grocery lists and checklists

The same feature covers every kind of list people keep in their heads:

• Grocery and shopping lists for the weekly shop, a party or a single recipe.
• To-do lists for errands, house jobs or the tasks you want done this week.
• Packing lists for trips, so you check the same list on the way out the door.
• Gift lists for birthdays and festivals, with ideas saved as they come to you.
• Checklists for anything you repeat, like a moving-day list or a car service list.

Each list keeps its own name, so "show my gift list" never returns your groceries.

Turning a photo into a list

Some lists start on paper. If someone wrote the shopping on a notepad, or a to-do list sits on a whiteboard, take a photo and send it to Mindie. It reads the handwritten or printed items and saves them as a list you can add to later. The same works for a screenshot of a list someone sent you. If the photo also shows a date, like a booking, see screenshots to reminders for what else Mindie can do with it.

Can a WhatsApp shopping list be shared?

Not with Mindie, and it's better to know that before you start. Lists are personal: they live in your own one-to-one chat with Mindie. There are no shared lists, no group lists, and Mindie doesn't post in WhatsApp groups or message anyone on your behalf. If your household shops from one list, the simplest approach is for one person to keep it in Mindie and paste it into the family chat when needed.

Who keeps lists in WhatsApp

• People who do the weekly shop and want the list on the phone that's already in their hand.
• Parents juggling school supplies, chores and a running list of things the house is out of.
• Travellers who reuse a packing list for every trip.
• Freelancers and small business owners keeping a quick to-do list of calls and errands next to their client chats.

If you already keep notes to self in WhatsApp, lists are the natural next step.

What Mindie doesn't do

• No shared or group lists. Your lists are only visible to you, in WhatsApp and the dashboard.
• No reading of documents. Mindie reads text, voice notes and images. A PDF or a document file won't be turned into a list.
• No general chat. Ask it for an essay or a long explanation and it will say that's outside what it does. It sticks to your lists, notes, reminders and calendar.
• No surprise deletes. Removing a whole list only happens after Mindie names it and you reply with a plain yes.

Lists on the web dashboard

Every list you save in WhatsApp also shows on the web dashboard at getmindie.app. It's handy on a laptop when you want to read a long list in one view. WhatsApp stays the main place to add and change things, and because Mindie is a WhatsApp contact, it works the same on iPhone, Android, WhatsApp Web and the desktop app.

Privacy

Mindie only sees what you send to it. It can't read your other chats or your contacts. Your messages are never sold or used to train AI models, and texting "clear our chat" deletes your chat history. The full details are in the privacy policy.

Price

You get a 7-day free trial with every feature. After the trial, Mindie costs $9 a month or $90 a year, which works out to two months free. Your first payment has a 7-day money-back guarantee, and you can cancel any time by texting "cancel". See pricing for the details.

Questions

Mindie works inside WhatsApp and connects to the services named on this page, but isn't affiliated with or endorsed by WhatsApp, Meta, Google, Microsoft or Notion. Checked on 3 November 2026.