There's good news and bad news for fans of the Wunderlist to-do list app today. The bad news is the Microsoft-owned app is still being shut down. The good news is its successor looks an awful lot like the original.

The software giant has launched a new version of its To Do app, which it says incorporates the best of Wunderlust and To Do into one new app that's available to download from today.

The redesigned To Do app looks a lot more like the app Microsoft purchased way back in 2015 and vowed to shut down after building its own version. There's still no official word on when Wunderlist will officially meet its demise, but Microsoft is now inviting users to make the shift.

For example, To Do now offers smaller headers and a wider selection of colours. Users can now customise lists with their own backgrounds to help differentiate between them, while there's also dark mode options in Android, Windows and the new Mac app, with the retina-saving mode coming to the iOS app soon.

"You told us that you loved the backgrounds of Wunderlist, but you wanted more customization options," Microsoft said in a post on the Wunderlist blog on Monday. "With the new version of Microsoft To Do you can choose from a wide range of backgrounds, including that beloved Berlin TV tower (now with a fresh new feel)."

You can see the new app in the video below:

The company pledges it is bringing over a number of Wunderlist's most popular features over to To Do and building on them. It says the app will sync across all versions, including those for Mac, iOS, Android, Windows and the Web. The company is also saying it will integrate with Microsoft-email accounts like Outlook, Hotmail and Live as well as work or school-based email accounts.

Meanwhile, the founder of Wanderlist is expressing some serious sellers remorse and offering to buy the app back from Microsoft.

He said on Twitter: "Still sad @Microsoft wants to shut down @Wunderlist, even though people still love and use it. I'm serious @satyanadella @marcusash, please let me buy it back. Keep the team and focus on @MicrosoftToDo, and no one will be angry for not shutting down @Wunderlist."

In a follow-up tweet on Sunday, Christian Reber expressed a desire to make the app 100% open-source and free forever, promised it would be blazingly-fast and keyboard-first on desktop. He's also pledging to build shared folders, collaborative note taking and powerful integrations, among new cross-team tools. He also wants to bring back public lists.

In response to a question asking why he wouldn't just build another app, Reber pointed out the importance of the strength of the Wunderlist brand.

    Chris Smith is a freelance technology journalist for a host of UK tech publications, including Trusted Reviews. He's based in South Florida, USA. …
    Chris Smith