Seamlessly Manage To-Do Lists on Any Device with Any.DO
Note: This post was first published on the Nov 27, 2012.
Conventional to-do list apps or programs often work only on one device. If you have an Android phone and work with an iPad, you’ll need to use two separate apps or find a workaround for the OS differences. Imagine if you had one app that worked on all platforms and even on your desktop browser (Google Chrome) too!
Any.DO offers exactly that, and it is free with no limitations, unlike other apps that require you to purchase the ‘pro’ version to unlock certain features. The app uses a simple and uncluttered design, making it very attractive. It supports speech detection in multiple languages and syncs simultaneously across multiple platforms.
Getting Started with Any.DO
Before we get started, download Any.DO onto your devices. Any.DO is available on iOS, Android, and even as a Google Chrome extension.
Register an account via email or Facebook login. Registration is needed if you want to sync your data across multiple devices. We’ll show you the rounds as we see it on the iPhone. Settings and features may differ on Android.
1. Adding Items
To begin adding your own to-do tasks, pull down the main screen and start typing. As you type, it suggests other keywords and sometimes even completes your words for you. Typing “Wash” shows suggestions like washing your car, dishes, clothes, or laundry.
Entries can also be added with voice commands by tapping the microphone icon. Dictate your tasks with ease as its voice recognition works quite accurately. This is great for making notes when your hands aren’t free.
2. Organizing Items
To help you stay organized, Any.DO lets you categorize to-do lists based on Category (e.g., ‘Personal’ or ‘Work’) and Date (e.g., ‘Today’, ‘Tomorrow’, ‘This Week’, or ‘Later’). By default, new tasks go into the Personal category (referred to as Folders on Android).
Categories can be expanded by tapping on them. You can also rearrange tasks by long-pressing and dragging them to another category or date. To create a new category, tap on New category. On Android, creating a new folder is accessible via Settings > Folders.
Quick Access
If your task contains words like ‘Call’, ‘Email’, or ‘Text’ along with a contact’s name, icons for Call, Email, and Message will appear next to the task, giving you quick access to your contact list.
Tapping these icons allows you to call the person immediately, write an email, or send a message.
If you have multiple contacts with the same name, you can choose which contact you want to interact with.
3. Removing Items
To remove a completed task, swipe it from left to right. You can undo this by swiping from right to left. To remove all completed tasks, tap the circular X button or shake your device to remove them all at once.
You can view all removed tasks by tapping on ‘Done’ in the ‘Settings’ menu. From there, you can permanently delete past completed tasks or restore them by swiping from right to left.
4. Setting Reminders
To-do apps are pointless without reminders. On Any.DO, you can add reminders by tapping the Remind button or Bell icon when creating a task.
When setting the alarm for your to-do item, you can change the time and/or date if needed, and set when it should notify you. You can be notified at the set time, or 5, 10, 30, or 60 minutes prior.
More Cool Things You Can Do
Under ‘Badge’ in ‘Settings’, you can change the app badge settings to easily determine the number of tasks you have to do. You can also customize it to show tasks in individual categories.
In landscape mode, you can view all your categories and tasks on the same page. You can then drag and drop tasks from one category to another or change their due dates. You can even access your iPhone calendar to check what other events are happening on those dates.
Any.DO on Chrome and Syncing
Syncing is crucial for Any.DO as it allows users to access their to-do lists from any device. Registering for an account enables you to sync your tasks across all your devices. With the Google Chrome extension, Any.DO takes things a notch higher.
The interface is similar to the smartphone app, complete with all the features. When you finish a task, click on the Tick symbol to the left of the task to clear it.
The Google Chrome extension also integrates with Gmail, providing a handy Remind Me button that allows you to ‘clip’ emails you are working on and add them to your to-do list.
The task will appear on your list with a direct link to the email in your mailbox for quick access. This is especially useful for those who work extensively with email.
Conclusion
The developers behind Any.DO have thought of everything, including providing light and night theme backgrounds.
Overall, Any.DO is an excellent app with a simple design. With its ability to sync across iOS, Android, and even Google Chrome, you’ll never miss an important task again.