Any.DO To-Do App for Android Makes Noteworthy iOS Debut

Pretty soon, I’m going to need a to-do list app to keep track of all the to-do list apps available for iOS and Android.

You may already have a favorite, such as Cultured Code’s Things, which I’ve used for several years and recommend. But Things isn’t cheap. The iPhone and iPod touch app is $10; the separate iPad app is $20; and the Mac app is $50. And it has limitations. For example, you can sync to-do items between all the various apps—as long as your devices are connected on the same Wi-Fi network.

Any.DO, an attractive Android app that just made its iOS debut (optimized for iPhone and iPod touch screens), takes a different approach.

For starters, Any.DO is free on both smartphone platforms, though it’s not currently optimized for larger tablet screens. You can sync your to-do items across your devices via the cloud, too—no Wi-Fi network needed.

No desktop Any.DO app exists, but you can download a Google Chrome extension that lets you enter and manage to-do items from the browser. However, privacy advocates might want to take a clear look at that Any.DO Chrome extension. Before you install, a dialog box warns you that the extension can access “your data on all websites,” “your tabs and browsing activity,” and “settings that specify whether websites can use features such as cookies, JavaScript, and plug-ins.” Yikes. Enough of that stuff is happening already on my computer, so I skipped the Google Chrome extension.

What I like most about Any.DO is its slick interface. To create a new task, you just pull the app down and an “I want to…” box appears that you use to dictate text via a microphone or by typing. Either way, the app offers suggestions for completing your entries. For example, start typing “Prepare for” and the app offers several suggestions, including  “Prepare for interview” and “Prepare for presentation.”

Any.DO also lets you swipe to the right to mark a task as complete, tap and hold to drag reminders into different folders and so on. I appreciate these perks, given how laborious smartphone keyboard entry can be. Another thing I like is the ability to easily share tasks with other Any.DO users, such as project to-do lists with colleagues. Once you share task, they automatically show up on other people’s lists as new, shared tasks.

The app has some room for improvement. Though you can sync Google Tasks to-do items, I’d also like to see integration with Google Calendar, iCal and other calendars. It would also be nice to easily move notes from one to-do list to another. These are small complaints, though, and Any.DO, is worth adding to your app to-do list. And the price sure is right: free.