There are many reasons why I love Todoist, not the least of which is how much I rely on it each day to manage the entirety of my pharmacy's pending orders and inventory system. I also love it because the team has some great Android developers and designers who did a fantastic job of implementing Material Design back in June of last year and then revamping the brand's identity to a more modern look in September.
Now Todoist is back with another major leap in version 9 of its Android app, which it's labeling as "closing the loop on the Material Design cycle." What this means is that the app is improving on all the aspects of the MD redesign and adding many of the features that were still missing in it.
The most important change in my eyes is the enhanced Intelligent Input in the Quick Add task bar. Previously, its smarts were limited to recognizing dates, priorities (p1, p2, p3, p4), and labels (@label). Now, it also recognizes projects (#project) and task assignees (+person), and crucially, it also pops up an autocompletion window with suggestions. That last part is invaluable if you have long labels like my weird pharmacy supplier-specific labels such as "@Droguerie_07722280ext129am-125pm/5324_09643800/6237." I couldn't possibly type that from memory when using Quick Add, so I had to always move to the full task add screen to apply these labels. Now I can start typing "@Dro" and Todoist immediately suggests that label and lets me assign it from the Quick Add bar, just like it does on the web. I am ecstatic.
Other improvements included in version 9 are task sorting (name, date, priority, assignee) like on the web, new #TodoistZero screens that are shareable with others, full Bluetooth keyboard support for devices like the Pixel C, emoji support (project, task, and label names), improvements to image attachments and orientations, better handling of subtasks with their parent tasks, notification synchronization, and more.
Here's the full list of changes you can expect:
Users will now be able to parse projects (#) and task assignees (+) into their task using natural language like, “Write script for Make Donald Drumpf Again on February 20 #AmazingShowIdeas +JohnOliver.”
Another main feature users will enjoy in the new Todoist for Android is support for external keyboards such as bluetooth keyboards or the Pixel C. As a result of this update, people who cannot use a touch-screen will now be able to properly navigate Todoist for Android.
Additional updates in this Todoist for Android release can be categorized into the following four categories:
Organization:
- (New) Project sorting: sort your tasks in a certain project by name, date, priority or assignee with a single tap
- (New) Pinch to add tasks anywhere inside a project
- Sub-tasks and sub-projects are now easier to handle by working directly with their parent task
Design:
- (New) Gorgeous empty screens now show productivity stats like completed tasks for the day
- (New) Sharable Todoist Zero screens will appear when users complete all tasks on their list
Sync:
- Updated notification sync: notifications read on other platforms/devices will now be dismissed automatically from your Android device
- Faster sync: syncing is now up to four times faster so that users can spend less time waiting and enjoy an increased battery life
General improvements:
- Attachments: Todoist now makes necessary photo rotations on Android and syncs the proper horizontal/vertical orientation across all platforms
- Extended undo options for drag and drop, project sorting, and ‘move to history’
- Updated formatting options for tasks, projects and comments, including emoji shortcuts
- Improved feedback when tasks are added out of the current view, allowing you to see the task in its project
- Much better snackbar positioning (ie. they never cover important elements)
- Much faster syncing, up to 4x
The update should already be live in the Play Store, but don't fret if you don't see it yet. It's probably still rolling out to everyone. As always, Todoist is free with a .99 yearly Premium plan that gives you access to labels, reminders, comments, templates, tracking, charts, and more.