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Getting Started with 2Do for iPhone and iPad

This tutorial helps you get started with 2Do for iPhone and iPad and covers its main features — from a two-second capture to a full GTD-style workflow with projects, tags, and Smart Lists.

Introduction​

2Do for iPhone and iPad is a universal app — one binary, one purchase, two interfaces designed for each device. The same data model and feature set powers both, with iPad-specific refinements like a multi-pane landscape layout and hardware-keyboard support. Highlights:

  • Quick Add — long-press the floating add button to capture a thought quickly.
  • Pinch-Zoom — pinch to compact rows or expand them with notes, tags, and details.
  • Tap-and-Hold popup — context-menu-style quick actions on any task.
  • Tags and Nearby panel — context tools one swipe away.
  • Apple Watch companion — glanceable lists and voice capture from your wrist.
  • Calendar Events panel — see events alongside your tasks for conflict-free planning. Available on both iPhone (swipe-left utility panel) and iPad (right pane).
  • Sync your way — Dropbox, iCloud CalDAV, Toodledo, or any custom CalDAV server.

First Launch​

When you open 2Do for the first time, you may see a short walkthrough that introduces the main parts of the app. It is a product tour, not an up-front setup flow, so you can start using 2Do without choosing every option first.

2Do does not ask you to configure location, calendar access, or sync during first launch. Access prompts appear from the related feature areas:

  • Notifications — used for Alerts, overdue notifications, and Nag Me reminders. iOS may ask when 2Do prepares notification support.
  • Location Services — requested when you use Nearby, add a location to a task, or create a location-based alert.
  • Calendars — requested when you open the Calendar Events panel.
  • Sync — configured from Settings > Sync when you're ready to sync with another device.

If you deny a permission by mistake, you can change it later in the iOS Settings app. 2Do's own feature settings remain available inside the app.

Choosing Your Sync Method​

If you use 2Do on a Mac, an iPad, or both — pick the sync method first and configure each device the same way.

  • Dropbox — most fully-featured. Supports every task property and attachments.
  • iCloud CalDAV — for Apple-hosted CalDAV sync. Requires an app-specific password.
  • Toodledo — for users in the Toodledo ecosystem.
  • Custom CalDAV — Fastmail, Fruux, ownCloud, Nextcloud, and others.
  • No Sync — works fine on a single device. Open Settings > Sync in 2Do to pick a method. We'll go deeper in Sync.
warning

Use the same sync method on every device. Mixing methods leads to disconnected data. Pick one, set it up identically on each device, and only then start using 2Do for real.

The Main Task List​

On iPhone, 2Do is a stack of focused screens — Lists, Tasks, Editor — connected by familiar swipe gestures. Swipe the task list to the right to reveal the Lists panel in stages: first a narrow list-tab strip, then the full list names, groups, counts, and Smart Lists. Swipe the task list to the left to reveal the Utility Panel.

On iPad, the layout adapts to the available width. A narrow Split View or Slide Over window behaves more like iPhone, while a wide landscape window can show lists, tasks, and the right calendar/editor pane side by side. The Utility Panel stays separate and slides in when you need Tags or Nearby.

2Do main screen

Learn more in The Main Task List.

Lists and List Groups​

Lists are the basic organizational unit. The Lists screen shows your Focus Lists at the top — All, Today, Starred, Scheduled, Done, Inbox — and your real lists and list groups below.

Creating a List​

  • Long-press a list and choose Manage Lists, or open list management from the Lists area.
  • Tap Create New List....
  • Pick a name and color.
  • To create a list group, use Manage Groups → Create New Group.... Learn more — including the indicators that appear next to a list name — in Lists and List Groups.

Capturing Tasks​

Quick Add​

The floating round add button at the bottom-right of the Tasks screen is multi-purpose:

  • Tap — open the editor for a new task.
  • Long-press (hold) — open Quick Add, a focused capture screen for those moments when ideas are floating around faster than your thumbs.

Quick Add normally captures into the current editable list. If you prefer an Inbox-style workflow, configure Settings > Default Collection List and enable Always Use in Quick Add. The destination button in Quick Add also lets you choose a different list, project, or checklist before saving. Learn more in Settings.

Quick Add includes simple due-date shortcuts such as None, Today, Tomorrow, and 2 Days. See Dates and Durations for when to use start dates, due dates, due times, and durations. Use the full Task Editor when you want to add tags, priority, Alerts, recurrence, or notes while creating the task.

Email-to-2Do​

An iOS add-on and one-time in-app purchase that connects to your IMAP email account and turns matching messages into tasks based on rules you configure. Set up under Settings > Email to 2Do. See Email-to-2Do.

Siri​

2Do can work directly with Siri and the Shortcuts app. Enable Siri in Settings > Siri, then ask Siri to add or find tasks in 2Do. See Siri and Shortcuts.

Tasks, Projects, and Checklists​

2Do has three task types that work together:

  • Task — simple to-do; can carry sub-tasks (an inline checklist).
  • Project — a parent for related tasks that don't have to happen in order.
  • Checklist — a parent for items that only matter together (packing, onboarding). Create them from the task editor's type picker, or convert an existing task from the task's tap-and-hold popup or the editor's more-actions menu. Learn more in Projects and Checklists.
Project view on iPhone

The Task Editor​

Tap a task to open the editor. Fields include:

Task editor on iPhone

Learn more in The Task Editor.

Pinch-Zoom and Tap-and-Hold​

Two gestures that make the iOS interface feel like the Mac:

Pinch-Zoom​

Pinch in on the task list to fit more tasks on screen. Pinch out to expand each row with multi-line titles, notes, tags, and details. The chosen density is per-list, so a quick scratch list and a deep project list can coexist comfortably.

Tap-and-Hold​

Tap and hold any task to bring up a popup of quick actions:

  • Mark Done / Star
  • Defer to Today / Tomorrow / Next Week
  • Schedule, Tag, Move, Duplicate
  • Delete It's a context menu ported from the Mac, but better — the actions live where your thumb already is. Learn more in Pinch-Zoom and Tap-and-Hold.

Tags and Nearby​

Swipe the task list to the left on iPhone, or on iPad when 2Do is running in a narrow Split View, to reach the Utility Panel — Tags, Nearby, and Calendar Events in one context-driven area. On a wide iPad layout, the right calendar/editor pane gives you planning context up front, and the Utility Panel slides in when you need Tags or Nearby.

  • Tags — all your tags, with counts. Tap to filter.
  • Nearby — a map and a list of tasks with locations, sorted by distance.
  • Calendar Events — events from the iOS Calendar app, shown separately from 2Do's mini calendar. Learn more in Tags and Nearby.

Pausing a Tag to Hide Its Tasks​

Any tag in 2Do can be paused. When a tag is paused, every task carrying that tag is hidden from view — All, Today, list views, search. To pause a tag, swipe left on it in the Tags panel and tap Pause. Resume the same way. Toggle the paused indicator on the sort bar to peek at paused tasks without resuming. See Tags and Nearby.

Focus Filter and Smart Lists​

  • Focus Filter — toggle from everything I have to just what matters right now. Configurable rule per list. See Focus Filter.
  • Smart Lists — saved searches that behave like real lists. Build once, use forever. See Smart Lists.

Pull down on the task list to reveal the search bar. Search runs across titles, notes, tags, dates, and actions. Use Full Text when you want precise operators such as new job -find, or Soundex when you want typo-tolerant matching such as plumver finding plumber. Save common searches as Search Presets for one-tap recall. For reusable rule-based lists, see Smart Lists. See Search for the full search reference.

Alerts and Notifications​

A task can carry as many Alerts as needed:

  • Quick presets such as On Time, 15 minutes before, or 1 hour before.
  • Custom alert times for an exact date and time.
  • Custom alert times relative to the task's due date or start date.
  • Optional alert sound.

Nag Me is configured in Settings > Notifications, and can keep alert notifications repeating until you view the task or mark it complete. A white glowing dot also appears on a list when something due today is hiding inside, and a red glowing dot appears when an overdue task is hiding inside. Learn more in Alerts and Nag Me and Settings.

Apple Watch​

2Do for Apple Watch shows your most important lists, lets you mark tasks complete with a tap, and accepts new tasks via voice dictation. See Apple Watch.

iPad Features​

The iPad app adds:

  • Calendar Events panel — see today's events alongside your tasks in the right pane.
  • Hardware keyboard shortcuts — full keyboard navigation when you connect a keyboard.
  • Multi-pane landscape layout — lists, tasks, and editor side by side. Learn more in iPad Features.

Batch Editing​

When you've got more than a couple of tasks to handle the same way — push them all to tomorrow, tag them all @waiting, mark them all done — batch editing turns a long sequence of taps into a single action.

  • On the Tasks screen, tap the task-list three-dots indicator to enter batch mode. Each task's checkbox switches to a dotted outline; tap to add or remove from the selection.
  • The toolbar at the bottom shows the actions you can apply: Dates, Tag, Location, Priority, Share, Move, Delete.
  • While in batch mode, drag the selection onto a supported Focus List (Starred, Today, Scheduled, Done) or a regular list in the sidebar to apply that state in bulk.
  • The mini calendar also accepts dropped selections — defer many tasks to a specific date in one drag.

Learn more in Batch Editing.

Drag and Drop​

iOS supports rich drag-and-drop. In 2Do that means:

  • Drag selected tasks to regular lists while batch editing.
  • Drag selected tasks to supported Focus Lists such as Today, Scheduled, Starred, and Done.
  • Drag tasks onto the mini calendar to defer them to a date. See Drag and Drop.

Backups and Restore​

2Do snapshots your local database automatically. Backups can be exported, shared, and restored. Learn more in Backups and Settings.

Password Protection​

Lock individual lists or the whole app behind a password (or Face ID / Touch ID). See Password Protection and Settings.

Widgets​

2Do offers home-screen and lock-screen widgets:

  • Today — your due-today tasks.
  • List — pin a specific list.
  • Add button — available on supported widget sizes for quick capture. Add widgets the standard iOS way (long-press the home screen → tap [+] → 2Do).

Shortcuts and Automation​

The Shortcuts app can drive 2Do via:

  • Built-in 2Do actions such as Quick Add, Find Tasks, and Complete Task.
  • URL schemes for direct task creation.
  • Siri shortcuts saved from supported 2Do lists and searches. See Siri and Shortcuts.
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