Any.do
Any.do is a platform designed to increase productivity and management. Any.do launched its to-do list and task list app in November 2011 on Android followed by complementary apps for iOS and Chrome[1] in 2012, as well as a web app and a premium subscription model in 2014.[2] By November 2013, Any.do reached over 7M users,[3] over 10 million users in March 2014, and 15 million in November 2016. In November 2016, the company launched Any.do 4, that combined the a to do list, a calendar, and a part AI part human personal assistant that can complete users tasks in a single app.[4] In 2017, the company announced a partnership with Amazon Alexa and Slack. In 2018, the company launched a smart grocery list and shopping list feature as well as integration with Google Assistant and Siri. In 2019 Any.do announced integration with Zapier, a intergration service via Twitter
Any.do was co-founded by Omer Perchik, Itay Kahana, and Yoni Lindenfeld. It has offices in both Tel Aviv and San Francisco.
History
Prior to Any.do, co-founders Omer Perchik, Itay Kahana and Yoni Lindenfeld launched a simpler version of the app on Android called Taskos.[5] By 2010, Taskos had 1.3 million users and served as a test version for what would eventually become Any.do.[6] The company opened development offices in Tel Aviv, Israel and opened its business headquarters in San Francisco, California in 2012.[7] In November 2013, the company released a study revealing the mobile habits of their most productive “super users”.[8]
Products
Any.do app
Any.do’s namesake to-do list app was released first on Android, and had 500,000 downloads in its first 30 days after launch.[9][10] It was later released on iOS in June 2012 and reached another milestone with 100,000 iPhone downloads in its first day on the platform.[11] By November 2016 they hit 15 million users.[12]
Functions
To-do list / Task management:
- Create, edit, delete tasks and lists[13]
- Share lists and assign tasks[14]
- Voice input, including integration with Siri and Amazon Echo.[13][15]
- Auto-suggest feature with predictive text[16]
- Reminders - one time, recurring and location-based reminders[16]
- Real-time sync across all of a user's devices[12][13]
- Missed Call feature (Android Only)
- Grocery list / Shopping list feature that:
- Sorts your items by aisles (yes, really!) - Allow you to create multiple lists for different stores - Auto-detects grocery items and allows you to move them to the right list - Makes it easy to share your grocery lists with anyone - Copy online recipe ingredients into your clipboard and the list would help you import and sort them automatically - Already works in 10 different languages - Works seamlessly with Alexa Shopping list / Alexa Grocery list.
Prioritization/planning:
- The Any.do Moment prompts users to make a habit of morning task planning. (Created after the founders found this to be a common practice among highly productive users of the app.) [17]
- Using drag and drop tasks and lists can be reordered, and given different levels of priority
- Task notifications can be snoozed.
Calendar (new in v4.0, replacing the separate Cal app):
- Daily, weekly, and monthly view of combined tasks and events.
- Integrates with phone calendar and Facebook calendar
- Assign tasks to calendar events and merge to-do items with specific meetings.[18]
- Calendar widget
Delegating to an Assistant (new in v4.0)
- The Any.do Assistant uses an algorithm to scan to-do lists for items it can help with, marking the tasks directly on the screen. If the user wants, they tap the Assistant symbol and get connected to a combination of AI bots and supervising humans to get tasks like getting groceries or cleaning the house done for them.[12]
Cal app (deprecated)
Any.do released their second app, Cal for iPhone, in July 2013.[19] Cal for Android was later released in December 2013.[20] Like Any.do, Cal is an interactive, gesture-based calendar app with social integrations. Unlike other calendar apps, Cal helps users focus on the immediate schedule of their day and find pockets of free time for personal use.[21] Cal's scheduling and productivity features include:
- Instant location recommendations based on meeting address[22]
- Auto-suggest feature with predictive text[16]
- Google and Waze map integrations[23]
- Uber feature for booking a ride to meetings[24]
- Cloud sync across all of a user's devices[18]
- Amazon and Gifts.com integration for buying event gifts (iPhone only)[23]
Cal also integrates with the original Any.do task app and allows users to automatically populate their calendars with relevant tasks by date and event.[25]
Design
On October 9, 2013, The Verge reported Any.do to be the one of the main inspirations behind Jony Ive's iOS 7 redesign, and others have noted its similarities to the revamped Apple operating system.[26][27]
Funding
Any.do announced $1 million in angel funding in November 2011.[9]
By May 2013 the company had raised $3.5 million from Genesis Partners, Eric Schmidt’s Innovation Endeavors, Blumberg Capital, Joe Lonsdale of Palantir Technologies, Brian Koo of Formation 8, Joe Greenstein of Flixter, and Felicis Ventures.[28] The company raised additional unannounced funding from a group of strategic investors including Jerry Yang of AME Cloud Ventures and Steve Chen of YouTube, among others, by October of that same year.[26]
See also
References
- ^ Pierce, David (June 3, 2012). "Any.do task manager launches for iOS and Chrome, now syncs across platforms (hands-on)". The Verge.
- ^ "Any.do To-Do App Now Available on the Web". PC Magazine. May 22, 2014.
- ^ Vozza, Stephanie (Nov 18, 2013). "5 Habits of Productivity App Super Users". Entrepreneur.
- ^ "The Next Evolution of Productivity".
- ^ Miller, Tessa (Oct 10, 2013). "I'm Omer Perchik, and This Is the Story Behind Any.do". Lifehacker.
- ^ Van Grove, Jennifer (Nov 10, 2011). "Collaborative to-do app Any.do puts Reminders to shame". Venturebeat.
- ^ Gannes, Liz (June 4, 2012). "Well-Liked Android Task List Any.DO Comes to iPhone and Chrome". All Things D.
- ^ "5 Habits of Productivity App Super Users". Reuters. Nov 18, 2013. Retrieved Dec 23, 2013.
- ^ a b Perez, Sarah (Nov 10, 2011). "Any.DO Launches A Social To Do List App With $1 Million In Funding". TechCrunch.
- ^ Schonfeld, Erick (Dec 12, 2011). "Any.DO Android App Downloaded 500,000 Times In 30 Days". TechCrunch.
- ^ Perez, Sarah (Jun 5, 2012). "Any.DO's To-Do List App Hits 100,000 iOS Downloads In 24 Hours". TechCrunch.
- ^ a b c Pierce, David. "Any.do's Assistant Puts a Chat Bot to Work on Your To Do List". WIRED. Retrieved 2016-11-17.
- ^ a b c Messieh, Nancy (Dec 19, 2011). "Any.DO is the only productivity Android app you'll ever need". The Next Web.
- ^ Piltch, Avram (March 1, 2012). "Any.DO App Beams Tasks to Friends, Follows Up on Missed Calls". LAPTOP Magazine.
- ^ Seifert, Dan. "Amazon's Echo gets proper to-do support with new Any.Do integration". The Verge. Retrieved 2016-11-18.
- ^ a b c Duffy, Jill (June 7, 2013). "Any.do (for iPhone)". PC Mag.
- ^ Baer, Drake (June 3, 2013). "When do apps become rituals?". Fast Company.
- ^ a b Henry, Alan (July 11, 2013). "Cal, the Calendar App from the Team at Any.DO, Is Available Now". Lifehacker.
- ^ Tofel, Kevin C. (July 11, 2013). "Book an appointment to the App Store: Any.Do's Cal just launched for iOS". GigaOm.
- ^ Yeung, Ken (Dec 4, 2013). "Any.do's Cal smart calendar app lands on Android". The Next Web.
- ^ Fiegerman, Seth (July 11, 2013). "Any.DO's Calendar App Helps You Find More Free Time". Mashable.
- ^ Grey, Melissa (July 2013). "With Cal, Any.DO hopes to bring its productivity magic to calendars (hands-on)". Engadget. Retrieved Dec 23, 2013.
- ^ a b Moon, Mariella (Oct 2013). "Any.DO's Cal app scores Uber, Waze and Google Maps integration (updated)". Engadget. Retrieved Dec 23, 2013.
- ^ Pinola, Melanie (Oct 8, 2013). "Cal from Any.DO Now Integrates with Google Maps, Waze, Amazon and More". Lifehacker.
- ^ Nieva, Richard (June 6, 2013). "Any.do announces Cal, a proudly not-so-smart calendar app". PandoDaily.
- ^ a b Newton, Casey (Oct 9, 2013). "Taskmasters: how Israeli intelligence officers helped inspire the look of iOS 7". The Verge.
- ^ Fiegerman, Seth (June 11, 2013). "iOS 7 Updates Look a Little Too Familiar to Some Apple Developers". Mashable.
- ^ Perez, Sarah (May 13, 2013). "Intelligent To Do List App Any.DO Raises $3.5 Million, Will Further Expand Into Personal Productivity Space". TechCrunch.