Action Icons are small buttons that appear next to some tasks on iOS and Android. They help you do quick “contact” tasks faster. For example, when you create a task like “Call Mom” or “Email David”, Any.do can recognize the contact and show an icon you can tap later to start that call, text, or email.
✅ Who can use Action Icons?
Plans: Free, Premium, Family, Workspace
Platforms: iOS and Android only
📌 What Action Icons can do
Action Icons can appear for tasks that start with:
📞 Call
💬 Text
📧 Email
When you tap the icon, Any.do opens your phone’s calling, messaging, or email app with that contact ready.
🧾 What you need for Action Icons to work
To show Action Icons, Any.do needs two things:
Contacts permission on your phone
A saved contact that includes the needed details
For Call/Text: a phone number
For Email: an email address
If Any.do can’t find a matching contact (or the contact is missing details), the icon won’t appear.
➕ How to create an Action Icon task (iOS and Android)
You can create Action Icon tasks from the Quick Add bar (or the + button) in any task view.
Tap the Quick Add bar
Start your task with Call, Text, or Email
Type your contact’s name (for example: Call John)
Choose the suggested contact if prompted
Tap Save
Tip: If you have multiple contacts with the same name, pick the correct one from the suggestions.
🔐 Turn on Contacts permission
If you don’t see contact suggestions or Action Icons, check your device permissions.
iOS
Open your iPhone Settings
Scroll down and tap Any.do
Turn Contacts on
🤖 Android
Open your device Settings
Tap Apps (or Apps & notifications)
Select Any.do
Tap Permissions
Allow Contacts
🛠️ Troubleshooting
🧩 The Action Icon doesn’t show up
Try these quick checks:
Make sure the task starts with Call, Text, or Email
Make sure Any.do has Contacts permission
Make sure the contact has a valid phone number/email
Try creating the task again and selecting the contact from the suggestions
📲 What happens when I tap the icon?
Any.do will open your phone’s default app (Phone, Messages, Email) so you can complete the action.
🙋♂️ FAQs
🧭 Where will I see Action Icons?
🧭 Where will I see Action Icons?
On iOS and Android, tasks that include actions will have a “Call…” “Text…” or “Email…” iconon the right side.
🔒 Why does Any.do need access to my contacts?
🔒 Why does Any.do need access to my contacts?
Any.do uses your contacts only to match the name you typed (like “Call John”) with a real contact, so it can show the right action icon.
🧑🤝🧑 Can I use Action Icons in shared boards?
🧑🤝🧑 Can I use Action Icons in shared boards?
No - Action Icons are currently available only for personal tasks and can’t be used in shared boards.
✉️ Why does Email work but Call doesn’t (or the other way around)?
✉️ Why does Email work but Call doesn’t (or the other way around)?
Call/Text needs a phone number, and 📧 Email needs an email address. If the contact is missing the needed detail, the icon won’t appear.
📱 Do Action Icons work on Web or Desktop?
📱 Do Action Icons work on Web or Desktop?
No. Action Icons are currently available on mobile only.
👀 What happens to my Action tasks if I uninstall and reinstall the app?
👀 What happens to my Action tasks if I uninstall and reinstall the app?
On iOS: During setup, you’ll be asked to allow Contacts permissions.
If you allow the permission, your Action tasks will remain active.
If you decline the permission, the Action tasks will be removed.
On Android: After uninstalling and reinstalling the app, Action tasks will be removed from your tasks.