Automation & Integrations
Widgets
The Tasks widget in every size, Lock Screen widgets, the New Task control, choosing a list and where + adds tasks, text size, and how widgets refresh.
Kan Do has Home Screen and desktop widgets on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, Lock Screen widgets on iPhone and iPad, a Control Center button, and complications on Apple Watch.
The Tasks widget
The main widget shows a list of tasks. You can check tasks off right on the widget, and the medium and larger sizes have a + button that opens the app ready to type.
Sizes
| Size | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Small | The list name, count, and the first few tasks |
| Medium | More tasks and the + button |
| Large | A full column of tasks |
| Extra Large | Fills a whole Home Screen page on iPhone (iOS 27), or the wide extra-large size on iPad and Mac. Up to seventeen tasks in one column or eighteen across two |
| Extra Large Portrait | The tall variant on iOS 27 and macOS 27 |
Each widget shows as many rows as your text size allows.
Choosing the list
Press and hold the widget and choose Edit Widget. The List setting offers:
- Today, Upcoming, Flagged, Inbox
- Every custom smart list you've made, labelled "Smart List"
- Every project, labelled with its space
A smart list in the widget uses exactly the same rules as the sidebar, including nested tags, Include and Exclude filters, and start dates, and it picks up name, icon, and color changes right away. A project in the widget lists its open tasks; completion columns and archived columns stay out.
Tapping the widget opens the list it shows, including a smart list or a project board.
Where + adds tasks
New Tasks Go To chooses the Inbox or any project column. The + button then opens the app ready to type in that column. If the widget shows a project and you leave this at the default, + adds to the project's first column.
Widget text size
Widgets follow your device's text size setting, including the accessibility sizes. Settings ▸ Typography ▸ Widget Text Size (80% to 160%) stacks on top of that, for bigger widget text without changing the rest of the device.
Lock Screen widgets (iPhone and iPad)
Add these from the Lock Screen customization screen:
| Widget | Shape | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Tasks | Rectangular, under the clock | The list's name, count, and first two tasks. Tap to open the list |
| Tasks | Inline, next to the date | The count, for example "3 tasks". Tap to open the list |
| Calendar | Circular | Opens Kan Do on the Calendar |
| New Task | Circular | Opens Kan Do ready to add a task to the Inbox |
Control Center, Action Button, and the Home Screen
- The New Task control can be added to Control Center or the Lock Screen's bottom buttons. It opens Kan Do ready to type.
- The Action Button on iPhone can run the same New Task shortcut.
- Press and hold the app icon for the Add Task quick action.
A task started from any of these is discarded if you close it without typing anything.
Apple Watch complications
Two complications, each available in Circular, Corner, Inline, and Rectangular: Open Kan Do and New Task. See Apple Watch.
How widgets refresh
Widgets update as soon as a change syncs in from another device, and when you change something in the app. Closing Kan Do pushes any pending refresh out immediately. iOS can hold back refreshes that happen while the app is in the background for a while, which is normal for every app's widgets; opening Kan Do brings everything current.
Widget messages
- "Open Kan Do to get started" means the app hasn't been opened since installing or updating. Open it once.
- "List unavailable — edit the widget" means the smart list or project the widget was showing has been deleted. Edit the widget and pick another.
- "All clear" means the list is empty.
Put a medium Today widget on your first Home Screen page and set New Tasks Go To to the Inbox. Checking things off from the widget and capturing with + covers most of a day without opening the app.