iPhone Dictation Not Working in Todoist? 10 Fixes That Work

Short answer: In Todoist on iPhone, dictation uses the mic on your keyboard, so the keyboard must be showing. Tap the add button or a task's name until a cursor blinks. If words go missing, Todoist may have read them as a date, project or label, or Return saved the task early.

You open Todoist on your iPhone to capture a task before it slips away, and you would rather say it than type it. You tap the mic on your keyboard and nothing happens. Or there is no mic. Or there is no keyboard at all, however many times you tap your list. Or you dictate a task, save it, and the words you said are not the words you see: half the sentence is missing, a date you never set has appeared, or the task has landed in a project you were not looking at.

Todoist is built for fast capture, and that is part of the problem. It does not just store what you type. It reads it. Words that sound like dates become due dates, a word after a hash sign becomes a project, a word after an at sign becomes a label, and "p1" becomes a priority. Return does not start a new line in a task name. It saves the task. And a list of tasks is not a text field at all, so the keyboard, and the mic that lives on it, only appears while you are adding or editing something.

So most Todoist dictation problems are about the keyboard and about what Todoist does with your words, not about your microphone. This guide works through every cause in order, starting with the most common. If dictation is failing in every app on your phone and not only in Todoist, start with our complete guide to iPhone dictation not working instead. The same fixes apply to Todoist on iPad.

Siri or the keyboard mic?

People mean two different things by "adding a task by voice", and they fail for different reasons.

Siri and Shortcuts can add a task to Todoist without you opening the app, if you have set that up. That route depends on Siri being switched on and able to hear you, and on the connection between Siri and Todoist. It has nothing to do with the keyboard.

Keyboard dictation is for writing a task with your voice inside Todoist. You start a task, tap the mic key on your keyboard and speak, and the text arrives exactly as if you had typed it. This guide is about that second route. If it is Siri that is not working, our explanation of Siri versus dictation on iPhone sets out where the two differ. They have separate settings, so one can work while the other does not.

One consequence of how keyboard dictation works: if the keyboard does not appear, there is no mic to tap. Many Todoist dictation problems are really "no keyboard" problems.

The 30-second Notes test

Before you change anything, open the Notes app, create a new note, tap in the body so the keyboard appears, then tap the mic key and say a sentence.

• If dictation fails in Notes too, the problem is dictation on your iPhone, not Todoist. Go to fixes 8 and 10.
• If it works in Notes but no keyboard appears in Todoist, start with fix 1, then fix 6.
• If the keyboard appears but has no mic, or the mic will not start, go to fixes 2 and 8.
• If your words arrive but the task comes out different from what you said, go to fixes 3, 4 and 5.
• If the task seems to vanish after you save it, go to fixes 7 and 9.

The 10 fixes, in order

1. Open Quick Add, or tap into a task's text

Todoist's main screens, such as Today, Upcoming, your Inbox and your projects, are lists. Scrolling them, tapping a project or opening a view does not bring up the keyboard, because nothing is being written yet.

To write a new task, tap the add button, the plus sign, to open Quick Add. It opens with a cursor in the task name and the keyboard already up. To change an existing task, tap the task to open it, then tap its name or its description, and the keyboard slides up with a cursor where you tapped. Opening a task on its own is not enough. You are looking at the task, not editing it, until you tap into its text.

Be careful where you tap in a list. The circle to the left of a task completes it, and a tap there instead of on the words is the most common way a task disappears (fix 7). Some swipe gestures in the list act on a task too, such as completing or rescheduling it, so tap rather than swipe when all you want is a cursor.

2. Find the mic key on your keyboard

If the keyboard appears but there is no mic, check which keyboard is showing. Apple's mic key sits at the bottom of Apple's keyboard, on the right on most current iPhones. Many third-party keyboards have no mic of their own, so if one of those is active there is nothing to tap. Tap and hold the globe key and switch to Apple's keyboard, or to a third-party keyboard that has a built-in mic.

If Apple's keyboard is showing and still has no mic, dictation is turned off or restricted on your iPhone, which fix 10 covers.

3. Keep Return out of task names

In most apps, Return starts a new line. In a Todoist task name, Return adds the task, and Quick Add may stay open ready for the next one. That is perfect when you dictate a shopping list one item at a time, and confusing when you dictate a long thought. Saying "new line" or "new paragraph" while you dictate inserts a Return, so one sentence can end up split across two tasks, or cut off at the point where you paused.

A task name is meant to be short enough to scan. For everything else, use the description. Quick Add has a description line under the task name, and every task has a description you can tap into once it is open. Both are made for longer text, so you can dictate the context, the steps or the reference number there and keep the name to a few words. Test once with a short phrase, since Return in the description usually starts a new line rather than saving.

If a sentence has already split in two, open the first task, tap the end of its name, and dictate or paste the rest back in. Then delete the fragment.

4. Watch Todoist turn your words into dates

Todoist's smart date recognition reads the task name as you write it. When it spots something that looks like a date or a time, such as "tomorrow", "Friday", "next week" or "at 3pm", it highlights those words and, when you save, usually takes them out of the name and uses them as the due date. Phrases with "every", such as "every Monday", make the task recurring. Dictated text counts as typing, so all of this happens to words you speak too.

Most of the time that is exactly what you want. It goes wrong when a date-like word was meant as part of the task itself. Dictate "Prepare notes for the Friday meeting" and you may get a task called "Prepare notes for the meeting" that is due on Friday. Dictate "Ask about every Monday standup" and you may have created a task that repeats every week.

Watch the highlight before you save. If Todoist has picked up words you meant literally, you can usually tap the highlighted text to tell it to leave those words alone, or delete the date afterwards and retype the word in the name. If you never want this, Todoist's settings include an option to turn smart date recognition off. The reverse problem happens too: spoken times can arrive in forms Todoist may not recognise, such as "3 p.m." with full stops, so check the date on the task once it is saved. Our guide to dictating numbers and dates covers how to say them so they come out the way you want.

5. Watch for hash signs, at signs and priorities

Todoist gives a few characters a special meaning in Quick Add. A hash sign followed by a word assigns the task to a project with that name, an at sign followed by a word adds a label, and "p1" to "p4" set the priority. As you type these, a list of matching projects or labels pops up above the keyboard, and while it is showing, your next words are treated as a search for a match.

Dictation can produce these characters when you say their names, so saying "hashtag work" can move a task into your Work project, and an email address dictated into a task name brings an at sign with it. If the word after the symbol matches nothing, it usually stays in the task name as text, which can leave a stray hash sign in the middle of a sentence. Dictated priorities are hit and miss. Dictation may write "p one" or "P1" in a way Todoist does not treat as a priority, so look at the flag before you save.

The easy fix is to split the work. Dictate the words of the task, then set the project, labels and priority with the buttons under the task name. Each button is a single tap, and none of them depends on dictation getting a symbol right.

6. Close the pickers above the keyboard

Quick Add has a row of buttons below the task name for the date, the priority, reminders, labels and the project. Tapping one of them opens a picker, and while it is open the keyboard, and its mic, can disappear or stop sending text to the task. The task view behind a saved task works the same way. Most of its settings are pickers rather than text boxes, and only the name, the description and comments take typing.

If the mic disappears after you tap one of those buttons, finish or close the picker, then tap back into the task name or description so the keyboard returns. It is easiest to dictate the words first and set the date, project and priority with the buttons afterwards.

7. Look in Completed, and in the right project

Todoist hides finished tasks. If you tapped the circle next to a task instead of its words, perhaps while trying to put the cursor in it, you completed it, and it drops out of the list. Todoist usually shows a short notice with an undo button straight afterwards. If you missed it, most projects have an option in their menu to show completed tasks, and you can tap the circle again to bring one back.

Where a new task goes depends on where you added it. A task added from a project goes into that project, and one added from your Inbox goes into the Inbox. A task added from Today usually gets today's date, and one added from a day in Upcoming usually gets that day's date. A hash sign in your dictated words can override all of that and send the task to another project (fix 5). Filter and label views only show tasks that match their rules, so a task you just added can fall out of the view you are in.

Shared projects need a little care. Everyone in a shared project can add, change and complete tasks, so something you dictated can be edited or finished by someone else. If you leave the project, or its owner removes you or deletes it, the tasks go with it.

8. Free up the microphone

Dictation needs the microphone to itself. A phone or FaceTime call, a video call in another app, or a recording app still running in the background can all keep hold of it, and dictation may refuse to start until they let go. End the call or stop the recording, then try again.

Headphones are the next suspect. If the mic key does nothing, or dictation starts and gives up at once, disconnect your Bluetooth earbuds or headset and test with the iPhone's own microphone. If that works, the problem is the headset connection, not Todoist. Our guide to iPhone dictation not working with AirPods walks through the headphone side.

9. Find words that landed somewhere else

If you dictated and the text seems to be missing, it usually went somewhere you were not looking. Check these in order:

• The next task down. A spoken line break may have split your sentence into two tasks (fix 3).
• The due date. Date words may have been lifted out of the name (fix 4).
• The project, labels or priority. A word after a hash sign or an at sign may have become a project or a label (fix 5).
• The description. If the cursor was in the description, your words sit under the task name rather than in it.
• A comment. If you were in the comments of a task, your words may still be sitting unsent in the comment box.
• Completed, or another project. A tapped circle hides the task, and where you added it decides where it went (fix 7).
• Search. If the search field was active, your words became a search, not a task.

If you cannot find a task at all, search for a word from it, which looks across your projects. And if you replaced something by accident, remember that dictation replaces any selected text, just as typing does. Shake to undo straight away, then tap once where you want new words so nothing is highlighted before you tap the mic.

10. Check dictation on your iPhone

If dictation failed in Notes too, the problem is on the phone. Open Settings, go to General, then Keyboard, and make sure Enable Dictation is on. If the switch is missing or greyed out, check Screen Time: under Content & Privacy Restrictions, open the allowed apps list and make sure Siri & Dictation is allowed. A work or school iPhone may also restrict dictation through its management profile.

Make sure the keyboard language matches the language you are speaking, since dictation follows the active keyboard. Then install any pending iOS update, update Todoist from the App Store, and if nothing else has worked, restart your iPhone. A restart clears stuck audio sessions and keyboard processes in one step.

Todoist quirks that look like broken dictation

• Dictation stops halfway through a thought. iPhone dictation stops when you pause. Our guide to iPhone dictation that keeps stopping explains what you can do about it.
• Every task ends with a full stop. iPhone dictation adds punctuation automatically, which suits sentences better than task names. You can turn off Auto-Punctuation under Settings, General, then Keyboard, or simply delete the full stop.
• The task is on your iPhone but not your Mac. Todoist syncs through your account. Make sure both devices are signed in to the same account and online. A task added without a connection syncs once you reconnect.
• The keyboard closes while you are talking. Scrolling behind Quick Add or tapping outside it can close it, which closes the keyboard and stops dictation. Keep your thumb off the screen until your words have arrived.
• Names come out wrong. People's names, client names and project codenames are the words dictation mishears most. Read them back, because a task is only useful if you can understand it later.

Quick triage

• No keyboard when you open a list: nothing is being written yet. Fix 1.
• Keyboard has no mic: a keyboard without a mic, or dictation off. Fixes 2 and 10.
• One sentence became two tasks: Return. Fix 3.
• Words missing and a due date appeared: smart date recognition. Fix 4.
• Task moved to another project or got a label: a hash sign or an at sign. Fix 5.
• Mic vanished after tapping a button: a picker is open. Fix 6.
• Task vanished right after you added it: completed, or saved to another project or date. Fix 7.
• Mic starts then stops at once: microphone busy or Bluetooth. Fix 8.
• Words went missing: check the places in fix 9.
• Fails in Notes too: iPhone dictation settings. Fix 10.

Todoist on iPhone versus Todoist on Mac

On a Mac, you dictate into Todoist with a keyboard shortcut rather than a mic key, so the usual trap is a click that leaves the cursor in the sidebar or search rather than inside a task. Everything Todoist does with your words is the same on both: Return saves the task, date words become due dates, and hash signs, at signs and priorities are read as instructions. On iPhone everything runs through the keyboard, so the first question is always whether the keyboard appeared, and whether it has a mic. Our guide to adding tasks to Todoist by voice covers setup on both, and if you also keep lists in Apple's app, our guide to iPhone dictation not working in Reminders covers the same kind of problems there.

A dictation workflow that suits Todoist

• One task per breath. Open Quick Add, say a short task name, press Return, and say the next. You can empty your head of a dozen tasks in a minute.
• Let dates work for you, on purpose. End a task with "tomorrow" or "every Friday" when you want a date, and watch the highlight to make sure Todoist caught it.
• Project and priority by button. Tap them once the words are in, rather than relying on dictation to get a symbol right.
• Details in the description. Keep the name short enough to scan and dictate the context underneath.
• Read back before you lock the phone. A misheard name or a missing date is much harder to fix tomorrow than it is right now.

It is worth getting right, because speaking is much faster than typing. Most adults type around 40 words per minute on a full keyboard, and even professional typists usually sit around 80 to 100, while normal speech runs at 130 to 150 words per minute. On a phone the gap is wider still, and a task manager is where speed matters most: the task you do not capture in the moment is the one you forget.

A keyboard with a mic that works in every project

Apple's dictation is free and built in, but it stops when you pause, it depends on settings that are easy to switch off by accident, and fixing a misheard word means going back and editing by hand.

Voice Keyboard Pro is a custom iPhone keyboard with a built-in mic button for dictation in any iOS app, Todoist included. Open Quick Add, tap the mic, speak, and your words are added at the cursor. Because it is a keyboard rather than a feature of one app, it works the same way in Todoist, Notes, Messages and everywhere else you type. Like any keyboard, it only appears while Todoist is editing text, and Todoist still reads your words once they arrive, so fixes 1 and 3 to 6 still apply.

A few features help with task lists in particular:

• Voice Edit lets you speak a change to fix text, so you can correct a name or a date in a task without selecting and retyping it on a small screen.
• Two-way translation while dictating, across 24 languages, lets you speak in one language and write in another, which helps with a shared project whose members read different languages.
• Swipe typing is there for the moments when speaking out loud is not practical.

Setup means adding the keyboard in Settings and allowing Full Access so it can reach the transcription service. Our guide to enabling Full Access for an iPhone keyboard explains what that permission does. On privacy, our servers store only operational pings. No audio and no transcript content is stored. There is a free tier with daily limits, and Pro is $4.99 a month or $34.99 a year. On a Mac, the same app lives in your menu bar: hold a hotkey, speak, release, and the text appears at your cursor in Todoist or anywhere else.

Frequently asked questions

Why doesn't the keyboard appear in Todoist?

Nothing is being written yet. Opening a project or a view shows your tasks but does not start one. Tap the add button to open Quick Add, or open a task and tap its name or description, and the keyboard will appear with its mic.

Why did part of my dictated task disappear?

Todoist most likely read it as an instruction. Date words become the due date, a word after a hash sign becomes the project, and a word after an at sign becomes a label. Check the date, project and labels on the task, and watch for the highlight before you save next time.

Why did my dictation turn into two tasks?

Return in a task name saves the task, and saying "new line" while dictating does the same. Keep names to one short phrase and dictate longer text into the description.

Can I dictate due dates and priorities on purpose?

Yes. Say the task followed by the date, such as "tomorrow at 9am", and Todoist will pick it up if dictation writes it in a form Todoist recognises. Priorities are less reliable by voice, so setting them with the priority button is quicker.

Does this work the same way on iPad?

Yes. Todoist on iPad has the same Quick Add, date recognition and Return behaviour, so every fix here applies.

What to do next

Run the 30-second Notes test, then work through the fixes that match what you saw. For most people it is fix 1: a list was open, but no task was being written, so there was no keyboard and no mic. If your task came out different from what you said, it is fix 4 or fix 5, and if a task vanished, check fix 7 before dictating it again. And if you want dictation that works the same way in every app on your phone, try Voice Keyboard Pro's free tier on your next list.