Popular to-do list application Todoist is revolutionizing task management with the launch of Todoist Ramble, a new AI-powered feature that allows users to add tasks to their lists simply by speaking naturally. This innovative "voice-to-tasks" functionality, now publicly available, transforms unstructured speech into organized action items, complete with deadlines, priorities, and assignees.
How Todoist Ramble Works
True to its name, Ramble excels at converting casual, meandering speech into structured tasks. Users can simply tap the Ramble icon and speak their thoughts, and the app's AI intelligently parses the conversation, extracting crucial details such as project deadlines, task priorities, estimated durations, and even assigned team members. For instance, users can say, "Actually, make that Thursday" or "that's all," and the AI will respond to these edits and clarifications in real-time as they speak.
This feature addresses the common challenge of jotting down notes or creating reminders while on the go. While users still need their phone, Ramble eliminates the need for typing, streamlining the task creation process.
Under the Hood: AI Technology
At its core, Ramble is built on advanced large language models (LLMs) and is part of Todoist's broader suite of AI features, known as Todoist Assist. This system leverages Google's Gemini 2.5 Flash Live model via Vertex AI, enabling real-time speech understanding. As audio streams to the backend, the model transcribes the speech, identifies key task components, dates, and other relevant information, then generates the structured tasks.
Privacy and Security Assurances
Addressing privacy concerns, Doist, the company behind Todoist, confirms that user audio is neither stored nor utilized for AI training. The app is also SOC2 Type II certified, underscoring its commitment to data security and user trust.
Ramble in the Broader AI Landscape
Todoist Ramble enters a growing market of AI-powered devices and features focused on transcribing speech into actionable insights. This trend is evident in various hardware innovations, including Amazon's Bee wearable, which generates notes and suggested to-dos, and devices from Plaud, designed for meeting notes and highlight extraction. The rise of AI-powered smart rings, such as the Stream ring from Sandbar and Pebble's upcoming Index 01, further illustrates this shift towards seamless voice-activated productivity tools.
Beta Testing and Impact
Prior to its public debut, Ramble underwent extensive beta testing with approximately 150,000 Todoist Experimental users. Within the first three weeks, around 76,000 testers completed nearly 290,000 Ramble sessions across desktop and mobile platforms. The feature then moved into public beta in November.
Doist reports significant improvements, with task creation success rates rising from roughly 40% in October to about 62% by December. Furthermore, Ramble has proven to be a driver for upgrades, with new users on entry-level plans converting to paid subscriptions at a rate five times higher than before.
Availability and Access
Todoist Ramble is now accessible to all users across iOS, Android, desktop, and web, supporting 38 languages. While beginner plan users can access the feature with a limited number of sessions per month, Pro and Business paid plans offer unlimited usage. For enhanced convenience, the feature can be quickly accessed via Home Screen or Lock Screen shortcuts on iOS, and through app shortcuts, widgets, and quick settings tiles on Android.
