Productivity · US iPhone listing

ASO Audit:Microsoft To Do

Does their ASO suck?

My take: Getting there. Keep going.

Microsoft To Do has a straightforward proposition: capture tasks and remember what matters. Its opening artwork spreads a daily list across two frames, then uses a device illustration to suggest access elsewhere. The content is relevant; the opportunity is to make the first useful workflow easier to see at store size.

Microsoft To Do first iPhone screenshot with a daily-planner headline and a cropped, tilted My Day task list.

Actual listing creative · App Store source ↗

What I actually checked

One storefront, one language and a dated capture. This is an independent editorial audit, not a client case study.

Store & market
Apple App Store · United States
Language & device
en-US · iPhone
Captured
30 September 2026
Creative reviewed
First 3 still screenshots; video and other devices excluded
Observed app name · 15/30 characters

Microsoft To Do

Observed subtitle · 29/30 characters

Capture Tasks & Set Reminders

Open the source listing ↗. Public text cannot reveal the private keyword field, search volumes, rankings or conversion rates. The recommendations below are proposals to validate.

Three things worth your attention

01

The first pair is one composition.

What I saw. The opening shows part of My Day; the second continues the tilted list and surrounding icons.

My read. The pair communicates a daily planner, but individual task text is cropped and the continuation has no independent explanatory headline.

What I’d do. Keep both original panels together as control and build a complete alternative pair rather than reordering fragments.

02

The visible list mixes useful everyday contexts.

What I saw. The opening contains work, home, groceries and message-related entries.

My read. This makes the product feel broader than an office-only task system. It does not explain how a task moves from capture into today’s priorities.

What I’d do. Show one realistic capture-and-selection example using the current mobile interface.

03

Cross-device access is suggested, not demonstrated.

What I saw. The third frame shows a laptop and phone illustration under a location-independent message.

My read. The concept is easy to understand, but an illustration cannot prove sync timing, account compatibility or offline behaviour.

What I’d do. Verify the current cross-device journey before presenting the same task on two devices as proof.

The screenshot teardown

The original creative is preserved. Numbered notes sit beside each frame so observations and recommendations stay separate.

Frame 01Microsoft To Do first iPhone screenshot with a daily-planner headline and a cropped, tilted My Day task list.

The list mixes several personal and work-related tasks, including a completed item.

The daily-planning job is recognisable, but the crop hides parts of the task text and how entries were chosen.

Test idea: Propose a current, readable day-plan screen connected to an actual capture step.

Original image source ↗
Frame 02Microsoft To Do second screenshot continuing the tilted list with stars, people icons and decorative task symbols.

The image completes the opening composition rather than presenting a standalone workflow.

Using it as the first screenshot would lose the headline and context; the pair should be assessed as one unit.

Test idea: Keep the original pair intact and compare it with a complete two-frame narrative.

Original image source ↗
Frame 03Microsoft To Do third screenshot with laptop and phone illustrations suggesting access from different places.

Two device types accompany a broad availability message.

The benefit is understandable but there is no specific task shown continuing between actual interfaces.

Test idea: Verify account and sync behaviour, then consider an authentic same-task demonstration.

Original image source ↗
Figure 1. First three still screenshots from the US iPhone listing, captured 30 September 2026. Creative belongs to the app publisher and is reproduced for analysis. Publisher claims inside screenshots are not independently verified.

Three alternatives—and what they make clearer

Observed competitor metadata

Todoist: To Do List & Calendar ↗

Task manager & Reminders

Todoist explicitly combines a to-do list, calendar, task management and reminders.

The lesson: A dense feature list is not automatically clearer. Microsoft To Do can show the daily capture-and-prioritise job concretely.

Observed competitor metadata

TickTick:To-Do List & Calendar ↗

Task remind, planner,countdown

TickTick combines lists and calendars with planner and countdown language.

The lesson: This signals several planning methods. Distinguish what To Do actually supports instead of copying calendar expectations into its copy.

Observed competitor metadata

Any.do: To do list & Planner ↗

Reminders, Calendar & Tasks

Any.do names lists, planning, reminders, calendars and tasks.

The lesson: The category vocabulary is crowded. A short real workflow can differentiate the experience more credibly than another broad productivity promise.

Figure 2. US listing names and subtitles captured 30 September 2026. These are positioning comparisons, not ranking or revenue comparisons.

The keyword questions I’d investigate

Intent candidates grounded in the listing—not fabricated search-volume or difficulty scores.

to do list / task reminders

Visitor’s job: Capture something to do and remember it later.

Evidence: The subtitle names task capture and reminders; the opening shows a task list.

Decision: Verify the current capture and reminder steps before claiming a specific input method or automatic scheduling capability.

daily planner / daily priorities

Visitor’s job: Choose a manageable set of tasks for today.

Evidence: The opening centres on My Day and mixes tasks from several contexts.

Decision: Research how newcomers distinguish a daily list from a calendar or time-blocking planner.

shared list / cross-device tasks

Visitor’s job: Use tasks across people or devices.

Evidence: People icons appear in the opening pair and the third frame depicts a laptop and phone.

Decision: Treat these as capabilities to verify in the current product, not proof of unrestricted sharing, instant sync or offline parity.

The unseen keyword field may already cover some of these terms. Build an evidence-backed keyword shortlist before making a metadata change.

What I’d put on the table

Proposed copy for discussion. These are not current listing fields or tested winners.

Observed listing

Microsoft To Do

Capture Tasks & Set Reminders

Proposed alternative

Microsoft To Do

Plan your day. Remember tasks.

Name 15/30 · Subtitle 30/30 characters
Figure 3. A metadata alternative to review against the current listing.

Keep the Microsoft identity and connect day planning to remembering tasks. The proposed copy mirrors the visible daily list without promising calendar functions or a particular integration.

The tradeoff: The current subtitle explicitly names task capture and setting reminders. The alternative is more outcome-oriented but less literal about those features, so test comprehension and query relevance before adopting it.

A three-frame creative brief

  1. Proposed frame 01

    Get the task out of your head

    Show: A verified current mobile task-entry screen with one fictional everyday example.

    Make the first action obvious rather than relying on an already-populated list.

  2. Proposed frame 02

    Choose what matters today

    Show: The same task appearing in a verified My Day workflow, with readable surrounding context.

    Connect capture to a day plan without implying automatic prioritisation that has not been verified.

  3. Proposed frame 03

    Pick it up on another device

    Show: Authentic current interfaces showing that same task under the required account setup.

    Demonstrate continuation only after testing the actual sync and access conditions.

Figure 4. A proposed storyboard, not a fabricated screenshot or a launched treatment. Validate features and access before production.

What three reviewers can teach us

The selected accounts span 2019–2024 and focus on capture, cross-device use and list organisation. They are historical motivation and comprehension leads. They do not demonstrate current feature availability, sync reliability or measured productivity gains.

Sample: 3 selected accounts from 8 displayed reviews. Dates: 16 October 2019–13 July 2024. No sentiment percentage is calculated.

27 May 2021 · 5/5 stars

“thoughts organized”

A May 2021 reviewer described capturing many kinds of tasks and using a personal emoji organisation method.

What I’d investigate: Use the capture motivation as a research lead; the reviewer’s custom system and productivity claims are not built-in feature guarantees.

Listing review source · Review ID 7395266649

16 October 2019 · 5/5 stars

“multiple platforms”

An October 2019 reviewer valued cross-platform use and also requested features and reported a date issue.

What I’d investigate: Verify present behaviour independently. Historical requests and claims about sync do not establish today’s capabilities or defects.

Listing review source · Review ID 4955705698

13 July 2024 · 3/5 stars

“sort options”

A July 2024 reviewer wanted more control over sorting important items across grocery lists.

What I’d investigate: Investigate current list-organisation expectations without treating the old feature request as proof of a present limitation.

Listing review source · Review ID 11486456231

A displayed review can be old, unusually positive or internally inconsistent with its star rating. These accounts suggest questions; they do not establish current defects or typical customer experience. Use the Review Research Desk to keep evidence and interpretation separate.

What I’d do first

01

Verify capture through My Day

The current artwork begins with the result, not the action that produces it.

Deliverable: A current mobile walkthrough from entering a task to selecting it for the day.

Product verification
02

Replace the pair as a unit

The second image is a continuation, not an independent starting point.

Deliverable: A two-frame capture-and-day-plan alternative with readable task text.

Focused creative production
03

Make cross-device proof concrete

The current third frame relies on illustration.

Deliverable: A checked same-task continuation example with documented account and sync requirements.

Product and creative review

One test worth running

Does a capture-to-My-Day opening pair improve conversion compared with the current panoramic daily-list pair?

Audience
Eligible US English iPhone default-page visitors, interpreted alongside work, personal and existing Microsoft-account intentions.
Control
The complete existing first-two-frame composition, with the device illustration and all later frames unchanged.
Treatment
Replace the opening pair with verified task-entry and My Day screens showing one connected example; keep metadata, access messages and later creative fixed.
Method
Check workflow accuracy and newcomer comprehension, then use eligible App Store product page optimization. This compares complete two-frame narratives, not a single typography or crop adjustment.
Primary measure
Platform-reported download conversion for eligible randomized traffic.
Guardrails
In separate research check that people do not infer a calendar, automatic prioritisation or unrestricted collaboration beyond the verified product.
Decision rule
Define a meaningful effect and sample plan from actual baseline traffic. Retain control if inconclusive; downloads do not establish completed tasks, daily retention or productivity improvement.
What could muddy the result
Microsoft ecosystem campaigns, work-versus-personal acquisition, app feature changes and the share of existing-account users can affect interpretation.

Check Apple’s current product page optimization guidance and custom product page guidance before configuring a test. Write your experiment brief.

So, does their ASO suck?

Getting there. The listing shows a recognisable daily task list and keeps a calm visual style. However, the second still mainly completes the opening composition, and the cross-device frame is an illustration rather than a demonstrated continuation of a task. A complete capture-to-day-plan story could use the same space more effectively.

  1. Level 1

    Yeah. It really does!

    The basics need a serious rethink.

  2. Level 2

    I hope no agency is getting paid for this.

    Too many obvious things have been left unfinished.

  3. Level 3

    The app deserves better.

    There is a useful product here. The listing needs to show it.

  4. Level 4

    Fine. If ‘fine’ is the goal.

    The essentials are there, but there is little to get excited about.

  5. Level 5Microsoft To Do is here

    Getting there. Keep going.

    Good ideas, with a few important gaps still to close.

  6. Level 6

    Solid. Put the pitchfork down.

    A strong foundation. Look for specific improvements, not a complete restart.

  7. Level 7

    Whoever did this knows their stuff.

    Clear positioning, thoughtful choices and very few loose ends.

  8. Level 8

    Okay, now you’re showing off.

    An unusually clear, convincing storefront worth learning from.

An editorial verdict on the captured storefront, not a measured ASO score or an assessment of an agency’s private work.

Your ASO assignment

  1. Document how a new task reaches the daily plan in your actual mobile product.
  2. Keep connected screenshot artwork intact when constructing a control.
  3. Verify same-task continuation before replacing device illustrations with a cross-device promise.

What would change my mind?

Sources and scope

No private analytics, search-rank dataset or internal keyword field was supplied. Review quotations are short excerpts; explanations are our summaries. App names and screenshots belong to their respective owners. We are not affiliated with Microsoft To Do. Read our editorial methodology.

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