How to indent or outdent a Google Tasks subtask on iPhone

Short answer

Yes. On iPhone you can nest a Google Tasks item under a parent (indent) and promote a nested item back to the top level (outdent). Google’s documented path is to open the parent and use Add subtasks. Many builds also let you nest or unnest by dragging when the list is sorted in your manual order.

Those parent and child relationships sync with Google Tasks, so the same nesting can show in Gmail’s Tasks panel and in Google Calendar’s Tasks view. This guide is the how-to. For the broader overview, see Does Google Tasks support subtasks on iPhone?.

Add a new subtask under a parent

When the step does not exist yet, start from the parent:

1. Open the Google Tasks app and open the list that holds the parent task.
2. Tap the parent task to open its details.
3. Tap Add subtasks (wording can vary slightly by app version).
4. Type the step title, add optional notes or a date if needed, then save and go back.

Google documents Add subtasks in its add or edit a task help for iPhone and iPad. The new row appears indented under the parent on that same list. Prefer short action titles and put context in notes so the checklist stays scannable.

Indent an existing task

If the step already sits at the top level:

1. Set the list sort to your manual order if a sort control is available (often My order). Drag nesting needs a free order, not a due-date sort.
2. Touch and hold the task you want to nest.
3. Drag it directly under the intended parent.
4. Nudge it slightly to the right until it nests, then release.

If it will not indent, check that the parent is not repeating (Google does not allow subtasks on repeating tasks), that both items are on the same list, and that sort is not locking order. When drag nesting fails, open the parent, use Add subtasks, then delete or complete the old top-level duplicate.

Outdent a subtask

To promote a nested step:

1. Keep the list in manual order.
2. Touch and hold the subtask.
3. Drag it left (or to the top-level margin above or below the parent) until it sits as a normal task, then release.

On a computer, Google Workspace help also documents Unindent and keyboard shortcuts (Command+ on Mac, Ctrl+[ on Windows) in the Tasks side panel. That web path helps when the phone gesture feels finicky. Outdenting does not change lists; use the list name on task details for that. See [How to move a Google Tasks task to another list on iPhone.

Limits that make indent feel broken

• Repeating tasks and subtasks do not mix. Clear repeat, or keep the checklist flat.
• Subtasks stay on the parent’s list. Nesting is not a cross-list link.
• Deep trees get cramped on a phone. Two levels is usually the practical ceiling.
• Notes are not subtasks. Use notes for context; use nesting when each step needs its own completion state.

When a native checklist client helps

Stock Google Tasks can nest steps. The friction is discovery and density: Indent is rarely labeled, drag targets are small, and one-list browsing makes multi-step work harder to review.

Stay with Google’s app if you only nest a few grocery or prep lines. If you break work into checklists every day and still want Gmail and Calendar as the system of record, a native client can keep the same Google Tasks data with a clearer iPhone checklist. ETasks syncs lists, tasks, and subtasks two ways with Google Tasks, and adds planner views plus the alarms and widgets the stock app skips. That is an Apple-side shell, not a second task database.

For a wider map of stock Tasks versus Reminders and ETasks, see the feature comparison.

Quick answers

How do I indent a task in Google Tasks on iPhone? Open the parent and use Add subtasks for a new step, or drag an existing task under the parent and slightly right while the list is in manual order.

How do I outdent a Google Tasks subtask? Drag the nested row left in manual order. On web Tasks you can also use Unindent or the indent keyboard shortcuts.

Why won’t Google Tasks let me add a subtask? Common blockers are a repeating parent, the wrong list, or a sort mode that prevents free reordering.

Do indented subtasks sync to Gmail and Calendar? Yes. Nesting is part of Google Tasks data, so it can appear wherever that account’s Tasks show up.