Turn your smartphone into a personal assistant with shortcuts
What's the story
Automating tasks on your smartphone can save you time and boost your productivity.
With simple shortcuts, you can streamline day-to-day activities, cut down on repetitive actions, and improve your overall smartphone experience.
Here, we delve into practical ways to automate tasks using built-in features and third-party apps on most smartphones.
Be it managing notifications or organizing your schedule, these tips will show you how.
Custom shortcuts
Create custom shortcuts for frequent actions
Creating custom shortcuts for frequently used actions can speed up your workflow significantly.
Most smartphones nowadays allow users to set up shortcuts for tasks like sending messages, opening certain apps, or adjusting settings.
By heading over to the shortcut settings in your phone's menu, you can tailor these actions to your liking.
This feature comes particularly handy for those who perform certain tasks multiple times a day.
Voice commands
Use voice commands for hands-free control
Voice commands provide a hands-free option to control a number of functions on your smartphone.
By triggering voice assistants like Siri or Google Assistant, you'd be able to make calls, set reminders, or search the web without even touching your device.
This is particularly useful when you're driving or busy doing something else at home.
Workflow apps
Automate routine tasks with workflow apps
Workflow apps serve the purpose of automating routine tasks by chaining multiple actions into a single command.
These apps enable you to create workflows that perform several steps automatically, once triggered.
For instance, one could configure a workflow that turns off Wi-Fi and puts the phone on silent when entering a meeting place.
Such automation eases the management of daily routines.
Do not disturb scheduling
Schedule Do Not Disturb mode during specific hours
Scheduling the Do Not Disturb mode at specific hours guarantees that you won't be interrupted at important times like during meetings or sleep hours.
Most smartphones provide this option in their settings menu, where users can define start and end times for this mode every day of the week.
This way, you can avoid unwanted distractions without having to turn it on/off every time.
Location-based reminders
Set location-based reminders for timely alerts
Location-based reminders offer timely alerts based on where you are, not just when.
Leveraging GPS technology on smartphones, you can get reminders when you arrive/leave from a certain place.
For instance, you can remind yourself to pick groceries when near a store, or tell family members that you're back home after work, automatically, through pre-set triggers in reminder apps available across platforms today.