When we use an Android smartphone we can automate certain daily and repetitive operations, obtaining the double advantage of saving battery and having the phone functions active when we really need it, based on the time and place where we are. For example, we can turn off the connection to the Internet, keep the brightness to a minimum and turn off the ringer during the night, and then restore everything to our awakening or to a preset time; or we can set the phone to vibrate when we arrive at the office (the GPS will detect our arrival), so as not to be disturbed during meetings or during work, and then restore all the sounds once we leave the office.
For this and more we will rely on the free Automate app, currently one of the best to be able to plan automated actions and behaviors on Android .
How to automate Android
First we download Automate on our smartphone, directly from the Play Store or using the link we have provided. This app works like a conceptual map: we will have to set each route manually, add blocks and create the right "links" based on a certain action or result, so we can get a function or another action. We can obviously give free rein to our imagination, but for this guide we will show you some simple automations that we can create and take advantage of right away.How to remove the ringtone and lower the brightness at night
If we want the phone not to disturb with its sounds and with the bright screen at night or at rest but to restore everything to our awakening, we open the Automate app, click on the + button at the top and start creating our map of actions.
The starting point is called Flow beginning, and from here we will start adding the various "bricks" or "blocks" to create our automated action. To start creating the flow, scroll from the left edge to open the menu of available actions, then search for and add Date & Time -> Time Window . A new block will be added to our map with one input ( IN ) and two outputs ( YES and NO ); first connect it to the initial block simply by dragging from OK to IN, then tap inside to configure the period in which we rest or sleep at night, entering the start time in the Time of day field and indicating the rest period in the field Duration . Press up on Done to return to the flow screen; now we must add the actions to be taken when we are in this time slot and when we are out of the indicated time slot (ie we are awake). Let's scroll the left edge again then add the blocks Ringer mode set, Audio stream mute set state and Screen brightness set (we can search for them with the search bar) both under the YES output and next to the NO output. Now we have to configure everything as follows:
- When we are in the indicated time window ( YES output) we set the ringtone and multimedia sounds to Silent and Mute and the screen brightness to 30% .
- When we are out of the time window ( NO output) we set the ringtone and multimedia sounds to Normal and Unmute and the screen brightness to 60% and Auto .
After configuring the various blocks, join them carefully, so that each action corresponds to the right reaction; we can connect the last two blocks directly to the IN input of the initial Time Window block, so that the automatism starts again after each time window (otherwise it would stop). To better understand the scheme, just see the photo we posted below.
Now all we have to do is click on the button in the shape of a tick to confirm, tap on to set a name of your choice and start the automation by pressing Start . From now on, every time we enter the indicated time slot, the phone will enter silent mode (multimedia sounds will also be reset) and will show a reduced screen brightness; as soon as we leave the time slot, the sounds and brightness will be restored.
NOTE : we can also add days of the week for the designated time slot ( Weekdays command in the flow Time Window ), so as to set different times for the working days and for the weekend.
How to set vibration in the workplace
To automatically set the phone to vibrate mode when we are at work, we create a new flow as seen above, then add the block Location at ">We connect all the actions as previously seen (do not forget to "close" the blocks to prevent the flow from stopping) then confirm the pattern, set a name at will and press Start . From now on, the ringtone will switch to vibrate mode every time we reach and remain at the workplace, while it will return to normal every time we leave work and move far enough away from the designated area (the GPS of our phone will be authentic, which will have to then stay on ).
How to turn off Wi-Fi when we leave home or from a specific place
With the same scheme of the previous flow, we can make sure that every time we leave the house or workplace, the Wi-Fi turns off, so as to save battery and surf using only the data connection.So let's create a new flow, add the block Location at? as seen above and immediately connect it to the starting block (by joining OK and IN ). We tap on it, select Pick location on map and enter the address or street of our home or place of work; once confirmed, we set a Radius of 400 meters then confirm at the top on Done .
Now we will have to add the Wi-Fi set state lock to both the YES and NO outputs, so that we can turn the Wi-Fi on and off automatically by configuring the added blocks, as shown below.
We connect all the blocks, confirm the flow, set a name at will and press Start to start the automated action. Now the smartphone will turn on Wi-Fi every time we stay at home, while it will turn it off when we are away from home to go out or go to work. Obviously we can create multiple automated Wi-Fi flows, setting different coordinates: in this way the wireless of the phone will turn on only where we know for sure that we have Wi-Fi coverage (at a friend's house, at work, in a public hotspot) leaving it off when we are around town or out of town.
How to get a "fast" refill
If we are in a hurry and want to get a refill as fast as possible "> We create a new flow and add the Power source plugged? Block, which we will have to connect immediately to the starting block by joining OK and IN . Now we press on the newly added block, we activate the voice AC Charger, we set as execution process Immediately and confirm at the top on Done .Now we will have to add action blocks to reduce energy consumption, so that recharging proceeds very quickly (especially on the latest generation smartphones); for this purpose we add the Wi-Fi set state, Bluetooth set state, Account Sync set state and Screen brightness set blocks, to be positioned both under the YES and NO outputs.
We set both blocks to activate the energy saving mode when we connect the charger and manually start the flow, and repeat the steps to reactivate all the connections when we disconnect it, exactly as visible below.
We save the flow and choose a simple name, so that we can create after a widget suitable for the purpose (we do not press Start since it is not necessary to start it immediately).
The most attentive will have noticed that the last block of the NO sequence is not connected to the initial block: this is desired, so that the flow stops once the rapid recharge is obtained and does not remain on even when we load "normally".
In order to activate this flow, we open the widgets of our Android smartphone and add Automate flow, taking care to select the one just created and to add a characteristic icon (for example the lightning bolt).
If we press on this widget when the phone is charging, all superfluous connections will be turned off and the brightness will be reduced, so that we can recharge our smartphone quickly. When the phone is removed from the charger, all connections will be restarted and the flow stopped, so as not to interfere with future charging processes (always if we do not need a new quick charge).
Conclusions
Automate is one of the most powerful tools that we can install on our Android smartphone to automate some daily operations, so as to save time to devote to other things. In this guide we have shown you how to configure some of the most useful and simple flows, but the only real limit is the fantasy.In addition to Automate there are several apps to activate automatic actions on Android, among which we can also find IFTTT, one of the best to remotely control the home automation devices of Google Home and Amazon Alexa.
