6 Android phone features that boost productivity
Q. What are some features on my Android phone that can make my experience better?
A. Here are six features on my phone that help me with productivity and support better work/life balance.
For this walk-through, I am using a Google Pixel 6 Pro with the Android 15 version of the OS. Android is an operating system (OS) released by Google. Its core programming is open source, meaning that phone manufacturers like Samsung and OnePlus can take the Android OS and customize it for the devices they manufacture.
Other phone manufacturers may have put some of these features in other menus. You can search apps and settings on both Apple iPhones and Samsung devices.
Shortcut camera access
Let’s start with a simple but helpful tip. To quickly access your camera to, for example, take a picture of a restaurant receipt, double-press the power button to switch into the Camera app. Then press the Volume Down button to take a photo. This is great for one-handed use. Some phone models might need this turned on by going to Settings > System > Gestures > Quickly open camera.
Set up Bedtime Mode
Adequate sleep is a crucial component of maximizing productivity. Bedtime Mode is a great feature to help me disconnect in the evening. Bedtime Mode will silence my phone, dim the background wallpaper, and allow only alarms and important calls to reach me.
To set up bedtime mode, I go into my phone’s Settings > Digital Wellbeing and Parental Controls > Bedtime Mode. I swipe up to get to the bedtime routine section and open it. I tap on “Use a Schedule” and set my start time, end time, and days of the week. After setting my times, I can customize who can still contact me while in bedtime mode by tapping on “Customize in Modes” and selecting “People.” I can then choose who can bypass bedtime mode. I like to select “Starred Contacts” for both “Messages” and “Calls” to allow communications from family and close friends to get through to me at night. You can see the full setup of Bedtime Mode in steps 1-3 in the screenshots below.
Connect Google messages to a browser
Text messages are the most common form of communication, but not just for friends and family. They are the main source for those six-digit codes to log in to websites and apps. I can use an internet browser, such as Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge, to access my text message app from my phone, making it easier to copy and paste those codes. Additionally, I find it more convenient, if I am already at my computer, to send messages using a full keyboard instead of typing on my phone.
To access my messages, I go to Android’s Google Messages page, then select “Messages for Web” and find the QR code. On my phone, I go to Messages, tap my profile icon in the top-right corner, and tap “Device Pairing,” as shown in the screenshot below.
Once there, I tap “Switch to QR Pairing” and scan the QR code in the internet browser. This QR code process is needed only if you are not logged in to your Google account on the internet browser. If you are already logged in to your Google account, then the Google Messages page (shown screenshot below) will automatically connect to your messages.
Pin text messages
Another good text message trick is to pin messages at the top of your text list. I like to pin messages with the people I text with most frequently. To pin a text message, press and hold on a text message, then tap the Pin icon, as shown below.
Control access with App Pin
App Pin allows you to lock your phone screen to a single app, preventing the phone from changing to another app until you unpin it. A scheduling app, e-signature app, or a point-of-sale app, for example, could be pinned to prevent the device from being used for anything other than that specific app.
When might you use this? If you have clients who come in to sign their tax returns on an office smartphone, you would want to lock the device to the signing app so the client can’t accidently (or intentionally) go into other apps on the device.
To turn on App Pin, first we need to enable it. Go to Settings > Security and privacy. Go to the bottom to More security & privacy, and then to the bottom again to App pinning. Turn on Use app pinning.
To pin an app, I open the app I want pinned. Then I swipe up from the bottom of the home screen to open a carousel of apps. Tap on the icon for the app and select Pin, as shown below. To unlock the App Pin, I swipe up and hold. This takes me to the lock screen where I can unlock the phone as usual.
Set Do Not Disturb for a specific time period
Do Not Disturb is a well-known function. I activate it when I want to have some time to focus on work or I want to decompress and watch a movie. Unfortunately, I sometimes forget to turn it back on.
To avoid this, I like to set the Do Not Disturb for a limited number of hours. I can, for example, use the feature to set it for two hours during the movie. To set Do Not Disturb, while on the home screen, I swipe down twice. I tap on Mode (shown in first screenshot below) to bring up the Do Not Disturb options (shown in second screenshot below) and then tap on Do Not Disturb, set the number of hours, and tap Turn On. Now all notifications will be silenced until the timer runs out.
These settings have made using my phone more manageable with all the various notifications and functions associated with my business, helping me balance more efficient work with more restful downtime.
About the author
Wesley Hartman is the founder of Automata Practice Development.
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