Worth Knowing: How to Make your Smartphone Work Harder
Your smartphone can be working a lot harder for you, even without the use of AI. With a few built-in tools and inexpensive NFC tags, it can react to where you are, what it connects to and even what you tap.
Automations can start timers, change settings, open apps or remind you about something at exactly the right place. Once configured in your phone’s Shortcuts or Routines app, many of these actions happen automatically, turning everyday routines around the house, in the car and on the go into fewer steps each day.
Turn Everyday Objects Into Shortcuts
A Near Field Communication (NFC) tag is a small sticker containing a chip your phone can recognize when held nearby. Pair one with an automation and an ordinary object can become a shortcut. Place a tag on the washer to start a laundry timer, beside the bed to activate a nighttime routine, at your desk to open work apps, or in the kitchen to pull up your grocery list.
Let Your Phone React Automatically
Your phone can also respond to other things. Automations use a trigger to start an action when something happens. An iPhone Shortcut, for example, can run when the phone connects to Bluetooth, joins Wi-Fi, begins charging, reaches a certain battery level or arrives at a location. Samsung Galaxy phones offer similar options through Modes and Routines. Set the trigger once, and repetitive tasks can happen with little daily effort.
Put Reminders in the Right Place
Time-based reminders are useful, but sometimes the place matters more than the clock. Location-based reminders can alert you when you arrive somewhere or leave a location. Instead of guessing when you might be near the store, set it to text your family for their shopping requests when you arrive there. On iPhone, Reminders and Shortcuts support location triggers; options on Android vary by device and app. They can turn easy-to-forget errands into useful, perfectly timed prompts.
Start Simple
Before buying NFC tags, check that your phone supports NFC and decide what you want each tag to do. Packs of 20 tags are available on Amazon for around $7. On iPhone, NFC can be used as a trigger inside Shortcuts automations on supported models. Samsung users can build routines through Modes and Routines, while options vary on other Android phones. The same NFC tag can be set to trigger different automations on different devices. Start with one simple task, test it several times, then add more tags once the routine feels useful and reliable.
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