One of Android 11’s most helpful additions is the brand new connected-device command middle that comes up everytime you press and maintain your telephone’s energy button. Have you seen that factor but? By default, it has controls for good lights and different linked devices related together with your telephone and/or Google account — however with a teensy little bit of tinkering, you’ll be able to really develop it to incorporate controls for nearly something your curiously moist mind can cook dinner up.Maybe you need to add in a less complicated shortcut for activating Android’s now-rather-buried split-screen operate, as an example. Maybe you need to implement a one-tap hyperlink to a selected part of your system settings. Or possibly you need to create a time-saving tile which you can faucet to compose a selected prewritten electronic mail or textual content message for on-the-fly sending — a thanks for a gathering with a shopper, maybe, or an “on my way” replace to ship to a colleague or vital different (possibly even together with your location hooked up!). The choices are virtually infinite.Best of all? It’s really fairly simple to do — at the least, after getting the suitable device and know find out how to use it.Part I: Creating your new Android 11 energy menu instructionsLet’s not beat across the bush: The device in query is a traditional Android power-user app known as Tasker. Now, truthful warning: Tasker does tons of various stuff, and it may be greater than a bit overwhelming to wrap your head round and navigate.This particular little bit of customization is comparatively easy, although, particularly if you happen to observe this step-by-step information.So right here we go:Install Tasker onto your favourite Android telephone — a step that I hope is apparent, however hey, we can’t skip over something!
Open up the app and faucet the Tasks tab alongside its prime.
Tap the round plus icon within the lower-right nook of the display, then sort in a title for no matter type of command you need to add. This is what’ll present up inside the button as soon as we’re all completed. (And do not feel any stress to provide you with one thing good proper now, by the way in which. You can at all times simply sort in some random placeholder textual content — even simply gibberish, if you happen to’re feeling particularly saucy — after which return and alter it to one thing else later.)
Tap the round plus icon within the lower-right nook of the display that comes up subsequent, then look by way of the obtainable actions to seek out the command you need.
Let’s pause to contemplate some particular examples — the exact same potentialities we talked a few minute in the past, the truth is:If you need to create a less complicated option to toggle Android’s split-screen command on and off, choose the “App” class of choices after which faucet “Toggle Split Screen.”
If you need to create a direct shortcut to a selected space of your system settings, choose the “Settings” class of choices adopted by no matter particular settings part you need — “Accessibility Settings,” “Notification Settings,” “Wireless Settings,” even “Developer Settings,” if you happen to’re wild sufficient to have that enabled. Then, an additional step you would not notice you wanted: Tap the round plus icon once more, faucet “Input,” after which faucet “Back Button.” That’ll add in a secondary motion that’ll make this explicit operate work correctly.
If you need to create a one-tap button that’ll allow you to compose a brand new textual content message that claims “On my way!” and consists of your present location coordinates, which you can then ship to anybody you need on demand, faucet “Phone” adopted by “Compose SMS” after which sort On my approach! %LOC into the “Message” area. (You can change that textual content to no matter you need, in fact — “Hear ye, hear ye, I am on my way”; “Hey, on my way, OK? Yay!”; “On me way, maties! Arr!”; and many others.)
If you need to create a one-tap button that’ll allow you to hearth off a prewritten electronic mail to anybody you choose, faucet “Net” adopted by “Compose Email” after which sort no matter your foolish little coronary heart needs into the “Subject” and “Message” fields.
JR Whatever motion or actions you choose, as soon as you have received every thing set on that entrance, all that is left is to faucet the again arrow icon within the upper-left nook of the display twice to again your self out to the primary Tasker menu and ensure every thing’s saved.And now we’re prepared to maneuver into the precise Android energy menu to seek out your freshly made, aromatic creations and add ’em into the correct place.Part II: Adding your new instructions into the Android 11 energy menuTake a deep breath, my deary: We’re nearly finished. (Also, respiration is only a good factor to do once in a while.)With all that prep work behind us, it is time to head into that potential-packed Android 11 energy menu to convey these shiny new infants of yours into their cozy new dwelling. This might be second to say, as a reminder, that this may work provided that you are utilizing a telephone that is operating Android 11 (once more, I’d prefer to hope that is apparent, however — properly, y’know) and in addition a telephone the place the producer did not omit the superb new connected-device command middle totally in a transfer designed to emphasise its personal money-making companies at the price of your person expertise (hello, Samsung-owning friends!).Capisce? Capisce. All proper — this is all that is left:Press and maintain your telephone’s energy button for a few seconds. Whisper “Go, go, gadget menu!” to make your self really feel further cool, if that is your factor.
When you see that spiffy new command middle come up, faucet the three-dot menu icon in its upper-right nook.
Select “Add controls,” then choose “See other apps” adopted by “Tasker.”
You ought to then have the ability to choose any or the entire customized instructions you created:JR And when you hit the Save button, they’re going to be there and able to use.JR From that time ahead, you’ll be able to toggle between your customized Tasker instructions and the usual Android connected-device controls by tapping the downward-facing arrow subsequent to the phrase “Tasker.”JR Not unhealthy, proper?A couple of fancy footnotes earlier than we name it a day: Tasker prices $3.50 to make use of. And so far as privateness and permissions go, the app does invariably require entry to sure areas of your system and knowledge, with the specifics various based mostly on what precisely you are asking it do — nevertheless it would not transmit any of your data wherever or do something in any respect regarding, as its privateness coverage makes abundantly clear. It’s additionally about as trusted, well-established, and respected because it will get. Long story brief, there isn’t any motive to worry about utilizing this.Oh, and another factor: If you need to take issues a step additional, I’ve received some ideas for optimizing that energy menu and reducing out a few of its default litter on this assortment of advisable Android 11 changes.Just attempt to not make your iPhone-owning buddies too jealous, okay? They’re nonetheless feelin’ fairly good about their newfound magical and revolutionary dwelling display customization powers (a risk that was completely underwhelming and pointless up till this previous summer time, in fact), and hey — what they do not know what damage ’em.Want much more Googley information? Sign up for my weekly e-newsletter to get next-level ideas and perception delivered on to your inbox.[Android Intelligence videos at Computerworld]
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