Getting Started with Android Automation using Tasker

Part 1: Tasks and Profiles

One advantage of the Android mobile operating system is its wide set of customization and automation options. If you don’t quite love the appearance and behaviour of your phone’s native launcher, for example, there are dozens of worthy alternatives in the Play store you can try. I use Nova Launcher myself. (A launcher is part of a phone’s user interface: the appearance and layout of the home screen, lock screen, app drawer, app icons and widgets, button and gesture shortcuts, and so forth.)

Android allows more flexibility and options for automation than iOS, with third-party apps such as Tasker and MacroDroid, mobile IDEs such as QPython, and services such as IFTTT allowing users to automate many features of their phones, homes, and work environments. I purchased Tasker years ago and it remains possibly the best money I’ve spent on an Android app.

There is a learning curve to using Tasker. The sheer number of options can be overwhelming, and a beginning user may not fully appreciate the difference (say) between a phone call event and a phone ringing state. Putting a bit of effort into learning to use the app really does pay off, however, and can make the powerful computers we carry around in our pockets even more amazing.