Tech Advisory

11 Android Quick Settings shortcuts that save time

The average Android user swipes down their notification shade dozens of times a day, often just to toggle Wi-Fi or adjust brightness. However, treating this space as a simple switchboard is a missed opportunity. In this article, you’ll discover the most practical hidden shortcuts you can add to your Quick Settings panel for faster access to everyday tools.
Think of your Android device’s Quick Settings panel as your personal command center. While Google offers the basics, the real power comes from adding tiles that extend your phone’s capabilities. With the right setup, you can launch actions, access information, and reduce screen-hopping with a single tap.

To customize your Quick Settings panel, swipe down twice and tap the pencil icon. Then, add any of these 11 tiles to elevate your phone into a practical, efficient workspace.

Tile 1. Keep the screen awake with Wakey

We’ve all experienced our phone screens dimming for no apparent reason. Constantly tapping the screen breaks your concentration, but changing your display settings for a temporary task is just a hassle.

This is what the app Wakey is for. It adds a simple lightbulb tile to your Quick Settings panel — tap it once, and your screen stays on until you tap it again. It’s the perfect, on-demand way to override your phone’s sleep timer without digging through system menus.

Tile 2. Stay on top of your schedule with CalenTile

Opening your full calendar app just to see what’s coming up next can be an unnecessary hassle.

Luckily, CalenTile offers a smarter way to keep track of your schedule. It displays your upcoming event directly in the Quick Settings panel, eliminating the need for extra steps. It also offers scrolling text for long titles, and tapping it opens a customized panel where you can add or edit events ?

Tile 3. Add tasks instantly with your to-do app

Productivity systems often fail when there’s too much friction involved in capturing an idea. If you have to unlock your phone, find your to-do app, and hit a plus button, you lose valuable time — and potentially the idea itself.

Thankfully, both Todoist and Microsoft To Do offer dedicated Quick Settings tiles. Add one to your active tray, and with a single tap, you can instantly open a New Task input field, ready to capture your thoughts on the spot.

Tile 4. Check the weather easily with Chronus

Chronus lets you access lets you access real-time weather updates without ever leaving your current screen. Known for its sleek home screen widgets, Chronus also features a powerful Quick Settings tile that puts real-time temperature and weather updates right at your fingertips. Simply swipe down to see the current conditions displayed directly on the tile’s icon.

Tile 5. Perform quick calculations with Google Calculator

Whether you’re splitting a bill, measuring dimensions, or budgeting on the fly, you never know when you need to do a quick calculation.

The native Google Calculator has you covered. Many users don’t realize that if the app is installed, a hidden Quick Settings tile sits in the “inactive” portion of your editor menu. Simply drag it to the active area, and you’ll have instant access to a calculator, no matter what screen you’re on.

Tile 6. Open your storage instantly with Google Files

Navigating to the Downloads folder is notoriously tedious on mobile devices. The good news is that Google’s file manager includes a dormant Storage tile. Activating this provides a shortcut to your internal storage, making it easier to clean up space or locate a downloaded PDF in seconds.

Tile 7. Record audio immediately with Recorder

For Google Pixel users, the Recorder app’s ability to transcribe audio is an impressive feature. But capturing a spontaneous moment requires speed.

Buried in the editing menu of Pixel phones is a shortcut to Google’s Recorder app. Adding it to your Quick Settings tray turns your phone into an instant dictaphone, allowing you to start recording a meeting, lecture, or sudden burst of inspiration without delay.

Tile 8. Improve readability with Reading Mode

Browsing the web can often be frustrating, with ads, pop-ups, and messy typography detracting from the reading experience. You can cut through the clutter with the Google-developed tool, Reading Mode. With a simple tap on the Quick Settings tile while viewing an article, Reading Mode transforms the page into a clean, high-contrast format for effortless readability. It also features text-to-speech functionality, turning any article into an audio format so you can listen and multitask with ease.

Tile 9. Instantly identify songs with Song Search

Ever hear a song in the background but miss the chance to identify it before it ends? The new Song Search title in the Google App solves this problem effortlessly. All you need to do is tap it to instantly activate the “What’s this song?” recognition feature.

Tile 10. Turn your phone into a Google TV remote

The TV Remote tile, available through the Google TV app, transforms your phone into a convenient trackpad and keyboard for your television. You can use this feature to navigate menus and type passwords, whether you’re using Android TV or Chromecast hardware.

Tile 11. Build custom tools with Tile Shortcuts

Not every app offers a native tile, but with Tile Shortcuts, you don’t have to settle. This versatile “Swiss Army knife” app allows you to design your own custom tiles. Use it to launch specific websites, open apps, or enable settings not typically found in your shortcuts menu.

Streamlining your Android device is just the first step toward digital efficiency. If you are looking to bring this level of productivity to your business infrastructure or need personalized guidance on managing your organization’s mobile technology, we are here to help.

Contact our IT experts today to get useful tips on making the most out of your devices.