How Android’s Tasker App Stacks Up Against Apple Shortcuts (and How to Use Each One)

Source Domain: lifehacker.com

If you’re at the stage where you want to do more with your phone and start building automations—customized mini-apps to carry out tasks—then Tasker (for Android) and Apple Shortcuts (for iOS) are likely to be included in the tools you turn to. You’ll find an introduction to both these apps and what they can do for you below, as well as an explanation of how they’re similar and how they’re not. The main difference is that Android continues to allow its apps to dig deeper into the operating system and its features than iOS does, and Tasker can take full advantage.

For those who’ve never looked into phone automations, there’s an almost limitless array of possibilities here, all built around the idea of “if this happens, then do that”—so on the most basic level, plugging in your headphones can increase the volume level, or logging into the work wifi can put your phone in silent mode.

Tasker has more capabilities than Apple shortcuts but requires more effort

Even Tasker’s biggest fans would admit it’s not the easiest app to come to grips with. It’s also going to cost you $3.99, so be sure you’re going to make full use of it before purchasing. Once you’re used to the app, though, you’ll find it’s a powerful and capable piece of software, and there is a simplified “Tasky” interface you can switch to that lets you edit existing automations rather than starting from scratch.

Head to the full Tasker interface, and you can see it’s split into tabs: Profiles (the triggers that make something happen and the linked actions to take), Tasks (actions to carry out that aren’t linked to triggers), Scenes (custom edits to the user interface), and Vars (stored values and settings, like your phone’s battery life). Automations often combine these elements into projects, which can be found along the bottom tab.

Tasker’s triggers and actions take some getting used to.
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