10 Tasker Hacks Every Android User Should Know
As I’ve written before , Tasker is the best Android app for creating life hacks, automating processes, and customizing apps. For $3.99 in the Google Play Store , it gives you deep access to Android settings and features, allowing you to use Google’s mobile operating system more effectively. In fact, describing this app in just a few words isn’t easy—the best way to showcase its capabilities is with examples of what it can do, like the ones I’ve collected here. They represent a small but carefully curated example of Tasker use cases that you can use as inspiration for your own tasks.
Admittedly, Tasker isn’t the easiest app to learn, but it now features an “easy mode” and a ton of preset tasks you can download without having to create anything yourself. You can also find ideas in the Tasker online community .
Change alarm sounds to suit the weather.
Sure, Android’s default alarm sounds are great, but what if you could change your alarm sound based on the weather? You’d know what the weather will be like the moment you wake up.
This is an example of how Tasker can customize various functions and data, combining them in useful ways. The NotEnoughTech website has a detailed video and written tutorial you can follow to create this yourself, along with the necessary downloadable files.
Make your reminders smarter.
Tasker is also great for extending Android’s core functionality to get more out of it—for example, the fairly basic reminder system available through Gemini, Google Calendar , or Google Tasks.
Reddit user Blitzdroids created Smart Reminders and Alarms, a downloadable project that significantly expands the capabilities of Tasker reminders. It’s practically a mini-app, demonstrating its potential.
A variety of reminder customization options include fonts, colors, sounds, and vibrations. You can control when and how reminders repeat, whether they can override Do Not Disturb mode, and set custom snooze settings.
Automatic Wi-Fi connection in a coffee shop
If you regularly use Wi-Fi hotspots, such as at your local coffee shop, you can use Tasker to automatically turn on Wi-Fi whenever they’re in range. This eliminates the need to manually turn it on and prevents you from using up your mobile data when you don’t need it.
Instructions for this can be found on the MakeUseOf website—in Tasker terms, it’s quite simple. You need to create a profile for each location, then an associated task that automatically turns Wi-Fi on (and off) depending on the location.
You can only enable automatic screen rotation for certain apps.
Automatic screen rotation is certainly useful—for example, when watching videos—but there are situations when you don’t want apps to automatically switch from portrait to landscape mode (or vice versa). Tasker can help with this too.
Tasker has a ready-made project for this purpose: tap the three dots (top right), then TaskerNet , then search for “Automatic Screen Rotation Apps” using the search field at the top. Tap “Import,” then “Import” again to transfer the project to your phone.
Once the project is activated, you’ll be presented with a list of apps installed on your phone. The apps you select will automatically rotate without prompting, while others won’t. You can return to Tasker at any time to edit the list.
Set your phone to keep you awake when you want to sleep.
The best projects on Tasker aren’t always the most obvious: take a look at ShakeWake , for example, which is designed to keep you alert when you’re at risk of falling asleep (like during long study or work sessions).
You can set the desired alarm interval on your phone, and notifications can be accompanied by sounds or the phone’s flashlight. You can shake the phone to dismiss the notification, hence the project’s name.
Display app notifications as a ticker in the status bar.
You might remember the days when Android notifications used to scroll across the top of the screen, so your alerts would scroll across the top of the screen rather than appear in a separate window. With Tasker, you can bring that functionality back.
This video shows how it works, and if you visit the Ticker project page on an Android device, you can download it to your phone. You can use it with some apps, but not all, and it can also display information about what’s currently playing.
Disable touch input when your phone is in your pocket.
This is a Tasker project I was especially happy to stumble upon because it constantly bugs me: my phone often registers screen taps when it’s in my pocket, I think because fingerprint or face recognition is somehow triggered.
Tasker aims to solve a similar problem. It uses your phone’s proximity sensor to detect when it’s in your pocket and switches to a custom lock screen. You can also add specific exceptions to prevent accidental activation.
Turn on GPS only when using Google Maps.
GPS access is useful for a variety of apps—from checking the weather to tagging social media posts—but your phone’s battery life can vary significantly depending on whether you’re acquiring a GPS signal.
Tasker can help: this Reddit thread details the process of creating a simple Tasker project where opening a specific app turns GPS on, and closing it turns it off again. For example, you could enable GPS only for Google Maps.
As an added bonus, you can be sure that many apps won’t have access to your location information—even if they have the necessary permissions in Android, they won’t be able to access the data because GPS will be disabled.
Open the same app when you unlock your phone in the morning.
Your mornings likely follow a similar routine, with the possible exception of weekends. Tasker allows you to launch the same app each day upon first unlocking and even perform actions with it (like pressing play).
On the Profiles screen, tap the three dots (top right), then select TaskerNet . Find and import the project called “Open app on first unlock of the day.” Once it’s installed, you’ll be able to select your app.
Launch various applications based on fingerprints.
This is another project that demonstrates a capability of Tasker that you might not have thought about based on the default Android settings: you can configure it to open different apps depending on which fingerprint you use to unlock your phone.
You can use this yourself, too—for example, using your thumb for the camera and your index finger for messaging. Or, if you trust someone enough to give them access to your phone, you can open a dedicated app just for them.
This takes a little effort, but it’s not too difficult and well worth the effort. There’s an official video from Tasker’s creator explaining how to do it, as well as another guide on Reddit that outlines the steps.