The beauty of Android is that there’s never a shortage of creative and compelling apps that completely change the way you interact with your phone. That’s something (cough, cough) certain other operating systems absolutely don’t allow at the same level.
The problem, though, is that that same benefit can sometimes create an overwhelming deluge of appealing possibilities. If you pay enough attention to this stuff (or, y’know, read a delightful column and/or newsletter written by a charmingly nerdy wordsmith who shares such treasures with you), you run the risk of ending up with so many interface-enhancing apps that you never actually get in the habit of using any of ’em.
Believe me: This overabundance of riches is a good kind of problem to have. But still, it makes you especially sensitive to the value of a really exceptional Android app that’s not only admirable for what it’s able to accomplish but also something you’re likely to use regularly, with little thought, effort, or fiddling required.
Today, my fellow fiddle-foundering flounder, I’ve got just that type of tool to share with ye. It’s a brilliantly simple app that takes advantage of an otherwise underused area of your phone’s surface and turns it into an on-demand shortcut mecca.
And unlike most other tools for similar sorts of purposes, it’s incredibly easy to set up, use, and get yourself in the habit of relying on.
[Psst: Love shortcuts? My free Android Shortcut Supercourse will teach you tons of time-saving tricks for your phone. Sign up now to get your first lesson!]
Let me explain.
Meet your Android efficiency genie
The tool at the center of this relevation is a relatively new Android app called, rather tantalizingly, Touch the Notch. (Oh, yes.)
The idea behind it is that most of us now have phones with some manner of notch — a cutout or bar of some sort in the screen where the front-facing camera resides. And when you really stop and think about it, that darkened little nubbin serves no practical purpose, in terms of ongoing value or interaction.
So rather than simply training yourself to look past that eyesore, Touch the Notch turns it into something genuinely useful. It lets you configure a series of custom actions that come up when you caress that comely notch of yours in various ways — tapping it, long-pressing it, swiping it, or maybe even tickling it gently. (Disclaimer: Tickling will not actually accomplish anything but may make your phone titter.)
And the available actions include some seriously powerful things. You can set any manner of notch fondling to accomplish feats like:
Opening a specific app
Opening a custom menu of apps
Toggling your phone’s flashlight
Capturing a screenshot
Toggling do-not-disturb mode
Controlling audio playback
Adjusting your screen’s brightness
Turning your screen off
And again, any of those things happen simply as a result of your tapping your favorite fingie to that otherwise useless camera cutout at the top of…
2023-08-17 06:48:02
Post from www.computerworld.com rnrn
