10 essential Android features to maximize your productivity

Android has evolved into a highly-capable OS with a pleasing user interface, a ton of functionality, and impressive productivity features. Now, it's easier than ever to streamline tasks, minimize distractions, and enhance productivity using your everyday Android device. From taming notifications to automating daily routines, we explore how to harness your Android's full potential. We also highlight some of the newest productivity enhancements in Android 15. Let's dive in!

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10 Focus mode stops the barrage of notifications

Android's Focus mode stops the barrage of notifications vying for your attention. Nothing is more distracting than apps that send mundane notifications at every opportunity.

In Android 14, you can individually select distracting apps to silence or set a schedule to keep things quiet during school or work. You can access Focus mode via the Settings menu, Digital Wellbeing & Parental Controls.

9 Bedtime mode helps you sleep in peace

Achieving peace during bedtime is the key to keeping your daytime productivity on track. Android's Bedtime mode is here to help. It puts your phone into Do Not Disturb mode, dims the wallpaper, and switches the display to grayscale, a soothing alternative to the blue light that can disrupt sleep.

Like Focus mode, Bedtime mode is customizable, allowing you to set your personal sleep schedule during which it is activated. Even if you can't resist picking up the phone when you really shouldn't, Bedtime mode can raise your awareness with activity tracking and reporting. You'll access it via the Settings menu, Digital Wellbeing & Parental Controls.

8 Google Assistant routines automate daily tasks

The AI-powered Google Assistant simplifies your life by answering questions, helping with daily tasks, and providing a voice control center for smart home products. Google Assistant Routines maximize Assistant's productivity benefits by automating a series of actions with a single voice command or trigger.

For example, you could trigger a morning routine by saying, "Google, good morning." As a result, the lights might turn on, and the coffee could start to brew while the forecast is read to you. To get started, open the Google Home App and select Automations.

7 Recent Apps overview provides quick app access

Android's Recent Apps Overview is your place to manage open apps and multitask like a pro. Swipe up and hold from the bottom of your screen to reveal a carousel of your recently used apps. Tap one to switch, or swipe up to close it.

While there's nothing revolutionary here, leveraging Recent Apps saves time compared to poking around for an app icon on your home screen.

6 Split Screen mode lets you work between two apps

The Recent Apps overview is also a gateway to Split Screen mode, which splits the screen between two apps. This can be useful for cross-referencing information between apps such as email and WhatsApp. To use Split Screen mode from within the Recent Apps overview, tap the button above an app, select Split Top, and tap the button above a second app to create the split screen view.

In Android 14 and later, you can drag and drop text, images, and files between the two apps in Split Screen mode. One caveat is that not all apps, including Gemini, are compatible with Split Screen mode.

5 Widgets put essential information on your home screen

Android home screen widgets offer a convenient way to interact with your frequently used apps without opening them. Widgets are available for many applications, including Google Search, Keep, and Calendar, as well as weather and music applications. Taking a few minutes to customize your home screen with widgets is a no-brainer productivity hack.

Adding widgets is simple. Press and hold on an open space on your home screen, select Widgets, and you're off to the races.

4 One-Handed mode stops the juggling act with large phones

In many ways, large phones are great. They provide immersive media experiences and make it easier to read information than smaller devices. However, navigation can be awkward if you don't have large hands, especially on the go. That's where Android's One-Handed mode comes in.

One-Handed mode shrinks the active screen area to a smaller space that can be fully accessed while holding the phone with one hand. Configuring and activating One-Handed mode varies from phone to phone. Check your Settings menu as a starting point.

3 Quick Share provides fast, easy file transfer between Android users

Android's answer to AirDrop, Quick Share, lets you quickly and easily share files with nearby Android users. The technology uses peer-to-peer Wi-Fi to ensure fast, stable transfer of large files. Swipe down from the top of the screen to open Quick Settings and turn on Quick Share. Quick Share appears as an option in the share flow of your apps.

Until 2024, Samsung had its own file-sharing protocol that wasn't necessarily compatible with other Android brands. The technologies merged earlier this year and shouldn't be a barrier if your device has a current version of Android OS.

2 Live Caption is great for accessibility and convenience

Live Caption is a cool feature that dynamically generates captions for audio playing on your device. This has productivity benefits for those who are hearing impaired.

Live Caption has the advantage of being device-based. As such, it works offline with downloaded media. You'll find Live Caption in Settings > Accessibility on your Android device.

1 Keep your Android OS current

It's important to keep your phone's OS updated to the latest version of Android that it supports. Keeping Android current helps avoid productivity-crushing security threats and keeps phone and battery performance optimized.

New Android releases include updated productivity features such as improved multitasking tools and refined notification management. Android 15 promises handy updates, including easy ETA sharing with Android Auto and document workflow and AI-powered enhancements.

Using your phone's productivity tools saves time

From pausing notifications to streamlining information access and sharing files, Android offers a ton of customizations that make your life easier. Get better rest, stay focused, and achieve more with these easy productivity hacks at your fingertips.