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You could already have a few widgets on your home screen because they are rather widespread in the Android community. You might not be aware of home screen shortcuts, though, which are just as helpful but receive far less attention.
Home screen shortcuts look exactly like apps but are very similar to widgets in that they only take up one tile on your home screen. With these, you may complete tasks that would normally need you to open an app and look for a feature in the software with only one press.
Here are nine extremely helpful shortcuts from the most popular Google apps for your home screen.
How to Locate Shortcuts on the Android Home Screen
Shortcuts on the home screen are quite simple to use. Start by long-pressing the app you want to use first. This will provide a little menu with several shortcuts to the app's functions.
Then, long-press a shortcut that you find handy, drag it to an open space on your home screen, and then drop it there. You're done now! Your home screen now features the icon. You may access the specified feature within the app by just tapping the icon.
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1. Google Phone's Call Shortcut
With the Google Phone app, you may create a call shortcut for your favourite contacts. By doing this, you can place a call without having to open the app, look up the contact's name, and touch the call icon. With only one tap, you can call that person, greatly accelerating the procedure.
The only little drawback is that Google Phone doesn't let you create direct call shortcuts for any contacts you choose; to achieve this, you must download the Google Contacts app and use its Direct dial widget, which conveniently uses just one tile.
2. Google Keep's new text note shortcut
Need to quickly take a note? Use Google Keep Notes' shortcut for "New text note." By tapping the icon, the notepad will open and your keyboard will appear, ready for you to begin typing.
This is most helpful for folks who take notes while they are on the road and lets you quickly store thoughts before they leave your mind. If you feel that recording your voice is quicker and more convenient than inputting a text, you may also use the "New audio note" shortcut.
3. Use Google Maps to find a shortcut to get to work
You can make things a lot more convenient if you're one of the many individuals who use Google Maps to commute to work every day by adding the "Work" shortcut to your home screen. Please be aware that in order for this shortcut to function, your work address must be previously configured in Google Maps.
Open the programme normally, then tap the search bar and then tap the Work tab. Alternatively, ask Google Assistant to begin navigation. But if you have Location and Mobile data enabled, you may do it with only one tap on the shortcut.
4. Use Google Drive's Drive File Shortcut.
You don't need to waste time looking for a specific file or folder in your Google Drive because you can easily access it if you use it frequently. We're not sure why, but this shortcut isn't located in the shortcut menu like the others; instead, Google has added it as a widget.
But here's how you may use the shortcut:
On your home screen, long-press a free area and select Widgets.
To view Google Drive's widgets, locate it and tap it. Drag the Drive shortcut widget to your home screen by long-pressing it.
Choose the Google account that has the desired file or folder if you have several Google accounts signed in on your device, then select OK.
Tap Select after choosing the file or folder you wish to make a shortcut to.
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5. Utilize Google Pay to Quickly Scan QR Codes
QR codes are being used by an increasing number of bars and restaurants to accept payments online. If that's typical in your region, you can easily pay companies by using Google Pay's "Scan any QR code" shortcut.
This shortcut will start the camera on your phone, which you can use to scan a QR code. Once it has been scanned, enter the payment amount and confirm it as usual.
6. Google Photos' View Screenshots shortcut
The "View screenshots" shortcut provided by Google Photos can be very useful if you frequently take screenshots on your phone (perhaps to create tutorials like this one). You may view, share, modify, or remove those images by tapping the icon, which will take you directly to the Screenshots folder in Google Photos.
7. Google Files' Share Files Shortcut
You may be aware that Google Files uses the Nearby Share file transfer capability to move huge files swiftly from one phone to the other. The sharing of large image or video files without compromising their quality is where this is most helpful.
Making a shortcut for huge files is a smart idea if you frequently share them. To access the Share menu in Google Files quickly, use the "Share shortcut." Be aware that for it to function, both phones must have the Nearby Share feature.
8. Google Messages' Shortcut for Messages
With the Google Messages app, you may create a message shortcut for your favourite contacts. The programme does not, however, allow you to make a direct message shortcut for any contact you want, exactly like Google Phone. However, you may still get the same effect by using the Direct message widget by Google Contacts.
9. YouTube's shortcut for subscribing
You may easily browse all the new videos uploaded by the YouTube channels you're subscribed to by using the "Subscriptions" shortcut provided by YouTube. By doing this, you may skip over the irrelevant videos that YouTube proposes and go straight to the content from the creators you know and love.
You can add a shortcut to your selfie camera to your home screen if you're a creator yourself and want to rapidly film short movies (perhaps for TikTok or Instagram Reels).
Home Screen Shortcuts: Maximize Efficiency
Shortcuts on the home screen are underused. Shortcuts employ just one tile and may accomplish a number of tasks, unlike widgets, which can occasionally occupy a large amount of your home screen. This lets you fit more of them into a small area.
Great examples of this are the Google app shortcuts that we described before. With these, you can perform common operations much more rapidly with just one swipe, boosting productivity and convenience. You can also avoid the hassle of having to open the programme and navigate through its user interface.
