For the last couple of weeks, it was all fun and games. This week, we are going for a more generalized topic on how you use your Android devices for work.
I’m boring in regards to work apps, so I very much favor using Microsoft apps over Google apps for work, as overall I feel Google apps work better on iPhones than on Android (to my great frustration). Office and Teams work exactly how I expect them to, while their desktop version are a bit bloated, on Android they work super well, and there really is no replacement that’s as good as Microsoft Lens for scanning printed documents into PDFs.
But, I understand my use for Android for productivity is fairly limited, so, I’m interested to see if we can put our head together and find some interesting ways to use your Android devices to help us all be more productive.
anything usefull can’t be done on those small screens
screens that are large enough to show anything useful aren’t portable
when I’m out of the office/not working from home, I’m not available for work, so I don’t need to use android for productivity
Privately, I have an email client for emergencies (used aqua, but with the subscription junk now introduced, looking for a good FOSS alternative) and a calendar which I need to check more. That’s about it peoductivity wise.
Thanks, I found K9 on F-droid. I used that years ago, no clue why I switched…
Now to find a foss alternative for Business Calendar that works on Android 13. Calendar specific notification sounds are great, but not when they are played hours after the scheduled item.
Try Calengoo, it can do events as well as tasks in the same app. It’s extremely configurable and supports lots of calendar sources. Has a desktop app too. Not FOSS though. Decent FOSS calendar apps are a bit thin on the ground.
I’m going to take a slightly different approach of what productivety means here; for me it’s literally just making my things in my life less time consuming, easier to access and return to.
With that in mind, I use Google photos to automatically back up my photos, this could be anything from wiring diagrams, patio brick layouts, a quote in a book, to a mushroom I’m wanting to identify.
I use the app plantnet if I’m wanting to identify a plant.
I use the app seeker to download music from soulseek
I upload any research papers/books downloaded from scihub/libgen to gdrive for easier access in the future.
This is of course ignoring all of the notes/timers/reminders I use my phone for as well
I only have one app that I got & use specifically for work stuff. It’s great for many things beyond just work, though.
It’s called Auto Text, formerly Do It Later. Don’t even bother with the free version, the paid version is much better & if you need it you will love Auto Text.
Got a message you need to send out, daily, & to multiple contacts in individual SMS text messages/not a super annoying group chat?? Auto Text is for you. Set up a message, the frequency, and how long you want the cycle to repeat. You can even customize it to address EVERY SINGLE CONTACT by their name, or spit out various dates. ! .
Don’t need to send timed, scheduled, customizable individual SMS text messages? Auto Text can also send smart auto replies, for when you’re sleeping, on vaca, driving, etc.
Once you get it set up, it really is a great & versatile app.
Low-budget vlog productions can be done completely on one device nowadays, and that’s very appealing for some, like tech illiterate people who want to post shit online. For others it just works better for them than taking it off the camera/phone and putting it on a traditional PC to edit. is a good example of someone who uses this type of workflow.
Well I run GrapheneOS on a Pixel 5, and I use Shelter to isolate my work apps from my personal apps. I have sandboxes google play within shelter, the apps I have in my work profile are:
MS Outlook
MS Teams
MS Azure
WhatsApp
Word
Excel
Adobe Scan
I dont use my phone very much for myactual job, but its good for maintaining connectivity and checking/responding to emails and calling into meetings as needed.
Mostly mental, and ensuring separation between my real life work identity and my online/whatever identity. I’m sure that’s mostly in my head but peace of mind is peace of mind.
I set up the automation for everything, Samsung routines are really good. Other than that, the evening is normal, but I really like Samsung software features.
I’m sure I could, but laptops are a thing so I guess I dont see the point. phones, even tablets have a screen that’s just too small. the i/o isnt as useful as a keyboard - and once it has a keyboard, it’s a laptop. might as well go with an actual laptop at that point.
when are you trying to be productive while carrying nothing but a phone? possibly just messaging people to organise things or find out information as you’re walking around the office?
Spark
The one Email App that made me from not seeing trough my emails at all, to managing all of them easily. I can only recommend it. Is also available for almost all other platforms, except Linux :(
HiPer Calc
Really good calculator, that can also do a lot of scientific stuff (Matrices, plot Graphs, solve for values, etc. Everything I needed in maths at university). I study and teach maths and it is really great for both.
Calender
I have all my events and schedules in the standard Samsung Calender App. Sadly they are spread on various accounts and some only saved locally.
If I could save them all in one place would be great, since if I look up my Calender in for example my computer, I cant be sure if everything is in there.
I have a huge calendar widget with a monthly and listed view on a side of my home screen, which is very useful.
Quillpad
My current go to Markdown Editor for Android. I would like to switch to Obsidian to have everything in one place, but not the case yet.
Firefox
Use the install or whatever called feature to have websites as app like Icons on your homescreen. Very useful. 👍
Feem
Transfer Files between devices quickly. I would be glad for open source Alternatives, but I am mostly settled on Feem now.
PDF’s
I have a few Apps for opening and viewing PDF Files, which is really useful. That way I can open different Documents in each and switch between them very quickly.
I also use the Zoom and Moodle App, since I am a Student and they are ok.
I like the Samsung Calendar (especially the widget) more.
The main problem is that I dont know how to move all my calendar events to for example Google.
Maybe only tangentially related but I love MoonReader to read eBooks away from a computer. Of course, how productive this is comes down to which book you read. Even if I’m reading a programming book and I can’t write any code or follow along, I can still read ahead on the concepts and then come back to it on a computer and give my brain a better chance of absorbing the information.
CamScanner for scanning documents and straightening them/cleaning them up. It’s still the best tool (Microsoft Lens included) for that. Granted, the app got shittified at some point so I’m on an older version (5.9) which I keep without internet access.
Firefox for reading tech articles; it can send tabs to my PC and has a nice reader mode. Similar-purpose apps are Harmonic (HackerNews client) and Feeder (RSS reader).
DroidcamX for using my phone as a webcam.
Calengoo for calendar events and tasks (todos).
A small app called Agile (com.sauce.agile) for focused tasks with multiple steps. It’s simple but very efficient — you create a topic and tasks, then flick tasks from todo - doing - done. Sort of a very basic Kanban. Works for anything from learning to shopping.
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I use YAMF for having proper floating windows on my tablet. https://github.com/duzhaokun123/YAMF
To be honest, not.
Privately, I have an email client for emergencies (used aqua, but with the subscription junk now introduced, looking for a good FOSS alternative) and a calendar which I need to check more. That’s about it peoductivity wise.
K9 Mail or FairEmail.
I’m still on Aqua but only because I stopped updating it when the shenanigans started (v1.18). Email is not exactly a fast moving field anyway.
Thanks, I found K9 on F-droid. I used that years ago, no clue why I switched…
Now to find a foss alternative for Business Calendar that works on Android 13. Calendar specific notification sounds are great, but not when they are played hours after the scheduled item.
Simple calendar. Maybe put it in your work profile (shelter app?) If you want to disable alarms manually
Try Calengoo, it can do events as well as tasks in the same app. It’s extremely configurable and supports lots of calendar sources. Has a desktop app too. Not FOSS though. Decent FOSS calendar apps are a bit thin on the ground.
I’m going to take a slightly different approach of what productivety means here; for me it’s literally just making my things in my life less time consuming, easier to access and return to.
With that in mind, I use Google photos to automatically back up my photos, this could be anything from wiring diagrams, patio brick layouts, a quote in a book, to a mushroom I’m wanting to identify.
I use the app plantnet if I’m wanting to identify a plant.
I use the app seeker to download music from soulseek
I upload any research papers/books downloaded from scihub/libgen to gdrive for easier access in the future.
This is of course ignoring all of the notes/timers/reminders I use my phone for as well
I only have one app that I got & use specifically for work stuff. It’s great for many things beyond just work, though.
It’s called Auto Text, formerly Do It Later. Don’t even bother with the free version, the paid version is much better & if you need it you will love Auto Text.
Got a message you need to send out, daily, & to multiple contacts in individual SMS text messages/not a super annoying group chat?? Auto Text is for you. Set up a message, the frequency, and how long you want the cycle to repeat. You can even customize it to address EVERY SINGLE CONTACT by their name, or spit out various dates. !
.
Don’t need to send timed, scheduled, customizable individual SMS text messages? Auto Text can also send smart auto replies, for when you’re sleeping, on vaca, driving, etc.
Once you get it set up, it really is a great & versatile app.
Don’t really text much for work, but will keep it in mind.
deleted by creator
I don’t really think phones have a real use (yet?) for productivity aside from as a marketing gimmick. Only for looking stuff up.
Well, there are people whose entire workflow can be and is done on a phone. It’s just not the best method for you and me.
Do you know what they do? I seriously cannot imagine anything where at least a tablet wouldn’t be much better and more efficient.
Low-budget vlog productions can be done completely on one device nowadays, and that’s very appealing for some, like tech illiterate people who want to post shit online. For others it just works better for them than taking it off the camera/phone and putting it on a traditional PC to edit.
is a good example of someone who uses this type of workflow.
Well I run GrapheneOS on a Pixel 5, and I use Shelter to isolate my work apps from my personal apps. I have sandboxes google play within shelter, the apps I have in my work profile are:
I dont use my phone very much for myactual job, but its good for maintaining connectivity and checking/responding to emails and calling into meetings as needed.
what is the benefit of sandboxing your work apps?
tangible, mental, or otherwise?
Mostly mental, and ensuring separation between my real life work identity and my online/whatever identity. I’m sure that’s mostly in my head but peace of mind is peace of mind.
I generally don’t, android just isn’t all that conducive to productivity for my uses.
I use my ~11in tablet to read PDFs, highlight documents with a stylus and touch up images in Krita with said stylus. Beyond that I use my laptop.
I set up the automation for everything, Samsung routines are really good. Other than that, the evening is normal, but I really like Samsung software features.
@MargotRobbie
As a fully remote/flexible/async SW developer contractor paid by the hour, I have a different situation than most.
Personally I do not install any work apps on my phone because I could easily end up “doing work” that I don’t really get paid for.
When I work, I sit down at my actual PC intentionally, I start a timer, and I bill for my time that I take doing work only.
I avoid any work that I need to respond to outside of that and I make this fact known to anyone I work with.
It’s good to set boundaries between your work and your life. I respect that.
I’m sure I could, but laptops are a thing so I guess I dont see the point. phones, even tablets have a screen that’s just too small. the i/o isnt as useful as a keyboard - and once it has a keyboard, it’s a laptop. might as well go with an actual laptop at that point.
Counterpoint: you can carry your phone in your pocket/purse, but you can’t do that with a laptop.
that’s true. I generally use a small backpack for my laptop.
when are you trying to be productive while carrying nothing but a phone? possibly just messaging people to organise things or find out information as you’re walking around the office?
Yep, except I usually don’t work in an office. :)
Spark
The one Email App that made me from not seeing trough my emails at all, to managing all of them easily. I can only recommend it. Is also available for almost all other platforms, except Linux :(
HiPer Calc
Really good calculator, that can also do a lot of scientific stuff (Matrices, plot Graphs, solve for values, etc. Everything I needed in maths at university). I study and teach maths and it is really great for both.
Calender
I have all my events and schedules in the standard Samsung Calender App. Sadly they are spread on various accounts and some only saved locally.
If I could save them all in one place would be great, since if I look up my Calender in for example my computer, I cant be sure if everything is in there.
I have a huge calendar widget with a monthly and listed view on a side of my home screen, which is very useful.
Quillpad
My current go to Markdown Editor for Android. I would like to switch to Obsidian to have everything in one place, but not the case yet.
Firefox
Use the install or whatever called feature to have websites as app like Icons on your homescreen. Very useful. 👍
Feem
Transfer Files between devices quickly. I would be glad for open source Alternatives, but I am mostly settled on Feem now.
PDF’s
I have a few Apps for opening and viewing PDF Files, which is really useful. That way I can open different Documents in each and switch between them very quickly.
I also use the Zoom and Moodle App, since I am a Student and they are ok.
Your Samsung calendar app seems to defeat the purpose of an online calendar. I use the Google calendar and everything is syncing across all devices.
I like the Samsung Calendar (especially the widget) more. The main problem is that I dont know how to move all my calendar events to for example Google.
Maybe only tangentially related but I love MoonReader to read eBooks away from a computer. Of course, how productive this is comes down to which book you read. Even if I’m reading a programming book and I can’t write any code or follow along, I can still read ahead on the concepts and then come back to it on a computer and give my brain a better chance of absorbing the information.
I personally don’t use it for my actual job at all, but a lot of productivity-focused tasks can be done through Termux.
CamScanner for scanning documents and straightening them/cleaning them up. It’s still the best tool (Microsoft Lens included) for that. Granted, the app got shittified at some point so I’m on an older version (5.9) which I keep without internet access.
Firefox for reading tech articles; it can send tabs to my PC and has a nice reader mode. Similar-purpose apps are Harmonic (HackerNews client) and Feeder (RSS reader).
DroidcamX for using my phone as a webcam.
Calengoo for calendar events and tasks (todos).
A small app called Agile (com.sauce.agile) for focused tasks with multiple steps. It’s simple but very efficient — you create a topic and tasks, then flick tasks from todo - doing - done. Sort of a very basic Kanban. Works for anything from learning to shopping.