5 ways your phone can work harder for you

1) Set keyboard shortcuts to speed up typing

If you’re frequently typing your email address, home address, or the same greeting, you can save time by using built-in text shortcuts.

On iPhone:

• Click Settings
• Click General
• Click Keyboard
• Click Text Replacement (2nd row)
• Click the “+” button at the top
• Enter a phrase and the associated shortcut
• Click Save in the upper right-hand corner

On Android:

Settings may vary depending on your Android phone’s manufacturer

• Click Settings
• Scroll to General management
• Click Samsung Keyboard settings
  • If you have a different keyboard set as your default, head to Keyboard list and default to find Samsung Keyboard. For this trick to work, you’ll need Samsung Keyboard set as your default. You can do that at the top of this page. Then, select “Samsung Keyboard” before the next step.
  • Select Text Replacement
• Click More typing options, or on some devices, you may not see this, and you can proceed to click Text shortcuts, and then click the ADD/+ button in the upper right
• Enter the shortcut and the expanded phrase and then click “add“

A few of the shortcuts used include “@@” for email, “adr” for my address, and “gm” for a quick “Good morning!” and many other combinations.

2) Schedule Do Not Disturb mode to reduce phone interruptions

Instead of turning off notifications manually, let your phone do it for you based on a schedule, or even your physical location.

On iPhone:

• Go to Settings
• Click Focus 
• Here you’ll find different Focus modes like Do Not Disturb, Work, and Personal, and each can be customized with its own schedule, app filter, and notification settings.
• Select the Focus mode you would like to set up, and click Add a Schedule
• From there you can customize Time, Location, and App

For example, when you click Work you can allow notifications from key apps like Outlook and silence the rest. You can also allow notifications from people like your coworkers or family members. When you click Add a Schedule, you will be able to customize a Time for your phone to know when to turn Work mode on and off. Or, if you work odd hours, you can set up Location, so when you arrive to work, your phone does too.

On Android:

Settings may vary depending on your Android phone’s manufacturer

• Go to Settings
• Click Focus
• Then click Do Not Disturb.  Tap “Schedules” to create rules by day, time, or calendar event.

3) Set location-based reminders to never forget important tasks

Rather than setting reminders for a specific time, you can have them appear when you arrive or leave a location. Visiting a Doctor? Remind yourself to ask a question about, or to refill meds.

On iPhone:

• Open the Reminders app
• Click  “New Reminder” in the bottom left of the screen
• Tap Details
• Then toggle on Location
• From here, select the Location where you would like to be reminded of your task

On Android:

Settings may vary depending on your Android phone’s manufacturer

• Open Google Keep and create a new note
• Tap the reminder icon, and then select “Place“
• From here, select the Location where you would like to be reminded of your task

Now, your phone works like a virtual assistant, reminding you of your tasks, when you need them most.

4) Automatically delete old text messages to free up phone space

Instead of scrolling back through months or years of messages to remove, you can set your phone to delete them automatically.

On iPhone:

• Go to Settings
• Click Apps
• Then find and tap Messages 
• Scroll down and click Message History
• From here, you’ll have the option to keep messages for 30 Days, 1 year, or Forever. 

On Android:

Settings may vary depending on your Android phone’s manufacturer

• Open the Messages app
• Go to Settings, then Message history
• Look for an option to auto-delete old threads or limit stored messages

This keeps your device from getting bogged down with old chats or spam texts.

5) Enable auto-updates for apps to keep your phone secure and updated

Make sure your apps stay up to date with the latest features and security fixes, checking manually.

On iPhone:

• Go to Settings
• Click Apps
• Then find and tap App Store
• Toggle on “App Updates”

On Android:

Settings may vary depending on your Android phone’s manufacturer

• Open the Play Store
• Tap your profile icon
• Click Settings
• Tap Network preferences
• Click Auto-update apps
• Choose whether to update over Wi-Fi or on any network

Turning on auto-updates saves you time and helps keep your phone running smoothly and securely.