A well-organized home screen makes your Android phone much more efficient to use. With shortcuts you can get direct access to your favorite apps, specific features within apps, contacts and even websites. In this article you'll learn how to create different kinds of shortcuts so you can tailor your phone to your needs.

Why use shortcuts?

Shortcuts save time because you no longer have to navigate through menus to reach features you use often. Instead of opening an app and then going to a specific section, a single tap takes you straight to your destination.

Think of a shortcut to send a message to your partner right away, a shortcut to start your favorite playlist, or a shortcut to the website you visit every day. All of these actions can be reduced to a single tap.

Adding apps to your home screen

The most basic shortcut is an app icon on your home screen. Here is how to add apps:

From the app drawer

Open your app drawer by swiping up from the bottom of your home screen. Find the app you want to add, touch and hold it, and drag it to the spot you want on your home screen. Let go to place the shortcut.

From the Google Play Store

After you install a new app, a shortcut often appears on your home screen automatically. If that doesn't happen, you can add the app manually from the app drawer.

Using app shortcuts

Many Android apps offer shortcuts to specific features within the app. These are called 'App Shortcuts' and give you direct access to frequently used actions.

Discovering shortcuts

To see which shortcuts an app offers, touch and hold the app icon. A menu with available shortcuts appears. For example, WhatsApp shows your recent chats, Google Maps shows your home and work locations, and the camera app shows options for selfie or video.

Placing a shortcut on your home screen

In the menu that appears after touching and holding, touch and hold the shortcut you want to add. Drag it to your home screen and let go. The shortcut appears as a separate icon that takes you straight to that specific feature.

Creating contact shortcuts

If you are often in touch with certain people, you can create shortcuts to call or message them directly.

From the Contacts app

Open the Contacts app and find the person you want to create a shortcut for. Tap the contact to open it. Tap the three dots for more options and select 'Add to Home screen' or 'Create shortcut'.

By touching and holding

On some phones you can touch and hold the Phone or Contacts app to see shortcuts to favorite contacts. Drag the contact shortcut you want to your home screen.

Direct actions

Some launchers and widgets offer shortcuts for specific actions, such as 'Call [name]' or 'Message [name]'. This means a tap on the shortcut performs the action right away without extra steps.

Creating website shortcuts

You can also put shortcuts to websites on your home screen. This is handy for sites you visit every day or web apps you want to use like an app.

With Chrome

Open Chrome and go to the website you want to create a shortcut for. Tap the three dots at the top right and select 'Add to Home screen'. Give the shortcut a name and tap 'Add'. The shortcut appears on your home screen with the website icon.

Progressive Web Apps (PWA)

Some websites are built as Progressive Web Apps. When you add them to your home screen, they behave like real apps with full screen, offline functionality and push notifications. Chrome recognizes these automatically and offers the option to install them.

Widgets as shortcuts

Widgets are more than just information displays; many widgets also contain shortcuts to features.

Adding a widget

Touch and hold an empty spot on your home screen and select 'Widgets'. Browse the available widgets, touch and hold the widget you want and drag it to your home screen. Resize it by dragging its edges.

Useful widgets with shortcuts

Creating folders for organization

If you have a lot of apps on your home screen, you can create folders to organize them. This is a kind of shortcut to several apps at once.

Creating a folder

Drag an app icon on top of another app icon. A folder containing both apps is created automatically. You can name the folder by opening it and tapping the name at the top.

Adding apps to a folder

Open the folder and tap the plus sign to add apps. Or drag apps from your home screen into the folder. You can add as many apps as you like.

Shortcuts in the navigation bar

Some launchers and Android versions offer shortcuts in the navigation bar at the bottom of the screen.

Customizing the dock

The dock is the row of apps that is always visible at the bottom of your home screen. You can add or remove apps by dragging them to or from the dock. Put the apps you use most here for direct access from every page of your home screen.

Gesture shortcuts

Modern Android phones also offer shortcuts through gestures that you can customize.

Double tap to wake

Many phones support double tapping the screen to turn it on. Go to Settings > Display or Gestures to turn this on.

Power button shortcut

Some phones let you configure the power button for shortcuts. For example, double pressing can open the camera, or a long press can activate Google Assistant.

Launchers for more options

If you want more shortcut options than the standard Android launcher offers, you can install an alternative launcher.

  • Nova Launcher: Extensive customization options, including gestures for shortcuts
  • Microsoft Launcher: Integrates with Microsoft services and offers useful widgets
  • Lawnchair: Open-source launcher with a Pixel-like experience and customization options

Advanced shortcuts

Launchers such as Nova Launcher offer advanced shortcuts. For example, you can set swiping down on your home screen to open the notification panel, or double tapping an app to open a different app.

Automation with Tasker and Shortcuts

For advanced users there are apps such as Tasker that let you create complex automations and place them as a shortcut on your home screen.

Automation examples

  • A shortcut that turns off Wi-Fi, turns on Bluetooth and opens your music app
  • A shortcut that sends a message to several contacts at once
  • A shortcut that puts your phone in a specific mode for work or sleep

Conclusion

Shortcuts are a powerful way to make your Android phone more efficient. From simple app shortcuts to advanced automations, there are endless possibilities to tailor your phone to your workflow. Experiment with the different kinds of shortcuts and find out which combinations work best for your daily use.

Frequently asked questions

How do I remove a shortcut from my home screen?

Touch and hold the shortcut you want to remove. An option to remove it appears at the top or bottom of the screen. Drag the shortcut to 'Remove'. This only removes the shortcut, not the app itself.

Can I create a shortcut to a specific setting?

Yes, many Android versions and launchers support shortcuts to settings. Touch and hold an empty spot, select Widgets and look for 'Settings shortcut'. Choose the setting you want to create a shortcut to, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or battery.

Why can't I create a shortcut for a certain app feature?

Not all apps support app shortcuts. The developer has to build in this feature explicitly. If an app shows no shortcuts when you touch and hold it, the app does not support this feature.

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