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AutomateIt - Smart Automation - Automate your Android. Automate it. Solving everyday problems on Android

Vyacheslav Grishankov 19.02.2015

Do you want to organize all your files and automate various tasks on a smartphone or tablet? The useful and unusual application Automate – automatic tasks will help with this.

Using this program, you can configure any gadget so that it automatically changes various settings: Bluetooth, NFC, WI-FI, location detection and others. Moreover, you will be able to automatic mode send SMS and email messages.

The application itself is very accessible and easy to learn. There is a standard small menu where the user can easily figure it out. The “Add” button is located here; by clicking on it, you can see a whole list of tasks. This list includes the following tasks:

  • turning the device on and off;
  • brightness;
  • lighting;
  • proximity sensor;
  • screen lock;
  • calendar;
  • reminders;
  • calls and others.




You can easily set all these processes to automatic mode. Moreover, there is another interesting feature. If someone wants to illegally unlock your phone, they will immediately be photographed front camera. The developers also tried to combine different processes into one whole, into one chain of events. For example, if music is playing loudly around you, the device's sound will automatically become louder.


The utility has many advantages: ease of use, ease of use, full control behind all processes, the ability to organize several tasks into separate blocks (there can be more than 200 of them). Among the shortcomings, one cannot fail to note the presence paid features and lack of localization into Russian.

To automate Android yourself, download and install the Automate - automatic tasks application on your smartphone or tablet.

You often need to perform routine actions on an Android smartphone - turn on Wi-Fi when you get home, open the media player when you connect a headset, or lower the volume at work. Vesti.High-Tech offers an overview of software that will simplify your life by taking on these tasks.

Let us remember that Android, compared to iOS, gives developers and users significantly more freedom; you can do almost anything with it. Nevertheless, later versions operating room Google systems(4.0+) impose limitations on automation tools. For example, to enable GPS functions to the fullest or switch between 2G and 3G networks, you need Android no higher than 2.3 (or CyanogenMod firmware), A Jelly Bean prevents you from adjusting the sound volume. Of course, directly related to system functions The frames can also be bypassed, but to do this you need to gain root access to the device.

Besides, this kind of the programs are quite complex for the average user - not everyone can understand the intricacies of setting up numerous rules, triggers and other algorithms. And yet, after spending a couple of hours on them, you can almost completely customize your smartphone to suit your needs and save much more time.

For example, one of the users using powerful utility Tasker made it so that, when approaching the dacha, Android itself called desired number to open the gate with remote control. In this case, you don’t have to touch the gadget at all. And the user of another application, Llama, uses it like this: “When I come home, the program turns on Wi-Fi and changes the profile to “Normal.” When I leave the house, the program turns off Wi-Fi and turns on the “Loud” profile. At 11:30 pm it turns it off GSM module(why wind up the battery at night?), at 6:30 it turns on GSM. On weekends sound alerts disabled until 11 am." So the capabilities of "automators" are limited only by your imagination.

Tasker, which we have already mentioned, is the most feature-rich tool. The utility's interface is divided into three parts: Profiles - here is a list of conditions according to which some action must be performed, Tasks - the actual actions themselves that are associated with profiles, and Scenes ") — visual editor automation processes (can be useful if you create applications yourself).

There are 6 types of profiles: if the application is launched, a certain day of the week occurs, exact time or some event if the user is approaching a point on the map (you can set the radius and turn off GPS to save battery) or something happens to the smartphone - the orientation changes, the USB cable is connected, charging drops. The actions can be almost anything (search the Internet, send an SMS, make a call, open a file, and much, much more).

Unfortunately, there is no complete documentation for Tasker, and it has not been translated into Russian, so be prepared to master the utility yourself. It sells for almost 100 rubles. Before paying, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the free trial version (up to 7 days), which can be downloaded from the developer’s website.


Developer: Crafty Apps;
Rating Google Play: 4,6 (13 284).

"Automator" based on geolocation. You define a zone (home, work, cottage or any other places), specify a profile (silent, loud, quiet, or create your own) and associate events with them in the desired period of time. In general, the principle of operation of Llama is similar to Tasker: it can perform actions (lock the screen, switch to silent mode, “kill” all processes, launch a program, reboot, reduce display brightness, etc.) based on the time of day and day of the week, battery level, calendar events, headset connection, etc.

Compared to Tasker, available tasks Llama has less, but there are two indisputable advantages: the utility is localized, and there are preset events (for example, “Silent Night” - in the “Home” zone between 22:00 and 06:30 the profile changes to “Quiet”). Calculates location not from GPS, but from tower signals cellular communications and points Wi-Fi access.

Required Android version: depends on the device;
Developer: KebabApps;
Google Play rating: 4.7 (8,525).

It stands out from other utilities due to its simplicity and clarity. On start screen two sections are shown: “My Rules” - a list of personal triggers/actions, and “Rules Store” - from here you can download already ready-made scripts created by other users (turn off GPS when loading maps, turn on vibration after fully charged batteries, activate Bluetooth in the car, etc.).

After installing AutomateIt, users have access to six basic rules— lower the volume when connecting headphones, warn about low battery, turn off the sound at night, and others. The selection of triggers and actions is very large, almost like Tasker, and each has a description in Russian. The basic functionality of AutomateIt is wide, but if you want, for example, to read sensor readings, add combined rules, take into account events from the calendar, you need to purchase a paid version (68 rubles)


Developer: SmarterApps Ltd;
Google Play rating: 4.3 (2,360).

The main feature of AA is the ability to attach a sequence of the most important events to an event. different actions. It supports rules that many other utilities do not have: if the SIM card is changed, you can record what is happening from the smartphone to a file, track the coordinates and send them to your email, or take a photo when you shake the device.

The rest is simple. Create a “program”, assign a trigger (a cross on the left) and an event related to it (a cross on the right). In the Pro version (68 rubles) Android Automate Some advanced features are available and pop-up ads are disabled.

Android version required: from 2.2;
Developer: monkeysoft;
Google Play rating: 3.4 (25).

Suitable if you don't want to create profiles from scratch, like in Tasker. You can select and configure one of five ready-made ones ("Normal, "Meeting", "Quiet", "Night", "Outdoor"). For example, in the "night" mode, you just need to arrange the switches as needed (vibration motor, speaker volume, White list contacts, data transfer/Wi-Fi/Bluetooth, brightness, “wallpaper”, launching applications, etc.).

Profiles turn on themselves if they meet any of the rules. For example, if you want Outdoor mode (along with GPS) to be enabled when you get into your car, add the "Dock" condition to the rule. A special feature of Profile Scheduler is the ability to determine the desired volume for calls or SMS received from each contact, regardless of the selected profile.

Android version required: from 2.2;
Developer: Wetpalm;
Google Play rating: 4.3 (3,416).

The purpose of this program is to support NFC tags as triggers. You can stick a smart sticker on your desktop or dashboard car, and when the smartphone is nearby, remove it - the utility will perform specific action. In Russia, a set of 5 NFC tags costs about 500-600 rubles.

What’s important is that the program allows you to do without them by using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. For example, if a smartphone connects to your home or work network, you can change the sound profile, dim the display, lock the device, send a tweet, or check in on Facebook.

Everyone has own templates use mobile devices. Some people rush to check their email and Facebook feed in the morning, others listen to music and read books while riding the subway, and others play their favorite toy during their lunch break.

Every day, users perform the same actions that take away their precious time. It would be great if you could teach your smartphone to automatically open at the appointed time required applications, report last news after the alarm and send a message to loved ones in case of unexpected delays on the road.

The Automate app can do all this and much more. It serves for automation routine actions that you do every day.

The principle of operation of the application is very simple. You need to first define an event that will serve as a trigger to perform the action you want. After that, set the action that the application should perform. In this way, you can build complex chains of commands that may contain execution conditions, branches, alternative tasks, and so on. The program is provided with detailed documentation, although in English.

To prevent the user from getting confused in the algorithms, they are displayed in the form of a visual flowchart. Each action is a separate block. In total, the Automate program has more than 300 different actions; a complete list of them can be found. Please note that some actions require root access.

IN free version Automate has access to all available triggers and actions, but the length of the algorithm is limited to 30 blocks. In most cases, this is enough to automate the most simple steps on a smartphone. If not, you will have to purchase the premium version.

Few people know, and some may have never even heard of such a wonderful standard utility Mac called automator. At one time, before I got acquainted with this program, I could not even imagine that it was capable of automating the workflow so deeply and turning large routine activities into a few keystrokes.

Often, users starting to get acquainted with Mac stumble upon system utilities on automator they close it in horror literally after a few seconds, not understanding why it is needed and how to use it. But in fact, working in this application is much simpler than it seems, you just need to correctly organize the sequence of actions, and then “explain” to the program what is required of it. It was the low popularity of automator among users that prompted me to write this post, which I hope to do in the future will mark the beginning of a series of articles devoted to a program that can sometimes create real miracles of automation.

Operating principle and program interface

So, the main principle of automator is to interact with applications, files and operating system computer. When a user needs to automate any actions, he needs to select the category to which these actions will belong (program, process, service), and then sequentially arrange the steps that the program will perform.

Before we begin creating our first macro (this is the name given to the sequence of actions specified by the user), we will analyze the main elements of the program and their purpose.

After clicking on the Otto icon (that’s the name of the Automator robot :) you will see the following window.

As you can see, the utility offers to select the type of future macro:

1. Process (Workflow) - Can only be launched from the program itself and cannot exist outside of it. Represents the simplest sequence of actions;

2. Program - Created once and exists on its own, can be saved with the *.app extension - as a full-fledged one Mac app OS X;

3. Service - Integrated into the OS itself and can be accessed from anywhere, usually called from the context menu;

4. Folder action - Activated for specific folder after adding files to it and performs the specified actions with them;

5. Print plugins - Expand standard set document printing functions;

6. Calendar notification - Allows you to create processes that will be launched using calendar events;

7. Image capture plugin - allows you to “capture” photos from the camera for further processing.

Today, as an example, we will look at creating a program, so click the appropriate icon and continue to get acquainted with the application interface.

1. The “library” panel displays the categories into which actions are divided;

2. The “library” panel, which displays actions for the selected category;

3. Description area of ​​the selected action;

4. Button for creating, editing, deleting categories;

5. Hide / reveal the description area;

6. Hide / reveal the process execution log;

7. Hide or show variables;

8. Process execution status;

9. Variables or process log window;

10. Panel of the created process, actions are added to it by moving them from the library;

11. Process control buttons (start, stop, pause). Button recording allows you to record the execution of actions in real time;

12. Search for necessary actions;

13. Hide / show the library;

14. Expands the list of available actions and variables accordingly;

15. Sequence of actions forming the future macro.

Creating your first macro

I apologize for the lengthy theory, now let’s immediately begin creating our first macro, the task of which is to combine several documents PDF format into one, giving us the right to choose source files, and then show the result on the desktop.

As I have said more than once, a macro is a logical sequence of actions; in our example there are three such actions: selecting source data; conversion process (not visually displayed) and output of the result.

Add the first action “query finder objects” by dragging it from the library to work area programs.

Don't forget to check the box multiple choice, this will allow the program to understand that we need to get not one file, but several.

We have set the receipt of the initial data, now we need to process it, in our case this is “merge PDF pages”

In this action, by default, pages will be merged in order by adding new ones, if desired, you can put a button on shuffling pages, but we are still interested in the first option, so we don’t change anything.

There remains the final stage, which is responsible for saving the result in any place convenient for us, for example on the desktop.

08.12.2017

  • Android application AutomateIt - Smart Automation, version: 3.0.277, price: Free

There is also paid version of this application:

  • Android application AutomateIt Pro, version: 4.0.227, price: 149 rub.

Hello Helpix readers.

Global automation is happening all over the world. Enterprises, factories, factories are all coordinated work of people, equipment and technology. Many things do not even require human work to produce because everything is automated. In modern car factories, for example, almost all the work is done by robots. And only some operations are performed by humans. After a new car model enters the market, the manufacturer assigns it an automation percentage, for example 80%. That is, how much work was performed by robots. Or the production of baked goods and sweets occurs automatically on modern equipment. Publishing press, books... you can’t list it all. Some factories operate 24 hours a day, without breaks, seven days a week. Because they are automated. This saves time and money. It's comfortable. Everyday things or devices that are in front of your eyes are automated. Take, for example, a washing machine. She washes, spins and dries herself. It is programmed and automated. And all this was invented and programmed by a person, first of all, for people, to make it easier for us.

We all have smartphones that do a lot of things themselves. Many functions are performed at the request of sensors (brightness and turning off the screen), some according to the program and special algorithms(search for Wi-Fi, find a saved network, connect). But there are cases where it is necessary to systematize actions in more detail to suit your needs. For example, so that GPS is turned on at the request of navigation programs. Or you woke up, and a few minutes before the alarm went off, your smartphone had already turned on wireless networks, the application mail client already synced with yours by email, social networks work. You drive out by car, and the smartphone already knows that you are driving and launches the navigation program. We got to work. Your gadget already knows that you are at work, so it turns off mobile data and connects to Wi-Fi networks, because you can’t get 3G there. We came home. Connecting to wireless networks again. At night the smartphone activates offline mode, until morning mobile network you don't need it. And all this can be done using automation programs for devices.

Search similar programs I was puzzled a long time ago, when I still had a Nokia 5230 smartphone. There have been attempts to add ease of use. But the search was in vain, because I did not find such programs. After the appearance of devices running Android, I finally found what I was looking for. This application is "AutomateIt - Smart Automation". I've been using it for about three years. It has always worked for me background, without reminding me of myself. There wasn't even a notification in the notification bar (probably disabled in the settings). Recently the program was updated and I decided to write a review about it. The updated version does not have any global improvements, the main thing is that it still works flawlessly.

The program is free and can be installed from Google Play. There is a paid version with additional functionality. Free is enough for me. The newest and most current version today is 3.0.277. The program weighs a little more than 18 megabytes. For work root rights not required, except for some actions (kill the application, turn off the device and reboot). It consumes little memory and does not affect the performance of the device. It doesn’t consume the battery, despite the fact that it is at the very top of the list in the history of energy consumption (only after updating the version, it didn’t happen before. The main thing is that it doesn’t bother me). Typically it's 1-2% per night in flight mode.

"AutomateIt - Smart Automation" is an application for automating functions for Android. The conditions under which actions occur are called triggers. The user just needs to configure the rules for executing triggers so that the smartphone itself executes further commands. I’ll tell you about creating rules later in the review.

If you drive into Google search"automation android", at the very top of the list will be the MacroDroid and AutomateIt application. The first application is new to me, and it main competitor AutomateIt (judging by the number of downloads and reviews). Just for fun, I downloaded it to my smartphone to see what kind of animal it was. The applications are very similar and functionally similar. Its main disadvantage is that you can only add up to 5 triggers (called “macros” in the application) in the free version. Another negative point is that after the program stops working, its service continues to run in the background. The advantages of the application are the addition of a trigger launch limit and a larger number of triggers than competitors. Using it, I was able to create a trigger where AutomateIt does not have such an option: so that when the Wi-Fi access point is turned on, the mobile Internet will also turn on. AutomateIt can only offer to turn on the hotspot after activating mobile data. But on the side of my favorite application is the creation of an endless number of rules, a more thoughtful menu for creating triggers and less RAM consumption.

When we launch the application, we are greeted with a minimalistic design in a light design. Main screen is divided into three main parts. On the top left is the "My Rules" section. Here we create our own triggers, change, enable and disable them if necessary.

The right panel on the right - "Rules Store" - contains rules that users have uploaded to the Internet so that others can download and use them. It consists of four tabs: Top Rated, Latest, Frequently Used, and Recommendations. There, the user will have his own account and 5 points initially, which he can spend on downloading rules from the network and receive them for inviting friends to AutomateIt. Or after uploading the rules on Facebook and Twitter. I remember when I installed this application on my smartphone for the first time, I was given 25 points (but I don’t remember for what exactly) and I spent them on a very necessary, in my opinion, function, which I will tell you about later. This function would have been preserved on the current version, but I stupidly had to flash the phone, and the data was lost.

The screenshots above show some created rules from users.

In the center is the history of using triggers for 7 days, by clicking on which you can see in detail when each rule worked. In the history menu there is an option to save everything in CSV format and clear the history.

Like most applications with Material Design, the menu extends from the left edge of the screen or by pressing three parallel lines top left. At the beginning of the menu we see the user account information. The first four items “Dashboard”, “My Rules”, “Rules Store”, “History” duplicate the main screen tabs.

Further in the subparagraph " Backup and Restore" we can create a backup copy of the application settings and, if necessary, restore the data. All files are located in the device memory at: AutomateIt/Backup; .../Export; .../Shared.

The Settings submenu contains application settings. Here we change the notification display mode (hide notification, priority), program autostart when turned on, history size (200 entries by default), language. We can change the approximate radius of the "Location Trigger", the cell update interval for the "Cell ID Trigger", the cell execution delay interval and the update frequency of the rules in the "Rules Store" (I do not use these rules at all). We can stop or start the AutomateIt service (after disabling, the application does not hang in memory and in the cache, consuming RAM).

The items “Support”, “About the program”, “Invitation”, “Rating”, “Facebook”, “Twitter” do not need description; I think everyone is familiar with these functions.

The “Unlock” tab contains more sub-items where the user can unlock triggers for points (“Copy application” is unlocked initially. Bonus from the developer, apparently) and update the application to the Pro version.

Next we see a menu where we can add the ability to use a flash, camera, or access point to the application by installing plugins from the store. All of them are free and are responsible for enabling and disabling certain functions.

To make AutomateIt work autonomously, you need to create a trigger. Open the "My Rules" section. Initially, the application has 6 preset rules. They are located in the "Active" tab. Here they are in the screenshot:

In the trigger selection menu, it is possible to create actions that will be performed at the user’s request. To make it easier to start the desired rule, which will be launched manually, you can display the widget (in size 1x1) on the desktop for quick access.

Triggers. Actions. Rules. This is how the rules are created step by step. Dedicated rules with a lock can be purchased for 25 points.

I have disabled notifications from triggering rules. They will be shown in the screenshots below for clarity.

Consider, for example, the trigger "05. Min. volume when headphones are connected." I didn't choose this by chance. Usually the sound of movies is not very loud, and you have to turn the volume up to maximum (in most cases this is exactly what happens to me). If we forget about this and do not reduce the volume in advance, then when we try to listen to music, the first thing we do is look for the volume down button or try to pause the playback. This happened all the time, every time I stepped on the same rake. Having become fairly deaf, I finally set up this trigger and forgot about it.

Expanding the rule, we see that when a headset is connected, the multimedia volume is set to 70%. Let's reduce it to 10%. Click “Edit” and see the rule settings.

In fact, when creating a trigger, the opposite happens. That is, first we create a trigger, assign an action and set up rules for it. Here we move from the end.

In the rules settings menu, we have the opportunity to set a name and allow the display of pop-up notifications. After that, go to the action selection menu by swiping from left to right. We see that the “Set Volume” action sets the volume of the multimedia audio stream to 70%. Change the slider to ten. Click "Next" and save the trigger. Now when I connect headphones, my volume is always set to minimum.

Let's look at creating a trigger. It's actually a very fun activity. After installing the application, I created rules and added new triggers to the list every day (I forgot, however). As of today, I have 29 rules on my list. And that doesn't mean it's the end. I'm sure something else will come up.

For example, so that when you open Google Maps, GPS and data transfer over the Internet are automatically turned on, and when you close the application, they are turned off. To do this we will have to create 4 rules. The first is so that when we open Maps, GPS is turned on, the second is to enable data transfer. If you have earned 25 points, I advise you to unlock the "Multiple Actions" action. There you can combine these two points into one. Those. opened Maps - location determination and data transfer were enabled. And auto-rotate the screen, if you want (on the old version, I then spent points on unlocking “Multiple actions”). The third and fourth action is to turn off GPS and mobile data when exiting the application.

1. We begin creation by selecting a trigger. In our case, this is “Application Status”.

Select an application. Below we check the box so that the trigger works when the program is activated.

3. Enter a name for the rule and configure the notification output. Let's save. The rule has been created.

To activate the mobile Internet, repeat step 1. After selecting the trigger, select the “Manage” action mobile internet". Next, select "Enable mobile data" and save. To disable everything when exiting the "Maps" program, you need to create 2 more triggers, similar to the previously created ones. You just need to uncheck the checkbox in the application selection menu for creating a trigger so that it works to deactivate application, and select in the trigger action selection menu “Turn off GPS” and “Turn off mobile data” in the corresponding tabs.

After all operations, when you open Google Maps, the smartphone turns on GPS and data transfer and turns them off after closing the application (I created the same triggers for Yandex.Navigator and Osmand).

Let's consider another version of the rule. Select trigger in the creation menu " Incoming call". From the list set "Call status" - " Incoming call" and "Contact name" - "All contacts". Go further and select the action "Manage screen brightness". In this menu, check the box next to enabling automatic brightness. Save the rule.

Now let's create the opposite actions, i.e. “Call status” - “End call”, and turn off auto-brightness in the “Screen brightness control” menu. Now, during an incoming call, auto-brightness turns on and adjusts the backlight according to the illumination, and when completed, turns off. It happens that you are leaving the house in a hurry and the phone rings, but the brightness is not enough to see the screen. Now we have a light sensor working and will turn the brightness to maximum. When the call ends, the automatic brightness will turn off and the backlight will return to the preset level (you don’t have to turn it off). WITH phone book the same story. Therefore, I created a trigger on my smartphone where the automatic brightness turns on when the contacts are opened (you can find the label on the sun by touch - it’s at the very bottom of the screen on the right).

Basically, I don’t need auto-rotate the screen; most of the time it is disabled and if it works, it only gets in the way. But there are applications where it is needed. For example, in MX Player, Adobe Reader, Kingsoft Office, QuickPic. For all these applications, I separately created triggers for enabling screen auto-rotation. Deactivation occurs after exiting the programs. I'll show you step by step how to create a trigger for MX Player:

As you can see from the screenshots, everything works. It is especially important for me that when entering Adobe Reader I no longer open the curtain to turn on the auto-rotate toggle switch every time.

Another example from life. You worked with your smartphone during the day, and you didn’t need it until the evening. And in the evening you turn on the screen, and there is xenon at maximum brightness. To prevent this from happening, I set the trigger at 20:30, setting the brightness to 5%. In the morning it changes it to a comfortable 30%.

Still, I have an idea to create a trigger where both previously mentioned applications were saved. This is the rule when during a conversation, when the smartphone was positioned with the screen down, the speakerphone was automatically turned on. I racked my brains, but never achieved any results. I was only able to create an inclusion speakerphone when receiving a call (needed by those who do not have a working speaker). A minor detail, of course, but unpleasant.

I showed you the main functions of the application. This is only a small part of the iceberg. This program has almost limitless possibilities. You can create incredible combinations of all kinds of actions. You can open all functionality after using the program yourself. I'm sure there will be some sophisticated minds out there who can automate anything and everything for themselves. As the "Rules Store" showed you, you can create the most unusual, but useful functions from the most simple little things. And we, in turn, will help ourselves and our gadget become more convenient and functional.

My rating for the AutomateIt application is 10 points out of 10. I recommend it to everyone.