Over the years, Samsung has added useful features to One UI on Galaxy phones and tablets that improve the way you can use them. Custom modes and routines are a flagship feature. Routines are an “if this then that” automation system that you can use to achieve various results. For example, you can have your Galaxy phone automatically go into silent mode and turn off all incoming notifications when you arrive at work, with the trigger being your workplace address. You might have another routine that reverses all of this when you get home. But where things really get interesting is when you integrate these routines into your daily life, like in the morning to start the day off right.
Setting up a personalized routine is easy. You need to enable Samsung’s personalization service as a warning. Open Settings and go to Modes & Routines. You should already see the suggested modes there, such as sleep, theater, driving, etc. You can also use the Discover tab to search for suggested pre-programmed modes. You can customize them if you want, but to create your own, tap Routines. When you’re ready, tap the + icon at the top right. Add an “If” parameter to determine what activates the routine and a “Then” parameter to specify what to do, then press Save. You will then be asked to enter a name for your custom routine.
A perfect morning routine might wake your device when the alarm is off, turn up the volume to a good listening level, and replay Samsung’s daily Now Briefing or start a podcast. You can also stream a meditation stream or access smart home devices to turn on bedroom lights, turn on a coffee maker, play music, or turn on a TV.
Routines can be as complex or as simple as you want
Briley Kenney/BGR
What makes Samsung’s Modes and Routines so powerful is that you can customize them to do virtually anything you already do on your phone. It’s about automating some of the most repetitive or common tasks to make your mornings or any other time faster or easier. But they also don’t have to be advanced or lengthy processes with a ton of extra steps. Some of the popular Samsung Galaxy modes and routines that users love are very simple, such as automatically rotating the screen when you open a specific app, reducing battery heat when a power-hungry app is in use, such as Android Auto, or enabling location-based triggers, such as silencing your phone when you arrive at work.
Some examples of simple routines are using Samsung TV Plus to turn on your TV and tune to your local morning news channel when you wake up, using a smart plug to make your coffee, or pinging smart blinds to open the blinds and let in sunlight.
If you’re here and don’t have a Samsung Galaxy device, which warrants a few side questions we’ll ignore for now, there are still ways to automate your mornings with an Android phone. Specifically, there are free Android apps that you can use to automate your routines. There are also ways to establish similar routines on an iPhone using apps.
