As I've covered before, Tasker is the ultimate Android app for hacks, automations, and customizations. $3.99 from the Google Play Store, it gives you deep access into the settings and features of Android, so you can do more with Google's mobile operating system. It's actually not the easiest app to describe in just a few words—the best way to show off its capabilities is with examples of what it can do, like the ones I've collected here. They give you a small but carefully selected sample of ways to use Tasker, which you can use as inspiration for your own routines.

Admittedly, Tasker isn't the most straightforward app to get to grips with, but there is now an "easy mode" inside the app, as well as many preset tasks that you can load up without having to build anything yourself. There are also ideas available through the Tasker community online.

Change alarm sounds to match the weather

Sure, the default alarm sounds for Android are fine, but what if you could change the alarm sound based on what the weather is doing? You'd know from the moment you wake up what kind of day you were in for, in terms of the weather.

It's an example of the sort of tweaks Tasker can make that combine different features and data in useful ways. NotEnoughTech has a comprehensive tutorial you can work through in both video and written form to build this yourself, together with the necessary downloads.

Make your reminders smarter

Something else Tasker works well for upgrading basic Android features so you can get more out of them—like the rather rudimentary reminder system that you get through Gemini, Google Calendar, or Google Tasks.

Redditor Blitzdroids has built a Smart Reminders and Alarms project that you can download to do much, much more with reminders through Tasker. It's almost a mini-app in itself and it shows off what's possible.

The many customization features available for your reminders cover fonts, colors, sounds, and vibrations. You can control if and when reminders recur, whether or not they can override Do Not Disturb, and set bespoke snooze options too.

Automatically connect to coffee shop wifi

If there are wifi hotspots you use regularly, like at the local coffee shop, then you can use Tasker to have wifi automatically switch on when they're in range. It saves you doing it manually, and means you won't use any cellular data if you don't need to.

You can find instructions for this one over at MakeUseOf—it's pretty straightforward in Tasker terms. You need to set up a profile for each location, and then an associated task that automatically enables (and disables) wifi based on location.

Enable auto-rotate only for certain apps

Auto-rotate certainly has its uses—say, for watching videos—but there might be certain times when you don't want your apps automatically swinging around from portrait to landscape (or vice versa). Tasker is able to help here, too.

There's a preset project for this inside Tasker: Tap the three dots (top right), then TaskerNet, then find Auto-Rotation Apps via the search box at the top. Tap Import and then Import again to get the project on your phone.

As soon as the project is enabled, you'll be given a list of apps installed on your phone. The apps you select here will auto-rotate without prompting while the others won't, and you can go back into Tasker to edit the list at any time.

Get your phone to keep you awake when you're sleepy

The best Tasker projects aren't always the most obvious ones: Take a look at ShakeWake, for example, which is designed to keep you alert when you're in danger of nodding off (during those long study or work sessions, maybe).

You get to set the necessary alarm interval for being pinged by your phone, and the pings can be accompanied by audible beeps or your phone's flashlight turning on. You can shake your phone to dismiss the alert, which is where the project name comes from.

Put app notifications as a "ticker" in the status bar

You might remember all the way back to the days when Android used to have a ticker-style notification at the top, so the contents of your alerts would scroll along the top of the screen rather than popping up in a separate window. With Tasker, you can bring that functionality back.

This video shows how it works, and if you visit the Ticker project page on an Android device, you can load it on your phone. You can use it with some apps and not others, and it's able to display "now playing" information, too.

Disable any touch inputs when your phone is in your pocket

This is a Tasker project I was particularly happy to come across, because it affects me all the time: My phone often registers touchscreen inputs when it's in my pocket, I think because fingerprint or face detection input is somehow triggered.

That kind of problem should be solved by this Tasker idea, which uses the proximity sensor on your phone to detect that it's been pocketed, and switch to a custom lock screen. You can make certain exclusions too, to prevent accidental activation.

Only turn on GPS when using Google Maps

GPS access is useful for all kinds of apps—from checking the weather to tagging social media posts—but your phone's battery life can be significantly affected depending on whether GPS readings are being taken or not.

Tasker can help: This Reddit thread details the process of creating a simple Tasker project where opening a certain app turns GPS on, and closing it turns GPS off again. You could just have GPS enabled for Google Maps, for example.

As an added bonus, you know that multiple apps won't be accessing your location information—even if they have the necessary permissions inside Android, they won't be able to get at the data, as GPS won't be on.

Open the same app when you unlock your phone in the morning

Your mornings most likely follow the same sort of routine, except perhaps over the weekend. Tasker enables you to have the same app launch after the first unlock of the day, and even take actions on it (like pressing the play button).

From the Profiles screen, tap the three dots (top right), then TaskerNet. Search for "unlock" to find and import the project called Open App On First Unlock Of Day, and as soon as it's installed you can pick your app.

Launch different apps based on fingerprints

This is another project that shows Tasker can be capable in ways you might not have thought of, based on Android's out-of-the-box settings: You can have different apps open up based on which fingerprint is used to unlock the phone.

You could use this yourself—maybe thumb for the camera, and index finger for your messaging app. Or if there's someone else you trust enough to give them access to your phone, you could have a specific app open just for them.

It does take a little bit of effort to get this working, but it's not too taxing, and is worth the investment. There's an official video explaining how to do it from Tasker's creator, plus another tutorial on Reddit that outlines the steps.