Tasker is one of the best applications ever built for android and is among the important reasons why I chose an android as my companion. From automating phone profiles to acting as a location reminder tool, it does everything that I can think of and pushes the limit of the phone to a new height.
I’m not really a tasker guru but I’ve played with it for long and have collected a bunch of profiles that make my (already awesome) phone even awesome.
Basic Things to be known
Adding a new Profile
- Click on New –> Give it a name –> Add a Context. Here context simply means a condition. Like, if it’s time i.e., the time is between 00:00 AM and 6:00 AM, do something.
- To add multiple contexts, tap an existing contest and select “Add”.
New Task
- Tap on the + icon and then, select an action category. For example, if you want your phone to go offline at night, Select Net > Airplane Mode.
- Further, if you wish to save a particular task, click on the “New” button at top right corner. You can then use this task in any profile but also note that any change in the task will affect all the profiles which are using this task.
I suppose you’ve got the basic ideas. For more help, press Menu > User-guide or click the “?” button in any action window. (A web version of user-guide can be found here.)
Tasker Tutorials
1. Use it as an Anti-Theft Application
An anti-theft application is among the most essential app for your multi-hundred bucks phone. But instead of paying for a separate app, tasker can be easily configured to do many of the stuffs that a tracking app does.
a) Tracking with GPS
Lifehacker has written a very detailed tutorial on getting your phone’s location with GPS. Instead that I copy that and write the same thing here, with li’l re-arrangement of words, I recommend you to read it here.
b) Remotely enable GPS*
Context: Event –> Phone –> Received SMS.
Now, choose a number that you own and set the message to something like “GPS ON”.
Action: Misc –> GPS.*Doesn’t work on stock Android v2.3.3+, only supported by select ROMs
C) Email phone’s Location (Tutorial link)
d) Remotely wipe data
Context: Event –> Phone –> Received SMS
Action: File –> Delete Directory (check “Recurse” or it won’t delete non-empty folders)e) Take Photos Remotely
Context: Received SMS
Action: Media –> Photo or Photo Series
Check “Discrete” (for taking snaps secretly) and uncheck “Insert in Gallery”(Photo series will add increasing numbers when saving the photo, Photo will simply over-write the existing file)
f) Email the Photos (Tutorial Link)
g) Making Tasker Indestructible*
If you haven’t installed Tasker, open a file explorer with root capabilities and move tasker’s apk file to: /system/app
If it’s already installed then backup it’s apk installer and move it to the above location. Then, install it. (Replace – Yes)
This way, Tasker won’t be deleted even if a new ROM if flashed (Why? that “app” folder remains untouched)
*root required
2. Start music player when headphones are connected
Context: Headset Plugged
Action: 1) App –> Load App > Music
2) Audio –> Media Volume –> 10 (ensuring that loud music doesn’t hurt your ears)
3) Alert –> Popup –> “Music Time!”
3. Enable USB Tethering when USB is Plugged to a PC
Context: State –> USB Plugged
Action: Net –> USB Tether
4. Switch to Silent Mode When There’s an Appointment in the Calendar
Context: State –> Calendar Entry (Available – No)
In Title, add words like “*meeting*”, “*busy*” etc., separated by “/”. So whenever any calendar event contains these words, this profile would be activated.
Example: “*meeting*/*busy*/*party*”
Action: Audio –> Silent Mode
5. Enable WiFi when at Home
Context: State –> Cell Near
Tap the “Start” button and move around your home as your area may be covered by several cells (the “<” sign represents the tower you’re currently connected to). You may stop it after few minutes.
Action: Net –> WiFi
6. Automatically switch profiles in certain areas
The same way as I showed you above, how to enable WiFi when at home, you can do the same for switching profiles as well, like when you’re in your college, office or anywhere.
Context: State –> Cell Near
Action: Audio –> Silent Mode
This is not very accurate though, and you can use GPS (Context: Location) instead for this. Warning: It may use more battery.
7. Forward/Block Certain Calls During a Certain Time Period (At night?)
Context: Time –> 00:00 AM to 6:00 AM
Action: Phone –> Call Divert (or Block)
8. Shake to Control your Phone
Context: Event –> Misc. –> Gestures
Gestures can only record accelerometer gestures, like tilting of phone towards right or left. To record a simple gesture, hold the device and long press the volume up key. Tilt it, press volume up key. Then tilt back to the final position. Again, long-press the volume up key. Everytime you’ll feel a vibration. You get the idea now, go on and experiment with gestures.
Action: Add whatever you want. Like if you wanna control music, add this:
Media –> Media Control
9. Enable Silence Mode by Turning down your Phone (and do other stuffs as well)
Context: State –> Orientation –> Face Down
Action: Audio –> Silent Mode
10. Send Scheduled SMS (like Birthday Wishes?)
Context: 1) Day
2) Time
Action: Phone –> Send SMS.
Number: Anything you wish.
Message: “Happy Birthdayyy Anu! :D”
11. Scale Up/Down CPU Speed at Different Times
Yeah I know, there’s SetCPU app for under/over clocking CPU but it cannot be used to scale up or down when specific apps are launched or during a certain time period. So here’s how this can be achieved with Tasker. This is a very advanced profile and relatively long as well.
- You’ll need 2 apps for this profile: Locale Execute plug-in (free) and a terminal editor such as the Android Terminal Emulator. Download them from the link given and install ‘em.
- Download this script and save it to your sdcard.
- Open up the terminal editor and type these lines:
su mkdir /data/local/bin mv /sdcard/setcpu.sh /data/local/bin/setcpu chmod 755 /data/local/bin/setcpu
5) Now, Create multiple profiles, categorized like:
- Display off: “CPU LOW” (Context: Event –> Display –> Display Off)
- Playing a game: “CPU HIGH” (Context: Application)
- Battery > 50%: “CPU MED” (Context: State –> Battery Level)
Then, in each of them, execute the Locale Execute plugin the script in the following format:
/data/local/bin/setcpu <min> <max> <scaling type>
e.g.: “setcpu 200000 800000 ondemand” will set my cpu speed to 200Mhz at minimum and 800Mhz at most with the scaling type as “ondemand”. In most of the kernels, “ondemand” and “performance” are available as the scaling governor.
ondemand – When the CPU load reaches a certain point, ondemand will rapidly scale the CPU up to meet demand, then gradually scale the CPU down when it isn’t needed.
performance – It will keep the CPU running at the “max” set value at all times for best performance. (via)
(Credits to clvv for this tip)
12. Automatically Respond to SMS when you’re Busy (or when Phone is Docked)
Context: Time –> Select a time during which you usually sleep.
Action: Phone –> Send SMS
Number: “%SMSRF”, Message: “Sorry I’m busy right now, will catch you later”.
When the Phone is Docked
You can add extra tasks such as make your phone say out the sender’s name, message body etc.:
Action: Misc. > Say. Add some text and an Engine: Voice. Tap the Search icon to choose one.
(Variables: %SMSRF / %SMSRN / %SMSRB / %SMSRD / %MMSRS / %SMSRT
The sender address, name, body, date and time of the last text (SMS or MMS) received)
13. Disable Screen Lock when Camera is on (or another app)
Context: Application –> Camera
Action: Display –> Display Timeout (Set the time-out to a high value)
14. Automatically Change Wallpaper
Randomly
Context: Select any context, like set a time duration, during which wallpapers would be randomly rotated.
Actions: 1) Variable –> Variable Randomize.
Name – “%PICNO”, Min – 1, Max – 4
2) Display –> Set Wallpaper.
Image – “path/to/wallpapers/picture%PICNO.jpg
3) Tasker –> Wait –> 4 Hours (or any other value)
4) Tasker –> Goto Action –> Number 1
based on weather: Tutorial Link
based on battery level
Take this as my challenge for you. You need to do make this profile on your own.
Hint: State –> Battery Level
15. Instantly Take a Photo without waiting for Camera to launch
In life, some “perfect” moments will never wait for us to take our camera and shoot it. So here’s how you can create a shortcut on your home-screen to instantly take a photograph.
Long-press on the Home-screen > Shortcuts > Task
Action: Media –> Photo Series Time (So that new photos don’t overwrite the previous one and every new photo will have the time attached with its name.)
If discrete is checked, there will be no sign of the picture being taken.
16. Use it as a Location Based Reminder Tool
Context: Location
Action: Phone –> Send SMS.
Number: Add your own number
Message: “You gotta buy Milk dude!”
You also need to add a time for this. Tap the context again to add another context:
Time –> Due Time. Done!
Share your Secret Profile / Got a Problem?
If you’re either using a handy profile (not listed in this post) that makes your daily life easier or got any problem while using the profiles I mentioned above, I would be really happy to hear from you. Drop in a comment below!
