How to work more efficiently with your smartphone

There are several time-saving features already on your smartphone if you are running Android 10. Getting work done is all about communication and efficiency, and with these tips for better dialing, note-taking, and text-to-speech apps, you'll be working like a pro in no time.

Shortcuts:

• Messaging made easier with Smart Reply
• Use to Live Transcribe for instant text-to-speech
• Make calls from your laptop with Click to Call

What is Android Smart Reply?

You may have noticed that when you receive messages on your Android 10 smartphone you will get recommended actions from the notifications drawer. Whilst these are often quite short and blunt for rich communication with friends and family, they are useful for quick communication in business. Sending short replies with a single tap is an efficient way to quickly confirm a meeting or a decision. You'll also notice that if the message contains a link to Google Maps, you can quickly jump to the location on your Maps app with a single tap too. Smart Reply works in messaging apps like WhatsApp, Messages, and several third-party apps such as Signal.

• How to use Smart Reply on Android 10

Live Transcribe can save you time

For people in my business, Live Transcribe can be an absolute lifesaver for interviews and events. On Android 10, you can use live transcribe to convert any audio picked up by the microphone into text which can then be searched, copied and pasted later. I use it for interviews, where I will need to use exact quotes in a text later, and I'll often leave it on during a presentation so that I don't miss any information. The fact that it is searchable means I can go back later and find the information I'm looking for really easily.

Live Transcribe is not perfect, especially when the speaker is talking in a second language, but it is pretty accurate when an English speaker is talking in their mother tongue. For anyone who needs to take notes and use them for emails or reports at a later date, it is a revelation. Now I am only regretting all those hours I wasted learning shorthand and journalism school!

You can download the Live Transcribe app from the Google Play Store. It works on any smartphone running Android 5.0 or above. On Pixel 3 and Pixel 4 smartphones it is built right into the software and can be activated via the accessibility settings.

Quick Call is the new speed dial for 2020 

Switching between your laptop and your smartphone all the time slows you down. Whilst messengers such as Hangouts have made video calling and text messages from your computer easier, you still had to pick up the phone to make a traditional call to a landline or mobile. Not anymore.

With Quick Call on Android 10, you can punch in the phone number on your computer using your Chrome browser and call from your Android device. This makes typing in phone numbers, or right-clicking numbers you want to call from websites, a lot quicker and more accurate. For people who make a lot of calls as part of their daily work, it adds up to a lot of saved time, especially if you are calling 

Right-click on the number you want to call and then select your Android phone from the menu. You will send a push notification to your phone. Tap the notification and the dial button to start the call. Make sure you’re signed in to sync on both devices.

Do you have any tips for working more effectively with your smartphone? Share them with our readers in the comments section below.