u/Benny_Bosser

I know there are a lot of these trad it there, but i didn't come across a very recent one, so I thought I'd start a new one

I just received my new device and did a fresh install, which forced me to go over all my modes and routines again.

It was so much fun for me, and also such an interesting experience, that I wanted to share it here as well :)

First of all, it made me go from 50 routines, which is the max, and 10 modes to 39 routines and 0 modes without losing any functionality. Over the years, I just created new modes and routines whenever I had an idea, rather than combining them in a smarter way. Going over every use case again and consolidating them has made the modes and routines experience even better than it already was.

What kind of routines do I have:

Location-based routines: in trusted environments, routines turn on Wi-Fi, airplane mode, mobile data off, keep my phone unlocked, set brightness to the desired level, turn on data syncing, turn off battery saving, and turn off fast charging. Whenever I leave these places, everything that was turned off gets turned on and vice versa. Wi-Fi gets replaced by mobile data.

That way, I get to enjoy these little conveniences without ever having to think about it or switch settings, while saving battery life when I’m on the go.

Time-based routines: I have “smart” time-based routines according to my daily schedule, which turn certain settings on or off.

Some examples:

- When I fold my phone after 23PM, my Wi-Fi and Bluetooth disconnect, airplane mode turns on, battery saver turns on, brightness goes to 1%, my phone goes on silent, and my watch face switches to an E-ink-themed one. Basically a sleep routine.

- Airplane mode gets turned off in the morning. This triggers my day routines, see above, and ends the aforementioned sleep routine.

- Every day my watch face switches at a certain time, as I like switching things up from time to time. Keeps things interesting :)

App-based routines: for some apps, I would always change certain settings manually. This is now all automated with modes and routines.

Some examples:

- Video apps: enable Dolby Atmos movie mode, enable orientation mode, set volume and brightness to a certain level, and warn me if I’m not connected to Wi-Fi.

- Reading apps: turn on eye comfort.

Connected device-based routines: these change certain settings when a specific device is connected.

Some examples:

- Watch connected: turns my phone to silent, except for certain high-priority calls or notifications.

- Earbuds connected: earbuds have different settings at home versus outdoors, like voice detection and touch actions.

- Car connection: automatically turns on Wi-Fi for Android Auto and starts playing Spotify.

All of these have multiple layers to them, making my phone experience almost fully automated the way I like it. I never have to change any settings, which is just so nice. Happy to share more in-depth details if people are interested, and please do share yours!

EDIT: 1 great thing, I forgot to mention is: Click automation: automating clicks you always do in certain apps/ situations (requires the routines+ module in good lock) Examples:

• I have the fold 8 ultra, which allows you to take selfies with the main camera by unfolding and using the cover screen to show how the picture would look like. This requires a push of a button in the right top corner. Enabling this mode through routines isn't possible. Instead of reaching there and having to think about it, I've automated that click. When the fold is open and camera is open, a touch macro runs and clicks the button for me
• some apps require you to click a certain button when opening. For example the login button on your banking app. Instead of having to click that button, a touch macro runs, clicks for me and I just login

Hello everyone,

I just got my new Samsung Galaxy Fold 8 Ultra and decided to do a fresh install, which has proven to be a very nice reset after having set up most of my previous phones with Smart Switch.

The obvious downside is that this takes so much more time to set up, and that some things you take for granted, like certain settings, are suddenly disabled. You then need to think about what exactly you’re missing and how to get that functionality back. This is also part of the fun, of course.

Just wanted to share the “tip”/experience. I know it’s nothing ground-breaking, but it was a big surprise for me and has made me decide to do a fresh install with every new phone I get going forward. My cycle is around every 4 years :)

The downsides are, however, way less important than the upsides:

- Summarized: you get a much better insight into your new phone and the new, and old, features it brings. It makes you really think about the way you use your phone and helps you keep only what makes sense in your daily use. Everything feels brand new and fresh. Although it’s too early to assess long term, I also feel it keeps things running more consistently and smoothly.

- Settings clean-up and discovery: there are so many old settings that I turned on or off once and then just kept that way with Smart Switch. I now went through every single one of them and disabled some I didn’t need anymore, and more importantly enabled some I had never seen before or had forgotten about. This allowed me to get rid of the old stuff and enjoy some of the new things introduced over the years.

- Features: starting fresh makes you check absolutely everything again and helps you discover new features, or shows you how old ones have improved. For example: Bixby used to be a very inferior assistant. This new version of Bixby is definitely not my daily driver, but it has been enhanced with so many features that it has basically turned into a voice-controlled device handler. I wouldn’t have looked at Bixby once if I had used a Smart Switch transfer again.

- Apps clean-up: you can’t imagine how many old apps you have on your phone that you’re not using anymore. The fresh install forced me to really go through my app list and decide which ones to install. Also installing all apps from scratch has given me new insights into some apps I’ve been using for years, again paying more attention to new features and settings to get even more out of them.

- Data clean-up: so many junk and obsolete files just kept being transferred over and over again, cluttering my phone. The fresh install forced me to go through them and only transfer the ones that still make sense. It also made me more aware of the junk you collect and made me more rigorous in handling my data, at least for now :p

- Modes and routines: I used to have 10 modes and 50 routines running, which is the maximum amount you can create. I reconsidered everything I had built over the years and was able to consolidate everything into 39 routines and 0 modes without losing any of the functionality I previously had. Over the years, I had just built modes and routines whenever I had an idea, adding something new instead of reflecting on how to integrate it into the existing ones. The already smooth routines experience got even better for me thanks to rethinking everything.