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Smartphone Hacks To Simplify Your Life And Take Control

January 18, 2024 - 4 min read

Feel like your days often descend into chaos? The solution could be as close as your smartphone. Whether you’re armed with an iPhone, a new Samsung phone or an Android phone, the latest features can make juggling life a whole lot easier.

It’s time to ditch that paper calendar or household planner for good (surely, it’s just gathering dust!), and streamline your family’s schedule with one intuitive device.

Ready to take control of your time? We cut through the clutter and explain smartphone hacks for even the busiest of users.

The Latest Tech To Get You Organised

Keeping up with your phone’s latest updates (or maybe even upgrading your phone) means you'll get to enjoy the coolest time- and effort-saving tech right at your fingertips. Whether you're team Apple iOS or rocking an Android operating system like Samsung, both platforms regularly roll out system updates that effortlessly blend with the latest tech trends. These updates are like your personal productivity boosters, helping you stay focused, organized, and on top of your game, making your busy days a breeze with a user experience that's efficient and downright enjoyable.

Now, let's dive into the nitty-gritty details – meet Samsung's Note Assist1. This game-changer is featured in the Galaxy S24 Series and is powered by the epic Galaxy AIα. Whether you're caught up in the excitement of jotting down notes or speedily firing off emails, this innovative tool steps in as your friendly assistant, turning those lengthy stories into quick, concise gems. It's like magic for organisation, effortlessly handling your notes and shopping lists and summarising key points, making communication feel like a walk in the park.

Shop The Latest Samsung Smartphones

Samsung Galaxy S24
Samsung Galaxy S24+

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

Top 5 Features To Help You Take Control Of Your Life

Are you a slave to your phone’s every ping, buzz and call? Tap into these new smartphone features to get your phone working for you.

1. Do Not Disturb Mode

Sleeping? Driving? Busy at work? The Do Not Disturb mode is perfect for all those times you don’t want to be distracted. It can even be scheduled for automatic activation at certain times and locations. Pick and choose the notifications you want to see – for example, you can be focused at work but also free to answer a call from the kids’ school.

For a full-time solution, wade through your notification settings and do a clean-out that future you will be thankful for.

2. Screen Time Limits

Get to know your habits and you’ll be in a better position to change the not-so-great ones. Your smartphone’s screen time analytics are located in the Settings app and let you get a gauge on not only how long you spend on your device, but also which apps you’re favouring. Glued to your social feed? Pop on an app time limit or two to take back control – you’ll get friendly reminders to stop scrolling and get back to business

“Smartphone tech is always evolving – it’s just a matter of knowing what your phone is capable of and tailoring its functions to your lifestyle.”

3. Widgets

Widgets help keep you calm – and your home screen organised. These customisable app extensions give you important info at a glance. See your daily step count, get a live update of the weather and check today’s schedule, all without leaving the home screen.

4. Reminders

The latest reminder apps let you schedule work-related reminders to appear as you enter the office. Yes, your smartphone’s location-based reminders are doing what that sticky note on the fridge never could. Everything syncs to your calendar app (of course), can be sorted into categories, and can be scheduled to pop up when you need it most.

5. Camera roll

Not just there to take pretty sunset pics, your smartphone camera can be used to stay on top of life admin, too. Snap photos of everything from prescriptions and receipts, to must-try recipes and that bottle of wine you wouldn’t mind buying again – it’s a perfect system for storing random info you might need later on. For maximum efficiency, use the folder feature in your camera roll to separate the grocery dockets from your holiday happy snaps.

Shop Smartphones With The Best Cameras

Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max

Samsung Galaxy S24+ 256GB Onyx Black

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5

Apps To Organise Your Phone

What’s a smartphone without its apps? And not just gaming apps – there’s a whole corner of the Apple App Store and Google Play Store dedicated to productivity and organisation.

Use If This Then That (IFTTT) to automate tasks and link apps. Set it up so your smart security system goes on when you leave the house. Or set a calendar reminder when the weather app forecasts rain, and never forget an umbrella again!
Our Home is designed for family task management, and lets parents set chores with rewards on an easy-to-use app that everyone can access.
Make productivity easy and satisfying with Todoist – the to-do list that lives in the one place, on the one device you take everywhere.

Ready to rein in the chaos? Tap into the best organisation features of the latest Apple, Android and Samsung smartphones at The Good Guys. Visit us in-store and online to find the right phone for you!