How to Use App Shortcuts on Android to Jump Straight Into Actions
Opening an app, waiting for it, then tapping through to the thing you wanted: that is three steps for something Android can do in one. App shortcuts are the feature most people have seen and few people use.
Shagun Verma · · 2 min readWhat app shortcuts are
Long-press an app icon on your home screen and a small list appears: New message, Navigate home, Take a selfie, New event. Those are app shortcuts. Each one deep-links into a specific screen or action, and most popular apps provide several. They are built into Android since version 7.1.
Pin the ones you use
- Long-press the app icon on the home screen or in the app drawer.
- Press and hold the shortcut you want and drag it onto the home screen; it becomes its own icon.
- Repeat for the actions you reach for daily.
The catch: pinned shortcuts only live on the home screen, so you still have to leave the app you are in to use one.
Collect shortcuts in a menu that opens anywhere
Long Press Menu lists the shortcuts of every app on your phone and lets you add them, alongside full apps, to a menu that opens when you hold the power button. Because the menu appears over whatever you are doing, the "new event" or "navigate home" action is reachable from inside a chat, a video or a game, without visiting the home screen.
- Make Long Press Menu your digital assistant app.
- Tap Add, open an app's entry and pick a shortcut rather than the app itself.
- Arrange the menu, then hold the power button to try it.
Shortcuts can only be listed and launched while the app is the active assistant; that is an Android rule, and it is why the app asks for the assistant role.
Shortcuts worth adding
- Messaging: a specific conversation.
- Maps: navigate home, navigate to work.
- Camera: take a selfie, record video.
- Notes and tasks: new note, new reminder.
- Payments: scan to pay.
Frequently asked questions
Why does an app show no shortcuts?
Not every app provides them. Dynamic shortcuts, such as recent chats, appear only after you have used the app.
Do shortcuts work from a work profile?
Yes. Long Press Menu lists apps and shortcuts from your work profile as well, marked separately.
Is there a limit on menu items?
The free version holds six items. The one-time Pro purchase removes that limit and the ads.