Tasker is right up there with our lord Matias Duarte in the amount of love it gets from the Android community. There's really no other way to get anywhere close to the same kind of automation running on your device. The new v4.4 update adds even more functionality to this already robust app. Heck, you almost don't have to touch the phone anymore. That doesn't really sound as fun, though.

Massive v4.4 changelog incoming.

  • action category System
  • state System / Active User
  • testing Mobile Data via Net / Test Net
  • initial NDK framework for device compatibility testing
  • AutoCast, UDPSender, Send/Expect and Twilight to action plugin suggestions list
  • state Power: added Other
  • event: Steps Taken (Android API 19+)
  • event: Received Data SMS
  • action HTTP Get/Post: added optional User Agent parameter
  • action Element Focus
  • event Assistance Request (drag up through bottom-middle of display)
  • contact group matching via CG:groupmatch
  • contact group selection dialog e.g. for Call state
  • action Phone / Test: Contact Email, Name, Nickname, Organisation
  • state NFC Status (Android API 18+)
  • element Button, Text, EditText: font parameter (inc App Factory packaging)
  • action Test Tasker: global vars, local vars, profiles (named), scenes and tasks (named)
  • action Run Shell (not root): Stop action from another task will interrupt shell process and give result code 258
  • scene element Image: Click Highlight Colour
  • Test Display: Display AutoRotate and Orientation
  • Servers Ultimate, Screenshot Easy, Task Light to builtin action plugin list
  • monitor notification: pulldown action: disable (Android API 15+)
  • prefs / monitor: two custom pulldown action tasks (Android API 15+)
  • variables in action labels are replaced when action is logged to Run Log
  • Run Log: Perform Task mentions task name
  • Run Log: warning about disclosing sensitive info in variables
  • Prefs / Monitor / Display Off: control for magnetic field sensor
  • action Set Tasker Pref: setting for Steps and Magnetic Field sensor
  • sensors in Prefs / Monitor / Display Off Monitoring, option Yes, And Keep Android Awake
  • condition operators equals and not-equals (strings)
  • Day Select: added Last month day
  • BT Connected state: detection of existing connections for some device classes (headset, health, a2dp)
  • action: Battery Info settings: help text noting that it's not usable with Samsung ROMs

Actually, that's just part of the changelog (the new features). There are also huge sections of bugfixes and changes to existing functionality, which you can see on the Tasker site. Seriously, this app is like the most Android thing ever.

[Tasker]