We all hear about these days is: Get this hot new app to increase your productivity or improve your health. These apps aren’t always what they promise to be, and cost money and time.
What if we are all overlooking the obvious: It’s quicker, cheaper, and easier to use the apps that come pre-installed on our smartphones to improve our lives and have a smarter lifestyle. These apps can do much more than most people realise: daily tasks like scheduling, navigation, scanning, and various types of communication.
They don’t need any cash or wifi, because they are already right there on your phone, straight out of the box.
In this blog post, I will guide you on how to save time and money by avoiding clutter and saving storage space on your phone. Best of all, it will help you appreciate what you already have.
Tips to Maximize Your Phone’s Default Features
Organize Your Day with Calendar and Reminders
Generic calendar apps that come with your Samsung, iPhone, or any Android smartphone at all are often more powerful than you might have thought.
These built-in apps serve a variety of functions, such as:
- Easy event scheduling with customizable titles, times, and reminders to help organize daily tasks efficiently.
- Automatic syncing across devices ensures events and updates remain accessible on smartphones, tablets, and computers.
- Built-in reminders and notifications keep users updated about meetings, appointments, and deadlines without missing important events.
- Integration with contacts and email simplifies inviting participants, sharing events, and coordinating schedules effortlessly.
- Simple monthly, weekly, and daily views provide flexible options to visualize schedules and manage time effectively.
The best way to use these apps, in our view, is to use them to become organized and get used to using your phone for scheduling, and then, when you are used to using them, decide if you need to upgrade to a paid app. But these free ones will do the job in getting those fundamental organizational skills and productivity up to scratch, instead of shelling out for a new app and never using it.
There are many powerful navigation apps out there, but Google is the original and the best, having provided the groundwork for every similar app that came after it. If the map ain’t broken, why try to fix it, right?
Google Maps, which is free and on most phones straight out of the box, is great for:
- Turn-by-turn navigation with voice guidance helps users reach destinations quickly and avoid confusing routes.
- Real-time traffic updates display delays, accidents, and alternate routes to optimize travel times.
- Public transit directions include schedules, transfers, and walking guidance for buses, trains, and subways.
- Business listings show hours, reviews, photos, and contact details for restaurants, shops, and services.
- Offline maps allow navigation in areas without internet access, ensuring reliable guidance anywhere.
As a final tip for using free navigation apps like Google Maps, you can integrate it with ride-sharing services and public transit services to save money using an app that’s already free. Many other apps do not offer this functionality, and you have to pay to use them in the first place, making Google Maps a great free yet powerful option for getting around safely, simply, and cheaply.
Boost Productivity with Files, Drive, and Document Scanning
The next function you will want to think about is how to organize and store files. Well, you don’t have to download any extra apps for this either, because the Files app is usually well-suited to the task and more powerful than you might assume. Cloud tools are also included as standard on many devices, but usually only for a small amount of storage at the free level.
Within this category are also scanning apps. Instead of rushing onto the App Store or Google Play Store, use Drive or Notes to replace standalone scanner apps. They are easy to use, functional, and effective for simple tasks, so don’t overlook them just because they came pre-installed.
A final point to be aware of is that some of these free, generic versions of file storage apps do not offer security features like built-in encryption and password protection. For these features, you may need to look at paid apps.
Voice Assistants for Hands-Free Living
Voice-activated and controlled devices make all our lives easier. Why make an additional challenge to this process by downloading external apps when the generic ones that come free with devices do the job perfectly well?
Chatbots like Siri, Google Assistant, and Alexa integration can handle calls, texts, alarms, and searches without even touching your phone. And most of these apps come pre-installed on many devices, so you don’t have to bother downloading anything to enjoy many hands-free functions.
These functions are especially useful for people who struggle to use smartphones in conventional ways because they don’t need to hold the phone to use it and can use their voice instead. Accessibility is increased because no additional downloads are necessary.
For those with different needs, it becomes easy to set timers, dictate notes, and ask for quick facts using voice assistants.
Finding Trusted Insights
It can be hard to find the best guides on how to use apps that are already on your phone. If the ways you want to use apps aren’t covered in this guide, try using a best reviews guide to discover the best ways to use apps that are on your phone straight out of the box.
These guides can help smartphone users understand features of different apps, hidden settings, and expert-tested tips to optimize their smartphones without spending a cent on new apps or a single second on downloading anything new.
Use experimentation and research to get the best results from built-in apps.
Summing Up
Every smartphone user is bombarded by encouragement to buy new apps, but what’s wrong with the ones that come pre-installed? Many of them are powerful tools that make everyday life easier.
It’s a fun journey to explore these apps without writing them off, before rushing to download new apps that cost money and take up much-needed storage space.
Smarter living often starts with what you already have, not giving in to what you desire. Start with default, generic apps to learn what you need from an app, and go from there.
