Is there an alternative for Tasker in AppStore.

[Dinh]

Hi

I'm planning to move from Android to iOS. One of my concern is that there isn't something to Tasker in Appstore.

Am I wrong?
Do you see in Future we might get something like Tasker in Appstore.

In case you are unware of it, Tasker really puts the 'Smart' in Smartphones.
For example it cas do various cool stuff such as:

1) Depending on you location (without GPS) it can , Turn on / off wifi and Data.
Basically as soon as you enter home, your wifi can be turned on and connected.
It automatically turns off as soon as you exit home.

2)launch a music application when headphones are connected

3) Set Periodic AutoSyncs ( and thus save battery)

4) Automatically turns on GPS when you open Maps.

And many MANY other cool stuff.

For a more comprehensive list:

-passcode-lock sensitive applications (e.g. for child safety)
-change phone settings by
application: long screen timeout in a book reader
time: screen brightness lower in the evening
location: ringer volume high at the office, turn off ke yguard at home
-wake up with a random song from your music collection
-Text-to-speech; read out loud: incoming SMS/ phone number, ...

http://tasker.dinglisch.net/.

Now I use this App extensively , and it's one thing holding me back..

Is there any similar app in Appstore?

Please say YES

 

[Zcott]

1) Depending on you location (without GPS) it can , Turn on / off wifi and Data.
Basically as soon as you enter home, your wifi can be turned on and connected.
It automatically turns off as soon as you exit home.

No, but from my experience, wifi and data can be left on without much battery drain.

2)launch a music application when headphones are connected

No, but it will pause your music when headphones are unplugged.

3) Set Periodic AutoSyncs ( and thus save battery)

iOS devices back up to iCloud only when on power, so no battery saving needed. Also, if you want to sync media with iTunes, it'll only sync when plugged in or manually started.

4) Automatically turns on GPS when you open Maps.

GPS is only activated when you open an app that requires GPS.

passcode-lock sensitive applications (e.g. for child safety)

No.

-change phone settings by
application: long screen timeout in a book reader
time: screen brightness lower in the evening
location: ringer volume high at the office, turn off ke yguard at home

iOS will keep the screen on when reading iBooks, I think. Or if it doesn't, turn the page often ;-) It also won't do location-based changes like ringer volume (yet! I think this is a great idea) but it will lower the screen brightness depending on the ambient light. There's a light sensor on the front of the device near the top.

-wake up with a random song from your music collection

There might be an app for this but I'm not sure.

-Text-to-speech; read out loud: incoming SMS/ phone number, ...

Yes, Siri will read out messages if you ask, or there might an accessibility setting to read all messages and incoming calls.

Hope this helps slightly.

 

[matrix07]

Hi

I'm planning to move from Android to iOS. One of my concern is that there isn't something to Tasker in Appstore.

Am I wrong?
Do you see in Future we might get something like Tasker in Appstore.

In case you are unware of it, Tasker really puts the 'Smart' in Smartphones.
For example it cas do various cool stuff such as:

1) Depending on you location (without GPS) it can , Turn on / off wifi and Data.
Basically as soon as you enter home, your wifi can be turned on and connected.
It automatically turns off as soon as you exit home.

2)launch a music application when headphones are connected

3) Set Periodic AutoSyncs ( and thus save battery)

4) Automatically turns on GPS when you open Maps.

And many MANY other cool stuff.

For a more comprehensive list:



http://tasker.dinglisch.net/.

Now I use this App extensively , and it's one thing holding me back..

Is there any similar app in Appstore?

Please say YES

I don't know why you need all that. In iOS you just have to trust the OS. Like I only turn off Wi-Fi when it connected to slow network. Keeping it on all the time didn't affect my battery much. Or why do you want to launch music app when plug in headphone since you might want to watch video instead. Map will connect to GPS or Hot Spot when needed. etc.
It's a different OS with different personality. But with iOS you don't need to micro-manage things like that. For example, you don't need to check what apps you left open in the Fast App Switching aka Multi-Tasking Tray or try to manage memory because the OS will handle it automatically. You just use app and enjoy.
If you're a techie you might not like it. But if you are people who use phone to enjoy things then it is a great OS.

 

[arteggio]

Regarding child safety things there are options for content restrictions, which you could try if that's a concern of yours.

#1 sounds like something you could find in Cydia, the jailbroken (rooted-equivalent) store. It might not exist, but it probably could. (Not that that's a helpful response.)

Same with #2. Since the headphone sensor can sense when the headphones are removed, it shouldn't be difficult to create a little tweak that plays when they're put back in.

But really, changing things based on location should not be difficult either, even though they don't exist. Apple (everyone?) calls this geofencing, and it's used for location-based reminders. It could turn off data and change alarm settings — I would love my phone to go on vibrate every time I set foot on my campus. There are a few jailbroken apps able to set a schedule for it to go on vibrate though, but last I checked they weren't even working with iOS 5.

As for the time function in the evening, an iOS/Mac/Linux/Windows app called f.lux will probably be useful. Instead of dimming, it changes the color tint so that it's warmer; the effect is probably similar to what you're used to.

Note though, this requires jailbreaking, which the iPhone 5 probably won't have for months.

Here's a thread on Verge asking about Tasker with some replies.

In my opinion, although the iPhone is limited, it won't really stab you in the back. Data-wise you can limit push notifications, downloading of apps over cellular, etc, or if you're worried you can turn data off manually. Brightness-wise you can turn the phone off and back on to see if it will automatically adjust to your dimmer evening lighting, or you just might have to tap a few times to get to Settings and manually lower it.

Limited compared to what you're used to, but not bad.

EDIT: This:

In iOS you just have to trust the OS.

 

[Dinh]

Thanks a lot guys.
So there are work arounds
Nice to know.


And by the way, I would rather trust myself than an OS.
(No offense meant)

 

[The Phazer]

And by the way, I would rather trust myself than an OS.
(No offense meant)

Exactly right. Tasker is brilliant, but iOS wouldn't allow anything even approaching it.

Also, don't believe anyone who says that leaving wifi on doesn't affect battery. Of course it does, very significantly, especially if you're moving at a relatively slow speed (i.e. walking) in an area with a lot of networks around that you don't have access too.

Phazer

 

[matrix07]

Exactly right. Tasker is brilliant, but iOS wouldn't allow anything even approaching it.

Also, don't believe anyone who says that leaving wifi on doesn't affect battery. Of course it does, very significantly, especially if you're moving at a relatively slow speed (i.e. walking) in an area with a lot of networks around that you don't have access too.

Phazer

I leave it on all day long without any effect. I turn it off only where I think 3G is faster. I never see anyone with iPhone turn thier Wi-Fi off when left office. If it's so bad I would notice it already. YMMV.

----------

And by the way, I would rather trust myself than an OS.
(No offense meant)

Then it may not be your thing. Like I said, techie probably doesn't like it.

 

[cynics]

iOS is pretty good with the gps. It will show you a gps icon in the task bar when the gps is activated by an 3rd party app. Apps like find friends won't but it will show the gps was used in the last 24 hours in settings.

I've tried every possible combo and in the end iOS manages the battery well enough for me not to bother turning any function off. However I still will if say I'm away from home and I know I won't be near any wifi for a week or whatever. I never turn gps off because 'find my iPhone" uses it.

 

[Dinh]

I also use to clear the lock screen when I'm home and it automatically sets the pin when I'm outside.

I don't think this can be done ?

 

[amro]

Tasker is awesome. I will miss it when I go back to iPhone.

I don't like using it to set things based on GPS. I use for triggers like setting the volume depending on where I am. For instance, when I get in the car and bluetooth connects, I have the volume go to max just in case I had it on mute. When I go to work, I have the volume set to mute/vibrate when it senses the company wifi. I don't even have to connect to it. And of course, when I get home and connect to my wifi, volume goes up and screen lock is disabled. If I disconnect from my wifi, screen lock comes back on.

I will miss all that.

 

[rnodern]

i think we've all established that a tasker equivalent is not in the appstore, but what about Cydia?

 

[DrJOet]

I am about to embark on the same journey. I have heard of an app called something like "if this then that". I've yet to get my iPhone in hand and check the app store. I hope something similar does come along.

 

[ScottDaisy]

Wi-Fi is a local area wireless technology that allows an electronic device to participate in computer networking in some area, it would lose connection if you leave this area. And wifi will reconnection if you come back again.

Apple restricts many third-party wares. So many interesting wares only can be used it you phone is jailbreak.

 

[arskiracer]

I love tasker. It's too bad it's not available on the app store. I use it on my Android phone to auto announce my text messages through my truck's Bluetooth headset connection (and only that particular Bluetooth I'd) while I'm driving. It's also great for auto texting my wife if my battery ever gets down to 5% and I'm unaware of it. It's also great that is sets my phone to vibrate only when a calendar event has me as busy, so that I don't have to remember to silence my phone during every meeting and then unsilence after the meeting is over. These are the kind of automated tasks that should be built into every OS from the factory. It's the way smart phones were meant to be.

 

[delacosta456]

hi all
thanks for all explanations...
i was looking for Tasker alternative too before switching to iphone when i reach this discussion...

Regarding to all this discussion can we ask apple to developp a similar app?

 

[drsrikb]

I use both iOS and Android and jump from one to another frequently once I get bored and out of curiosity. I just need to say this. All said and done about positive things about iPhone and iOS, Tasker is just awesome and there's nothing to match it on iOS. May be some doesn't want to give tight control over iOS , may be this control makes iOS more secure, may be you can find excuses to say we don't need all those features on Tasker for iPhone. But the fact is there's nothing like Tasker on iOS. Also I'm damn sure if anytime ever something similar gets launched on iOS, then it will be called "revolutionary"/"game changer"

 

[MandiMac]

I use both iOS and Android and jump from one to another frequently once I get bored and out of curiosity. I just need to say this. All said and done about positive things about iPhone and iOS, Tasker is just awesome and there's nothing to match it on iOS. May be some doesn't want to give tight control over iOS , may be this control makes iOS more secure, may be you can find excuses to say we don't need all those features on Tasker for iPhone. But the fact is there's nothing like Tasker on iOS. Also I'm damn sure if anytime ever something similar gets launched on iOS, then it will be called "revolutionary"/"game changer"

You mean Shortcuts? Way to go to resurrect a four year old thread

 

[kdave]

I use both iOS and Android and jump from one to another frequently once I get bored and out of curiosity. I just need to say this. All said and done about positive things about iPhone and iOS, Tasker is just awesome and there's nothing to match it on iOS. May be some doesn't want to give tight control over iOS , may be this control makes iOS more secure, may be you can find excuses to say we don't need all those features on Tasker for iPhone. But the fact is there's nothing like Tasker on iOS. Also I'm damn sure if anytime ever something similar gets launched on iOS, then it will be called "revolutionary"/"game changer"

Absolutely. And this comment is still relevant for this thread even after 8 years. If something like it was ever released on the App Store, they would lose their whole customer base because everyone's heads would explode.