How to access your most-used app actions even more quickly.

Android’s home screen is immensely customizable. While users mostly focus on icon packs, widgets, and launchers, one small, incredibly useful feature often flies under the radar: your ability to add shortcuts right to the home screen.

Android introduced the concept of actionable shortcuts years ago, and many popular apps have embraced it. Those are the options you see when you press and hold an app icon on the home screen. For example, a long-press on the icon for the Notes app might show you an option to create a new voice note, while Spotify lets you start a search without actually opening the app.

While these shortcuts are handy, it’s even better to directly add them to the home screen, giving you even quicker access to your favorites actions (much faster than a tap and hold).

How to add app shortcuts to the Android home screen

App shortcuts are launcher agnostic. As long as you use a modern Android smartphone, they will work. First, find the app with a frequently used shortcut and press and hold the app icon. You’ll see three shortcuts options appear. Press and hold a shortcut, drag anywhere on the home screen and lift your finger. That’s it: You have just turned a shortcut into a home screen icon.

The best app shortcuts you should try on Android

Now that you know how it works, you’ll want more (and there are quite a lot of them, actually). You can even have a home screen dedicated to just shortcuts, if that’s your thing. Here’s a quick list of recommendations to get you started.

App shortcuts are launcher agnostic. As long as you use a modern Android smartphone, they will work. First, find the app with a frequently used shortcut and press and hold the app icon. You’ll see three shortcuts options appear. Press and hold a shortcut, drag anywhere on the home screen and lift your finger. That’s it: You have just turned a shortcut into a home screen icon.

The best app shortcuts you should try on Android

Now that you know how it works, you’ll want more (and there are quite a lot of them, actually). You can even have a home screen dedicated to just shortcuts, if that’s your thing. Here’s a quick list of recommendations to get you started.

There’s a lot more to try

These shortcuts are integrated into all sorts of messaging and productivity apps. If you use an app often, check what shortcuts are available (all it takes, of course, is a tap and hold action on the app icon). If you find something you do often, add it to the home screen, and use it as needed.