Seven automation tools for iPhone and Android, scored on one published rubric. Every price, store rating and fact links to the page it came from, with the date it was checked.
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Short answer
The best phone automation in 2026 is Apple Shortcuts on iPhone: it scores 8.2 out of 10, it is free and built in, and Apple lists 20 triggers that can run it without asking12. On Android, MacroDroid (8.0) is the easiest strong pick and runs 5 macros free3; Automate (7.6) gives every feature free up to 30 running blocks4, and Tasker (7.5) goes deepest for a one-time $4.497.
Tasker350+ actions and JavaScript for $4.49 once; 7-day trial789
This ranking covers apps that make your own phone act on its own: a routine when you get home, silence at the office, a text when the battery runs low. If you run a business and want an AI to answer your phone line, the AI phone answering ranking covers that, led by Retell AI at 7.9.
Built in or third party, by phone
Apple, Google and Samsung each build an automation tool into their phones. The table shows what each tool leaves out and which app fills the gap.
Phone
Built-in tool
What it leaves out
Add this app
iPhone
Apple Shortcuts: free, with 20 triggers that can run without asking2
Actions beyond what the apps on the phone expose10, and web requests that sign in with OAuth 211
IFTTT, for 1,000+ web services and smart-home devices12
Google Pixel
Rules: a Wi-Fi network or a location turns on Do Not Disturb, silent, vibrate or ring13
Any trigger beyond Wi-Fi and location, and any action outside sound13
Shortcuts is Apple's automation app: it ships as a built-in app on iPhone and iPad and is listed as free on the App Store115. It chains hundreds of actions drawn from the apps on your devices, with variables, If and Repeat logic, web API requests and Apple Intelligence models1023302629. Automations fire on events such as a time of day, arriving at a place, a Wi-Fi network or an NFC tag, and Apple lists 20 triggers that can run without a confirmation tap2.
Price Free and built into iPhone and iPad; Apple Intelligence cloud models in Shortcuts have daily usage limits15129
Score breakdown for Apple Shortcuts
Power 25%
8.0
Ease of use 25%
8.0
Reliability 20%
8.0
Price 15%
9.5
Privacy 15%
7.5
Strengths
Free and preinstalled: Shortcuts is a built-in Apple app on iPhone and iPad115.
20 triggers can run without asking, from Time of Day and Arrive to NFC, Battery Level and Charger2.
Real program logic: variables, If with Otherwise If, Repeat loops, web API requests and storage actions that keep data between runs23242526.
Weak spots
Apple devices only: the App Store listing covers iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple Watch and Apple Vision15.
By default an automation sends a notification asking you to run it27. Apple lists 20 triggers that can run without asking, and the Notifications, Keyboard and Screenshot triggers added in iOS 27 are missing from that list224.
Automations sync to your other devices but arrive there turned off2728.
MacroDroid builds each automation from a trigger, a list of actions and optional constraints, drawn from over 120 triggers, 200 actions and 80 constraints3. The free version runs up to 5 macros with ads, and a one-time Pro payment removes the ads and the limit, with no subscription335. ArloSoft Ltd, a UK company, publishes it on Google Play, where it has been listed since 2012363.
Price Free for up to 5 macros with ads; Pro is a one-time payment with no subscription3.
Score breakdown for MacroDroid
Power 25%
9.0
Ease of use 25%
8.5
Reliability 20%
7.0
Price 15%
8.5
Privacy 15%
6.5
Strengths
Free for up to 5 macros, and Pro is a one-time payment with no subscription3.
Over 120 triggers, 200 actions and 80 constraints cover location, sensors, notifications and webhooks3.
Hundreds of community templates3 install in a couple of taps and download without an account31.
Weak spots
Built for Android only32; iPhone owners need another app.
The free version shows ads, and Google Play's data safety form lists device IDs shared for advertising33.
Airplane mode, mobile data and battery saver actions need a permission granted over ADB from a computer, through Shizuku, or with root34.
Automate is an Android app from LlamaLab in which every automation is a flowchart of blocks, and each block performs a single task38. Every feature works in the free edition up to 30 running blocks, and Premium lifts that cap with one in-app purchase4. LlamaLab's privacy policy says the app shows no ads, gathers no usage statistics and keeps flows on the device39.
Price Free with every feature up to 30 running blocks; Premium is a one-time $4.99 in-app purchase on Google Play in the US45
Score breakdown for Automate
Power 25%
9.0
Ease of use 25%
6.0
Reliability 20%
7.0
Price 15%
9.0
Privacy 15%
7.5
Strengths
Every feature is in the free edition; the only limit is 30 running blocks at once4.
Premium is one in-app purchase that covers every device on the buying Google account4.
More than 410 blocks, plus variables, expressions, Locale/Tasker plug-ins and HTTP webhooks537.
Weak spots
Android only: LlamaLab offers no iPhone, PC or online edition16.
Flowcharts take learning: a flow stops at any unconnected dot, and one block acts as a trigger or a condition depending on its Proceed option1638.
Flows restart after a reboot only when you turn on Run on system startup, and many phones need battery settings changed by hand16.
Modes and Routines is Samsung's automation feature for Galaxy phones and tablets. A routine runs the actions under Then when the trigger under If happens, and a mode bundles settings such as Do not disturb for an activity like work, exercise or relaxing617. It started as Bixby Routines on the Galaxy S10 in 20194344.
Price Free and preinstalled on Galaxy phones; the Routines+ add-on is also free1742
Score breakdown for Samsung Modes and Routines
Power 25%
6.5
Ease of use 25%
8.5
Reliability 20%
7.5
Price 15%
9.5
Privacy 15%
6.0
Strengths
Free and already in Settings on Galaxy phones and tablets, so there is nothing to install617.
Preset modes with guided setup and recommended routines give a starting point you can edit6.
Routines run from Bixby, Google Assistant, a Home screen widget or a Lock screen shortcut while the phone stays locked6.
Weak spots
Tied to Samsung hardware: Samsung documents it for Galaxy phones and tablets, and there is no Google Play listing640.
Samsung's support pages give no full list of conditions and actions, and availability varies by device and software version6.
Samsung's own guide tells owners to check that power-saving modes are not restricting routines and modes41.
Tasker runs tasks, which are sets of actions, when the contexts in a profile match: app, time, date, location, event or gesture46. The Google Play version lists 350+ actions and 130+ states and events and costs a one-time $4.49 in the US store, with a 7-day trial as a direct download79. João Dias took over the app in March 2018, and version 6.7.8 shipped on Nov 2, 20264950.
Price A one-time $4.49 on Google Play in the US; the free direct-download trial expires after 7 days79.
Score breakdown for Tasker
Power 25%
9.5
Ease of use 25%
5.5
Reliability 20%
7.0
Price 15%
7.5
Privacy 15%
8.0
Strengths
350+ actions and 130+ states and events cover settings, SMS, notifications, files, music and location7.
One payment of $4.49 on Google Play in the US, and all updates are free745.
JavaScript, a Java Code action for native Android APIs and Shizuku integration for root-level actions without root818.
Weak spots
Built for Android only46; iPhone owners need another app.
No permanent free version: the direct-download trial expires after 7 days9.
The Play version toggles Wi-Fi only through Shizuku or the separate Tasker Settings app1847, and Android 14 and newer block a normal install of Tasker Settings; it goes on through Shizuku or ADB48.
Rules lives in the Settings app on Google Pixel phones and began rolling out in the Pixel feature drop of March 2, 202051. A rule watches for a Wi-Fi network or a location, then turns on Do Not Disturb or sets the phone to silent, vibrate or ring13. Google says Rules needs all-the-time location access and that the location data stays on the phone19.
Price No separate charge: Rules is part of the Settings app on Pixel phones19; the US Google Store lists Pixel 10a from $59952
Score breakdown for Google Pixel Rules
Power 25%
2.0
Ease of use 25%
9.0
Reliability 20%
7.5
Price 15%
9.5
Privacy 15%
8.0
Strengths
No install and no separate charge: Rules is part of the Settings app on Pixel phones19.
One short setup path, Settings > System > Rules > Add rule, and the Pixel suggests rules from your routine13.
Google says the location data Rules uses stays on the phone and is not sent to Google19.
Weak spots
Two triggers only: a Wi-Fi network or a location. Google documents no time, Bluetooth, app or battery triggers for Rules13.
Four actions only, all about sound: Do Not Disturb, silent, vibrate and ring13.
Tied to Pixel phones: Google documents Rules in Pixel Phone Help19 and shipped it in a Pixel feature drop51.
IFTTT runs Applets: a trigger in one service starts actions in others, with optional queries, filters, delays and multiple actions5722. Phone services such as Location, Android SMS and Android Phone Call need the IFTTT app installed and signed in, while Applets between cloud services run through the cloud without it58. Since October 2026 every plan includes every Applet feature, and plans differ by monthly credits, polling speed and support5359.
Price Free plan with 1,000 credits a month; paid plans from $2.09/mo billed annually or $2.99 billed monthly22
Score breakdown for IFTTT
Power 25%
5.5
Ease of use 25%
8.5
Reliability 20%
5.0
Price 15%
6.5
Privacy 15%
4.0
Strengths
The Free plan includes every Applet feature, including filters, queries, delays and multiple actions, with 1,000 credits a month5322.
Connects a phone to 1,000+ services, including smart-home devices such as Philips Hue and MyQ12.
Apps for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch, and for Android phones and Wear OS2120.
Weak spots
Little direct control of phone settings: the Android Device service has 8 actions, covering wallpaper, music, Google Maps navigation, ringtone and Do Not Disturb54.
Applets pause when the month's credits run out, unused credits do not roll over, and payments are non-refundable5355.
The Free plan checks polling triggers once an hour56.
Phone makers add battery savers that stop apps running in the background. Don't kill my app!, a site that tracks this brand by brand, says the manufacturers on its list prefer battery life over apps working properly. It scores each maker by how hard it stops background apps: Xiaomi, Samsung, OnePlus and Huawei get its worst score, 5, and stock Android gets 060. It says Pixel phones have the lowest chance of trouble with background work61. On Samsung it reports that an unused app cannot start from the background after 3 days, which stops alarms, and it advises turning off Adaptive battery and Put apps to sleep62. A July 2024 update on the same page quotes Samsung's promise that from One UI 6.0, foreground services of apps targeting Android 14 work as intended62.
The app makers document the same problem. MacroDroid's guide says Xiaomi, Huawei, Oppo, Vivo and Samsung battery management can stop it even after the standard exemption63. Tasker's developer warns that Android can withhold the signals Tasker needs, or kill it, unless several settings change64, and LlamaLab lists the battery settings to change by hand on Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei, OnePlus and other phones16. Built-in tools run inside the system, though Samsung still tells owners to check that power saving is not restricting routines41.
The fix, from Tasker's FAQ65; MacroDroid's guide gives the first and last steps too63:
Turn off battery optimization for the app and its plug-ins.
Allow background activity in the app's battery settings.
No; Google sign-in is optional, for TaskerNet imports and Google Drive. Buying on Google Play needs a Google account; the direct-purchase version does not4770
Apple Shortcuts on iPhone and MacroDroid on Android. Shortcuts scores 8.2 on this site's rubric and comes free and built in1; MacroDroid scores 8.0 and runs 5 macros free, with a one-time Pro upgrade3.
What is phone automation?
Phone automation makes a phone run actions by itself when an event happens. Apple's Shortcuts runs automations on events such as a time of day, arriving at a location or opening an app27, and Tasker runs sets of actions when contexts such as an app, a time, a location or a gesture match46.
How do I automate my phone?
On an iPhone, open a shortcut in the Shortcuts app and add an automation trigger such as Time of Day, Arrive or NFC2. On a Galaxy, open Settings > Modes and Routines6; on a Pixel, Settings > System > Rules13. For more on Android, install MacroDroid and build a macro from a trigger, actions and optional constraints3.
Which is better, MacroDroid or Tasker?
MacroDroid for most people: it scores 8.0 against Tasker's 7.5, is far easier to learn (8.5 against 5.5 on ease) and runs 5 macros free3. Tasker gives more control, with 350+ actions and JavaScript, for a one-time $4.4978. The full comparison has the details.
Is Automate for Android free?
Yes. Every feature works free as long as no more than 30 blocks, the steps of a flow, run at once, with no limit on stored flows; Premium removes the cap for a one-time $4.99 on Google Play in the US45.
Does Android have automations like iPhone?
Yes. Samsung builds Modes and Routines into Galaxy Settings6, and Pixel phones have Rules for Wi-Fi networks and places13. Apps go further: MacroDroid has over 120 triggers and 200 actions3, and Tasker 350+ actions7.
Why does my iPhone automation ask before running?
By default, an automation sends a notification asking you to run it27. For the 20 triggers Apple lists, tap the shortcut, tap Edit, open Privacy and turn on Allow Running When Locked; some actions also have to be set to run automatically2.
Why do automation apps stop working on Android?
Battery savers. MacroDroid, Tasker and Automate each document phone makers' battery managers stopping them636416. Turn off battery optimization for the app, allow background activity and follow your brand's steps at dontkillmyapp.com65.
Can I automate phone calls?
On Android, yes: Automate has blocks that control phone calls5, and IFTTT's Android Phone Call service has 6 call triggers73. A business that wants an AI to answer or place calls needs an AI phone service, ranked on the AI phone answering page.
Is there an app that answers phone calls with AI?
Yes. RingCentral's AI Receptionist app for iPhone has a free plan with 10 call minutes and a business number74, and Smith.ai's free AI plan answers 25 calls a month75. Both are scored on the AI phone answering page.
Recent changes
First published: 7 phone automation apps and 8 AI phone answering services scored on two published rubrics, with 5 situational shortlists, 6 head-to-head comparisons, a built-in vs third-party table by phone brand, and an AI phone answering cost estimate at 100 and 300 calls a month.