I ignored Samsung's best automation feature for years, and now I can't imagine using my phone without it

Published Jul 27, 2026, 6:00 AM EDT Abhishek is an author at XDA who covers computing. He has loved computers since he got the Lenovo G570 in 2012. Abhishek holds a master's degree in computer applications and began his writing career in 2018. He loves writing how-to articles, listicles, and informational posts on popular operating systems and web services. He closely follows the Windows Insider program and tests new Insider builds to discover upcoming experimental features and upgrades. His past work includes long-term collaborations with reputed publications like Tom's Hardware, and Windows Latest. When not writing anything, he is busy watching new episodes of One Piece or searching for something binge-worthy. I try to keep my Samsung phone as simple as possible. There was once a time when I liked launchers, tweaking tools, installing beta versions of MIUI, and doing other risky stuff. But as my focus shifted more towards computers, I stopped experimenting and settled for the default UI experience. I had never played with phone automation features until recently, and became a fan of how I could build custom modes and routines to simplify my life. Samsung has been offering Bixby routines for a long time now, but in recent One UI versions, the feature has been renamed to Modes and Routines. They sound like similar concepts, but there are some huge differences between the two. Rather than clubbing them together, I'll describe each feature in detail along with the options I use to automate my Samsung phone actions. Modes work well for a specific situation Multiple actions in one go Think of modes as profiles. For example, if you enter your workplace, your phone should automatically enter silent or DND mode, turn off most app notifications, and trigger focus mode to isolate you with only useful, work-related apps like Teams or Slack. It's easy to understand that these are multiple actions that a mode has to execute in one go. That's why they are similar to a profile you might already use on your phone. A relatable example is a gaming mode that can curb all the background processes and notifications, and divert all the power to your phone. I use the Sleep mode on my phone, but I have a custom configuration for it. Usually, you can set Sleep mode to activate based on your sleep schedule. All you need to do is specify a time when you generally fall asleep at night, and the phone will apply the mode at that time. But there's a flaw in this approach if you have an erratic sleep schedule like mine. So, I use a different condition to activate it. My phone should enter Sleep mode only when I disconnect it from the home Wi-Fi network. So, I use the Add condition option in settings to find a Wi-Fi-related condition. I can create a condition that checks if my phone is connected to my Wi-Fi network and triggers Sleep mode using that information. All I need to do is add the network name and select the Disconnected option. After saving the changes, my phone will automatically enter the mode whenever I disconnect it from my home Wi-Fi. Similarly, you can create a custom condition based on location or any other parameter. I also like the idea that Samsung doesn't restrict tweaks to what changes the mode makes on your phone. When you set it up for the first time, you can choose actions that happen when the mode activates. I prefer the sleep mode to turn on DND, enable grayscale, and turn off Always-on display and app notifications. There's a provision to let the phone bypass DND settings for repeat callers because it could be an emergency. Routines are custom automation rules Automating individual tasks Routines follow the "If this, then that" logic, and are suitable for single actions, yet complex scenarios. Modes can activate on a single condition, but routines can combine one or multiple conditions to perform custom actions. One routine I use automatically disconnects my phone from my Bluetooth soundbar whenever I receive a call. It’s a very specific situation that the default available modes cannot handle. But I created a routine for it. To do that, I set the “If” condition to “Incoming call,” which provides a situation in which the routine should trigger. Next, I specified a “Then” condition that explains the action the routine will perform when my phone receives a call. I picked a category like Connections, and then chose the “Disconnect from a Bluetooth device” option. Then I selected the speaker from the list of paired devices. The routine is smart enough to realize that this is a temporary action, and it automatically adds a new action after the call ends. It will reconnect to the speaker, and this routine is a lifesaver when I don’t want to hear loud voices from the soundbar and want to maintain privacy. Other relatable routines that you might also find useful are turning off Bluetooth discovery when you disconnect your wireless earbuds or enabling maximum brightness when your phone connects to your car’s Bluetooth and is in charging mode. You can explore the available categories and try to build automations for problems that are unique to you, but the phone's UI or app doesn't have a setting for it. Modes and Routines aren’t contradicting features I use both of them Modes work best for performing actions that can contribute to achieving a broader goal. Sleep mode tries to remove all distractions, turn off features that might disturb your sleep, and keep doing so until the condition is met. Similarly, if you use theater mode or game mode, these will execute a set of actions that will make your movie or gaming session more convenient. Without modes, you'd have to manually change each setting every time you switched to a different use case, like work or gaming. Routines will always try to solve a specific problem, one that doesn't always fall under a specific mode. They are flexible and can use one or more conditions to perform one or more actions, but you have to make manual efforts to set them up. Use them only when you think the preconfigured modes can't automate the phone the way you want. Automation is bliss My Samsung phone feels more intelligent, and I need to make very little effort to adjust it. I used to see it as a complex, unintelligent feature that was mere bloatware, but modes help me manage my work and sleep schedules, while nifty routines can tweak phone settings for a custom scenario. Both of these are indispensable assets, and if you've ever used this One UI feature, I urge you to try it. Samsung Galaxy S26 SoC Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Display 6.3-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x The latest flasghip smarphone series from Samsung with new Ai features.