Tips and tricks - Android shortcut widget

Although Android has a Quick Settings box you can use to quickly adjust certain preferences on the phone or tablet, not all the system controls are immediately available there. For those more obscure settings that you use regularly (like Data Usage or Accessibility), you can make your own direct shortcut widget for the home screen.

To select your specific settings widget, tap the All Apps icon on the Android home screen. On the top of the Apps screen, tap the Widgets tab. Several screens’ worth of potential screen widgets appear; swipe to the left until you get to the Settings widget. Press your finger and hold your finger on the Settings widget until your device’s home screen appears and you can drag the icon where you want it.

Once you have moved the widget into position, a menu of possible settings opens. Tap the Settings category you wish to use. For example, if you select “Sound & Notification,” the new widget becomes a shortcut that goes right to the screen of volume preferences for the device’s alarms and other audio cues. You can repeat the widget-creation process to make shortcuts for all your most-used settings.