"Automation tools: from phone shortcuts to RPA"

Automation tools range from a one-tap shortcut on your phone to software robots that work through business systems overnight. This guide covers both ends and where they meet.

On your phone

Shortcuts on iPhone

Apple's Shortcuts app, built into iOS, chains actions together: resize photos, send a message when you leave work, log water intake to a spreadsheet. Automations can run on triggers such as time of day, arriving at a location or connecting to CarPlay. It is free and has a large library of example shortcuts.

Routines on Android

Android phones offer routines through the Google app and, on Samsung phones, Modes and Routines. They handle triggers such as time, location and Bluetooth connections. For more control, Tasker is a long-standing paid app that can automate almost any phone setting, with a steep learning curve.

For office work: Power Automate

Microsoft Power Automate connects Microsoft 365 services and hundreds of other apps through flows: save email attachments to OneDrive, post a message when a form is submitted, copy rows between spreadsheets. It has a mobile app to run and monitor flows. Power Automate for desktop adds automation of Windows applications. Pricing depends on your Microsoft licence, and some connectors need paid plans.

Robotic process automation: UiPath

Robotic process automation (RPA) uses software robots to carry out repetitive work across business applications, the same way a person would: reading screens, typing into forms and moving data between systems that do not have APIs. UiPath is one of the best-known RPA platforms. It offers a free Community edition for individuals and small teams, plus paid enterprise plans with orchestration, document understanding and AI features.

RPA projects suit high-volume, rule-based tasks such as invoice processing, report preparation and data entry between legacy systems. They need careful process mapping and maintenance, since a robot breaks when a screen layout changes.

For businesses in Thailand, local UiPath partners provide implementation and support for RPA and AI automation projects. Working with a local partner helps when processes involve Thai-language documents and local systems.

Choosing a level

A note on data

Every automation tool that connects accounts needs permission to read and write data in them. Review what you grant, especially for third-party connectors. Our guide to checking app permissions covers the phone side.

By the Mobiledista editorial team. Updated October 2026.