C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
I recently switched from a Galaxy S24 Ultra to a Pixel 10 Pro, and of the things I miss about One UI, Samsung Routines has ranked higher than I expected.
Pixels have “Rules” buried deep in the settings menu, and they don’t hold a candle to the flexibility and usefulness that Samsung Routines provides users. I want a phone that can do things for me without my intervention, and with features like At A Glance and Now Playing, the Pixel is one of the best phones at doing that, which only makes Pixel Rules feel more disappointing.
Do you use Rules on your Pixel phone? 21 votes Yes 5 % No 52 % I don't have a Pixel 43 %
What can Pixel Rules do?
Using Pixel Rules is simple, but that’s the problem — it’s too simple. A rule is activated when you’re at a certain location or connect to a selected Wi-Fi network, and it can set your phone to DND, silent, vibrate, or ring. And … that’s it. While it is useful to have your phone change sound profiles based on those parameters, you’re limited if you want your phone to do anything more than that.
A little complexity can be a good thing and can turn a feature like this into something that you can depend on for more than putting your phone on silent. And that’s precisely why Pixel Rules has nothing on Samsung Routines.
Routine superiority
How extensive is Samsung Routines compared to Pixel Rules? While Pixel Rules has two possible triggers and four actions, Routines has 46 trigger categories and 35 action categories, with each containing several possible actions. These triggers include commuting, sleeping, connecting to a network or Bluetooth device, entering or exiting a location, an alarm sounding, receiving a call, and many more. The actions taken are just as deep and numerous and can extend to devices beyond your phone and tablet, integrating with SmartThings and other parts of the Samsung ecosystem.
Even better, Samsung Routines allows you to combine multiple triggers and actions simultaneously, unlike Pixel Rules. If you wanted your phone to go on silent at certain locations, for example, you can add each place as a trigger within one routine, whereas each place would need a new Rule on a Pixel.
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