Action Blocks

Make routine actions easier with customizable buttons on your home screen.

Action Blocks

App stats

Version: VARY (Last updated: 2023-11-29)
Creation date: 2020-05-21
Permissions
Identity: find accounts on the device
Contacts: find accounts on the device, read your contacts
Phone: directly call phone numbers
Photos/Media/Files: read the contents of your USB storage, modify or delete the contents of your USB storage
Storage: read the contents of your USB storage, modify or delete the contents of your USB storage
Microphone: record audio
Other:
  • view network connections
  • measure app storage space
  • full network access
  • draw over other apps
  • control vibration
  • prevent device from sleeping
  • read Google service configuration

Other platforms

Not available on Chrome
Not available on Firefox
Not available on Edge
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App summary

Action Blocks makes routine actions easier with customizable buttons on your Android home screen.

Powered by the Google Assistant, you can easily set up Action Blocks for a loved one. Action Blocks can be configured to do anything the Assistant can do, in just one tap: call a friend, watch your favorite show, control the lights, and more.

Action Blocks can also be configured to speak phrases. This can be especially useful to people with speech and language disorders to quickly communicate during urgent situations.

Built with the growing number of people with age-related conditions and cognitive differences in mind, Action Blocks can also be used for people with learning differences, or even for adults who want a very simple way to access routine actions on their phones. Set it up for your family, friends, or for yourself.Action Blocks now features tens of thousands of picture communication symbols (PCS® by Tobii Dynavox), providing a seamless visual experience for users of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices and special education software.

Action Blocks may also be useful for anyone who could benefit from an easier way to perform routine actions on their device, including individuals with dementia, aphasia, speech disorder, autism, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, Down syndrome, Parkinson's disease, essential tremor, dexterity impairments, or other conditions. People who use adaptive switches, Switch Access, or Voice Access may also benefit.

Action Blocks includes an Accessibility Service, and uses that capability to enable you to connect a switch. If you don't want to connect a switch, it works fine without enabling the service.

Learn more about Action Blocks in the Help Center:
https://support.google.com/accessibility/android/answer/9711267

User reviews

These summaries are automatically generated weekly using AI based on recent user reviews. Google Play Store does not verify user reviews, so some user reviews may be inaccurate, spammy, or outdated.
Pros
  • Allows for quick single-button access to multiple actions.
  • Useful for customizing smart home controls.
  • Great idea with a lot of potential.
  • Works well with Google Assistant commands.
Cons
  • Inconsistent performance with Google Assistant.
  • Voice announcements cannot be disabled.
  • Limited customization options for widgets and icons.
  • Requires multiple widgets for simple on/off actions.
Most mentioned
  • Involvement of Google Assistant creates limitations.
  • Need for better customization and more icons.
  • Voice responses are intrusive even in DND mode.
  • Error messages and functionality issues are frequent.
  • Potential but needs significant improvements.
User reviews
Everything I try, "open Google keep", "open notifications", and even the stock, suggested actions: "tell me the time", "what is the weather today in Omaha", " display my emergency contact information", "adjust lights to bedtime mode", every single one of them just gives a toast pop up that says "Gemini doesn't support this feature". Completely and totally useless.
by Doug Osgood, 2024-10-20

Better than I anticipated! I was dissapointed with the new change on Google Assistant. I lost my icon, and needed a way to control devices on or off without using voice in early morning hours. Once I created an action block for on and one for off, and all I have to do is touch the icon, I was all in! So far I am very happy and it solved my issue. Just touch the icon and it does exactly what I want instantly.
by Gerry Charette, 2024-09-27

Looks like Google abandoned this app. Literally, the default example for making a video call does not work with any video chat enabled app on my phone. It just makes a plain old phone call. Also, it doesn't even remember the Contact I selected in the saved block. Pretty awful user experience when the default examples don't work. #abandonware
by Ed Johnson, 2024-04-24
View all user reviews

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