New updates are being added at the bottom of this story…

Original story (published on July 30, 2021) follows:

Android is a highly customizable and flexible operating system where anything is possible, at least in theory. But the theory transitions into reality real quick when Tasker steps into the picture.

The popular utility makes use of Android’s versatility and openness to automate some of the repetitive, boring tasks so that you can focus your gray matter on more daunting duties like finally having a good night’s sleep. After all, isn’t that exactly what technology is for?

Upon opening up the app for the very first time, you will probably have that confused look on your face (don’t worry, we have all been there). It’s all made for power users anyway – those that are looking to squeeze every bit of utility out of their rectangular slabs of glass, so it figures.

tasker-screenshot

In other words, Tasker’s user interface reeks of nothing but business and wasn’t exactly designed to be a feast for the eyes.

There is a bit of a learning curve involved too, but upon mastery, you should be able to automate stuff like turning on Bluetooth when you get in the car, playing music as soon as you plug in earphones, lowering ringtone volume during specific hours, and much more.

Anyway, as with every piece of software on the planet, timely updates to quash bugs and keep it up-to-date with the latest gizmo fad is an absolute necessity, lest it falls behind.

Tasker is no exception to this unique form of Darwinism and has been actively receiving updates since its advent over a decade ago back when Akon was still a thing.

Lately though, the app has been undergoing some rigorous beta testing in prep to finally replace the dusty, old version 5.12.22 that was first released for all to enjoy on May 24.

This has now finally come to an end as ‘Tasker Owner/Developer’ excitedly took to Reddit yesterday to reveal the next big update – Tasker 5.13.2 beta which is being prepared for public release.

tasker-reddit
Source

While the dev is hopeful that it’s the final beta prior to a stable release, they did hint that another may be pushed in case anything goes sideways.

Nonetheless, the complete changelog for the update has been given below:

Added “Bluetooth Name” and “Bluetooth Address” options in “Pick Input Dialog” action
Added “next”,”pause”,”stop”,”play”,”rewind”,”forward” tags to Media Control action so you can search for those terms and find the action
Added “Continue On Error” option to “Goto” action
Allow using array variables in some fields where only non-array variables were supported

Allow big scenes to show outside of normal screen boundaries
Fixed ability to select wallpaper in Image picking dialog
Made export description options not appear when sharing to Taskernet
Made “Custom Setting” action store values in project/profile/task variables

Fixed a bug where sometimes a media notification wasn’t correctly found when trying to issue a Media Control
Fixed issue when using array lookup with newline joiners
Tried to fix issue where setting the initial position with the “Music Play” action was not always very accurate
Fixed a few crashes

It’s mostly bug fixes but you do get a couple of cool new features too, one of which is the ability to select Bluetooth Name and Bluetooth Address in the Pick Input Dialog action.

Although, quite disappointingly, Tasker still lacks the ability to turn your smartphone into an automatic toothbrush so there’s that.

If you’re the kind that lives life on the bleeding edge then you will surely be interested in signing up for Tasker beta through this link. And if you don’t want to wait for the Google Play update, get it right away here.

Update (August 06)

IST 12:53 pm: Tasker 5.13.5 has now been officially released for everyone. This brings with it support for Material You, Scenes on Status and Navigation Bars, Connect To Wifi, Better Descriptions and a lot more. You can read more on this release in the official release notes.

PiunikaWeb started purely as an investigative tech journalism website with a main focus on ‘breaking’ or ‘exclusive’ news. In no time, our stories got picked up by the likes of Forbes, Fox News, Gizmodo, TechCrunch, Engadget, The Verge, MacRumors, and many others. Want to know more about us? Head here.

Zohaib Ahmed
838 Posts

Simply love being surrounded by technology as it's a constant reminder of how far humans have advanced as a race. Every new development feels exciting, which I convey to others through writing. And after a day's work, gaming just feels therapeutic.

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