Action HQ

Action HQ is an Android app that makes it easy to launch common actions from the notification bar and go right back to your previous app. For example, while browsing in Chrome, you can start an email in GMail from the notification bar and go straight back to Chrome once it's sent.

Download it from the Google Play Store.

Action HQ comes with a list of predefined actions associated with common apps like GMail, Twitter and Facebook. However, you can also manage your own actions and there are numerous settings to configure the notification bar.

How it Works

Say you're busy browsing in the Chrome browser and you want to quickly send an email to someone. Here's how you do it in Action HQ:

This is a lot faster than going to the home screen, opening GMail, composing a new email and then switching back to Chrome from the app switcher.

Why is Action HQ Faster?

Everything is available from the notification bar so they're available from anywhere on your device. You don't have to hunt for the right app from the home screen or even leave your current app.

Action HQ doesn't just open the appropriate app - it opens it in the right place: Twitter is opened ready for you to type a tweet; GMail is ready for you to write an email; your camera app is ready to take that picture.

Useful Actions

Action HQ has a number of useful actions that cover the common things that you'd do on your device:

• Share/Create: Quickly share posts on Twitter or Facebook and return to your previous app. This action is also used to create notes in Evernote and Google Keep so you can jot down your ideas in an instant.
• Take a Picture: Open the camera app ready to take a picture from anywhere on your device. No more wasted seconds losing the perfect opportunity for a pic.
• Search: Search Google Chrome or the Play Store from anywhere. Handy when you've read something interesting in your Kindle and quickly want to find out more about it without losing your context.
• Email: Email anyone from anywhere. Use this to remind yourself of an idea/thought or to email your friend about an event before you forget.

You can manage your own actions so you choose what should display in the notification bar.

Features

• Launch common actions such as email, search, sharing and taking a picture from the notification bar.
• Add templates to emails to make sending faster. Add a default to address, subject or body.
• Add, change, remove and reorder actions to fit how you work.
• Various settings to customise how actions appear in the notification bar.
• Free (ad-supported).