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Google Sheets can handle several small jobs people often turn to standalone apps for: generating QR-code images, following RSS feeds, translating text, sketching a currency table, cleaning up contact data, and keeping temporary phone numbers organized. Some of these workflows use built-in Sheets functions; others rely on outside services or manual file transfers, so they are best treated as convenient tools for simple tasks—not automatic replacements for full-featured apps.
What Google Sheets can—and cannot—replace
Google Sheets includes functions for importing feeds, translating cell text, encoding URL content, placing images in cells, and creating hyperlinks. Those capabilities make it useful as a lightweight utility on Android, especially when you want information in a spreadsheet alongside other notes or lists. The examples below are practical workflows, not a feature-by-feature comparison with dedicated apps.
The original first-person account behind these ideas says the author stopped paying for some subscriptions. That is a personal outcome, not a measured or typical saving; no subscription amount or time comparison was provided. Jade Bryan Jardinico’s article describes the six uses.
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1. Make QR-code images from cell contents
Put a URL or short text in a cell, then combine Sheets’ ENCODEURL and IMAGE functions to request a QR-code image from an external QR service. The spreadsheet provides the formula tools; the QR image is supplied by the third-party endpoint used in the formula. This is not a native Google QR-code generator, and Google does not endorse that service through its function documentation.
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For example, if cell A2 contains the text to encode, a formula can build an image-request URL using that cell’s encoded contents, then display the returned image with IMAGE. The exact endpoint and formula pattern are shown in the original walkthrough. Google documents ENCODEURL for encoding text for URLs and IMAGE for displaying an image in a cell in its function list.
Because the formula fetches external data, Sheets may ask you to allow access. Google notes that some import functions require approval and that such approval may need to be granted from a desktop browser; consult its Import functions guidance. Do not put sensitive text into a QR request unless you are comfortable sending it to the external service.
2. Turn a sheet into a simple RSS reader
Use IMPORTFEED to bring RSS or Atom feed items into a sheet. Its documented form is IMPORTFEED(url, [query], [headers], [num_items]): the URL identifies the feed, the optional query selects what to return, the optional headers setting includes column labels, and the optional item count limits how many recent entries appear. The default query is items. Google lists the function and its parameters in the Sheets function reference.
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3. Translate text in a column
GOOGLETRANSLATE(text, [source_language], [target_language]) translates text in a cell. For a list, the original workflow uses ARRAYFORMULA to apply a translation pattern down a column, so you do not have to enter a separate formula for every row. The function syntax is documented in Google’s function list, and the example approach appears in the six-feature article.
Use the result as a draft or aid to understanding rather than assuming it is a perfect translation. A formula that fills many rows is a workflow convenience, not a promise of unlimited bulk processing or professional-quality output.
4. Build a lightweight currency table
The suggested approach is to ask Gemini to create a table for the currency pairs you care about, then change the currencies or add rows as needed. It can be handy for a quick reference sheet, but the source account does not give a direct conversion formula or identify a rate provider, timestamp, or accuracy check. Treat any result as a convenience for rough orientation, not financial guidance or a verified live exchange-rate feed.
5. Clean up contacts using a CSV
A spreadsheet can make a contact list easier to review in bulk, but this workflow moves data through a file rather than editing a synchronized contacts database directly. The proposed sequence is:
- Export contacts from Google Contacts as a CSV file.
- Open the CSV in Google Sheets and review or edit the rows you want to clean up.
- Export the edited sheet as a CSV.
- Import that CSV back into Google Contacts.
Keep an untouched copy of the original export before making changes. The workflow is described in the source article; it is not a verified round-trip compatibility test, and a CSV edit does not itself synchronize changes back to contacts.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.6. Keep temporary phone numbers in a sheet
For occasional numbers you want to keep separate from permanent contacts, store them in rows with labels or notes. Sheets’ HYPERLINK function can make a cell link to an action such as opening a dialer or a WhatsApp chat; Google documents hyperlink creation in its function list.
Whether a link opens the intended app depends on the device, number formatting, and installed-app configuration. Check the number and destination before relying on a link, and avoid keeping sensitive personal information in a sheet shared more broadly than intended.
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- Good fit for Sheets: small trackers, a handful of feeds, one-off translations, a quick reference table, or a temporary list you want to sort and filter.
- Expect extra setup: QR images depend on an outside service; imported feeds and other external data may require access approval and are subject to usage limits.
- Keep a dedicated tool when its core features matter: these examples do not establish that Sheets matches a specialist RSS reader, translation app, financial service, or contact manager.
For official details on image placement and function behavior, see Google’s Add an image to a spreadsheet help and its Google Sheets function list.
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