In recent years, the C–H bond activation field has known very fast expansion offering valuable synthetic tools. Consequently, the quest for new approaches to afford atom- and step-economical processes has driven the scientific community to imagine original strategies. In this context, the direct functionalization of substrates by a transition-metal-catalyzed C–H bond activation using a transient directing group has emerged as a promising approach. This short review focuses on the major progress made in this field to provide to the reader an overview of the recent advances.1 Introduction2 From a Historical Point of View3 Functionalization of Carbonyl Derivatives4 Functionalization of Amines Derivatives5 Summary and Outlook