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Articles by Siri Shortcuts
Vocal Shortcuts: Control your iPhone with voice automations
Vocal Shortcuts let you control your phone by speaking a command out loud. Think “Hey Siri,” but for running your own custom actions from Apple’s Shortcuts app. (Here’s a quick rundown on Shortcuts, if you’re not familiar with this powerful tool.) Using Vocal Shortcuts is a versatile way to automate tasks on your iPhone with the power of your voice alone. You don’t need to make space on your Home Screen for a Shortcuts widget, type anything into Spotlight or, god forbid, open the Shortcuts app.
5 stealth iOS 18 features you don't want to miss
iOS 18 is getting a bunch of cool new accessibility features this year, including bringing eye tracking to the iPhone for the first time. You also can feel haptic music, control your phone with custom voice commands, use your phone in the car without suffering from motion sickness, and improve the accuracy of Siri and dictation. Check out our video to see it in action or keep reading below.
5 stealth iOS 18 features you don't want to miss
iOS 18 is getting a bunch of cool new accessibility features this year, including bringing eye tracking to the iPhone for the first time. You also will be able to feel haptic music, control your phone with custom voice commands, use your phone in the car without suffering from motion sickness, and improve the accuracy of Siri and dictation. Check out our video to see it in action or keep reading below.
The 8 best iPhone shortcuts to get you started
If you’ve never tried making your own Siri Shortcuts, I’ve compiled a short list of the best shortcuts for iPhone to introduce you. Shortcuts can quickly run automated actions on your phone (and on your iPad or Mac). They’re made using Apple’s Shortcuts app, where you can visually piece together actions offered by the apps installed on your device. You can run a shortcut by asking Siri or by putting a widget on your iPhone’s Home Screen.
Announcing the simplified Shortcuts Library – Matthew Cassinelli
It’s my pleasure to announce that I’ve completely revamped my Shortcuts Library portion of my Shortcuts Catalog, remaking what was previously hundreds of shortcuts into a condensed set of: 25 free example shortcuts 25 membership shortcuts I spent many hours combining each of my 100 or so Shortcuts folders and putting each shortcut inside a single shortcut for that folder, filled with menus of different actions to take – this is the same content as before, repackaged to be much more accessible.
Announcing the Shortcuts User Group – Matthew Cassinelli
Hello Shortcuts friends! If you’d like to be part of a community of people talking about and sharing Siri Shortcuts, you’re welcome to join my new Shortcuts User Group on Slack. I’ve been running this small community for about a year now, consisting of a cohort of people who are interested in Shortcuts and want to learn from other people directly about how to integrate Siri Shortcuts into their lives.
Announcing the Shortcuts Catalog for iOS 14, feat. 300 shortcuts & 300 actions – Matthew Cassinelli
Jump straight to the Catalog or sign up for a membership. It’s finally here! Apple has released iOS 14, iPadOS 14, and watchOS 7 to users around the world – and that means everyone who updates will have the newest version of Siri Shortcuts installed. Alongside today’s updates, I’m releasing the following: the official iOS 14 version of my Shortcuts Catalog, a new “What’s New in Shortcuts” newsletter, and my membership program Let me explain it a bit before you dive into everything.
14 Accessibility shortcuts for Global Accessibility Awareness Day – Matthew Cassinelli
On episode 30 of Smart Tech Today, I spent about 10 minutes describing a series of shortcuts I put together that take advantage of the accessibility actions found in the Shortcuts app ahead of today, May 21, which is Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD).
This Siri shortcut scans and translates text on any photo, sign or menu
How-To Top stories What could this possibly mean? Photo: Jon Tyson/Unsplash I live in Germany, and even though my German is fine, I often get beaten by notices and signs. In my native England, signs and notices are snappy. They use few words, and often annoying slogans, to get the point across. In Germany, an A4 (legal-size) sheet of paper with densely spaced type is the norm. And that’s just from neighbors complaining about people leaving their strollers on the wrong side of the entrance hall.
iOS 13 and iPadOS betas are now available to everyone
News Top stories Awesome news for public testers. Photo: Apple The first public beta of iOS 13 is finally available to public testers. Apple launched iOS 13 public beta 1 and iPadOS public beta 1 this morning. The software gives everyone the opportunity to try out all the new features, like the system-wide Dark Mode that looks absolutely beautiful. However, you might not want to take the jump quite yet.
iOS 13's NFC triggers bring Shortcuts to the real world
How-To Top stories This speaker could become a trigger to play your favorite podcast. Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac The iOS 13 Shortcuts app brings plenty of radical changes — automatic scheduled and location-based shortcuts, for example — but one super-neat new feature will make a world of difference. Now, if you have a compatible iPhone, you can combine NFC tags with Shortcuts. That is, you can run any shortcut just by tapping your iPhone onto an NFC sticker. Seriously. Pretty wild, right?
Coming soon to Mac: Siri Shortcuts and other great iOS features
News Top stories The answer is complicated. Photo: Apple Some of the best new iOS 12 features are coming to the Mac later this year. Apple is allegedly planning to make iOS and macOS more alike with the releases of iOS 13 and macOS 10.15 which will add Siri Shortcuts, Screen Time and more to the Mac. macOS 10.15 will be unveiled at Apple’s annual worldwide developers conference in June.
Beware: Shortcuts could steal your data
News Top stories Siri Shortcuts could be doing more than you think, like invading your privacy. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac Malicious Siri Shortcuts are a real possibility warns one developer, so users need to start treating all of them as potential threats. He calls on Apple to fix their problems. Shortcuts debuted last fall in iOS 12. They are small apps that can be used to automate iOS features. That apparently makes them well suited for creating malware.
You can now use Siri to check up on your Apple Store orders
You can now use Siri to check up on your Apple Store orders "OK, Siri, where's my new iPhone?" Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac You can now use Siri to check up on product availability or the whereabouts of your latest orders, courtesy of the official Apple Store app for iOS. Version 5.2 of the app adds new Siri Shortcuts support, letting you create custom voice commands to carry out these tasks without having to open the app.
Deezer lets you discover your next favorite song using Siri
Streaming music company Deezer wants to make it easier for users to play the music they want — by adding support for Siri Shortcuts. This means that you can now access your jam (as the kids say) by asking Deezer to “Play my favorite tracks.” AdvertisementThat puts 53 million tracks — including new releases, albums and curated playlists — at your fingertips at the tip of your tongue. And Deezer thinks it has the added secret sauce to make this extra special, too.
You can now use Siri to check up on your package deliveries
You can now use Siri to check up on your package deliveries Deliveries helps keep track of packages in transit Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac Package-tracking app Deliveries has long been one of our favorite iOS apps, consolidating info on all our various package deliveries into one easy-to-use tool. AdvertisementThanks to a new update, it just got even better, too.
How to translate anything with Siri shortcuts
Today we’re going to make a Siri Shortcut that takes any text, converts it into English, and copies it to the clipboard. Never again will you have to struggle with a foreign menu on a web page, or a snippet of text from a non-English news site. There are a few ways to translate text and websites on iOS, but this shortcut has two big advantages: It’s really, really fast, and it automatically copies the result to the clipboard.
Shoot Mode Siri shortcut lets you take pictures in peace
Were you ever in the middle of trying to get that perfect photo, framing it just-so, and tweaking the exposure and focus for the perfect shot, when your mother called to remind you of your own child’s birthday? It could totally happen. And for pro photographers using the iPhone as their preferred camera (which is a great idea, BTW), the risk of interruptions is even greater. That’s why noted iPhone photographer Austin Mann came up with a great way to shut up your iPhone while you’re busy shooting.
Shortcuts 2.1 adds new weather and timer actions
Amidst the flurry of iPad and Mac news yesterday, Apple also released the latest version of Shortcuts, the super-cool iOS automation app. The big news is the addition of 7 new actions, for checking the weather, setting timers, and measurement conversions. Let’s take a look at Shortcuts 2.1. To me, this is the least interesting, but folks could use it to build some powerful unit-converting shortcuts.
Make an awesome power nap timer with Siri Shortcuts
Here’s a great little shortcut that uses the new Set Reminder action in the newest v2.1 of Apple’s Shortcuts app. Tell Siri that you want to take a nap, and it will ask you for how long. It’ll then set a timer, and schedule Do Not Disturb for the duration. Get ready to clock some serious ZZZs with our power nap shortcut. Note: The Reminders action in this shortcut requires v2.1 of the Shortcuts app in order to work. At the time of writing, this version is still in beta.
Siri Shortcuts make their way into popular apps | Cult of Mac
A highlight of iOS 12 is Siri shortcuts, a way to activate frequently-used tasks with voice commands. Software developers can do this too, and today Apple highlighted some popular applications that have embraced Siri. Increasing numbers of apps have Shortcuts built in, giving users access to special functions with the voice commands of their choice. Before iOS 12, Siri could do the same tasks on every iPhone and iPad. With Siri Shortcuts, there can be special commands for third-party applications.
Use Shortcuts to share a beautiful grid of your photos
Today we’re going to make a Siri Shortcut that takes a bunch of photos you took — today, or any day — and combines them into a great-looking photo grid. It then shares that grid with friends. All you have to do it tap a button or speak a Siri command. This is a really great way to share photos of an event, a trip to a fancy restaurant, or just an overview of your day. It also shows how easy it is to build a powerful shortcut to perform a task that would take forever to do manually in Photoshop.
Preorder iPhone XR using Siri Shortcuts and the Apple Store app
The Apple Store app has been updated to support Siri Shortcuts. It provides shoppers with an “even faster way” to preorder the iPhone XR later this month, Apple says. Here’s what you need to do to get everything set up before October 19. The Apple Store app makes it easier to buy Apple products from your iOS device. It’s a vastly better experience than using the Apple website in Safari on a small screen. And thanks to Siri Shortcuts support, it’s now even better.
How to create your first Siri Shortcut
Shortcuts is the hot new feature of iOS 12. The Shortcuts app lets you automate some crazy stuff, for instance this shortcut that activates the iPhone’s camera and sends an SMS if the cops pull you over. Thanks to Apple’s terminology, Shortcuts is a little confusing. Is it an automation tool? Does it have something to do with Siri? Why would you use it? We’ll answer these questions, and then build an awesome shortcut so you can see how the app works. Shortcuts, Siri Shortcuts, WTF?
CultCast fans, this is the Siri Shortcut you need
Siri Shortcuts are proving to be one of the most useful new additions in iOS 12 and if you’re a fan of Cult of Mac‘s weekly podcast, The CultCast, we’ve got the perfect shortcut that’ll ensure you never miss an episode. CultCast listener Matt Kiel created a brilliant shortcut that makes it easy to get directions home no matter where he is. The shortcut also automatically plays music through Apple Music, unless it’s Friday, in which case the shortcut cues up the latest episode of The CultCast.
Shortcuts can now activate video recording on your iPhone during a traffic stop
News Top stories Shortcuts app from iOS 12 Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac The smartphone has become a useful tool in shining a light on police abuse and overreach. Now, there’s a Siri shortcut that quickly readies your iPhone to record your experience with police during a traffic stop. The shortcut was created by Reddit user Robert Petersen of Florence, Arizona, who suggests having users place their iPhone in a dash mount while driving.
These apps just got an iOS 12 and Siri Shortcuts overhaul
iOS 12 launches today, and there are a whole bunch of updates to apps that take advantage of the new features available in iOS 12. If you visit the App Store’s updates page, you’ll see that many apps are adding support for Siri Shortcuts. Shortcuts in iOS 12 can refer to several related new things, but in this case, Siri Shortcuts lets you interact with, and control apps just by talking.
Handy Shortcuts app launches alongside iOS 12
The full version of iOS 12 is now available for everyone. One of its cool new features is Siri Shortcuts, but those who want to automate functions on their iPhone also need to download a separate application from the App Store. The new utility lets people create scripts that collect several actions together, then launch them with a voice command. The idea is to let you automate actions that you perform regularly.
Download iOS 12 now to make your iPhone and iPad faster
The biggest iOS update of 2018 is finally here. After months of beta testing, Apple has finally released iOS 12 to the public, making it available as an over-the-air update. The new software update comes with tons of new features and performance improvements that make your iPad and iPad faster than ever. Best of all, if you have a device that can run iOS 11, iOS 12 will work on it no problem. Note: Before updating to iOS 12 we strongly recommend you backup your device first.
Apple drops yet another batch of iOS 12 and macOS Mojave betas
iOS and macOS developers received a fresh batch of new beta updates from Apple this morning as the company prepares to launch its new software this fall. macOS Mojave beta 9 and iOS 12 beta 11 can be downloaded from the Apple developer center immediately. The updates bringing a host of bug fixes and performance improvements to the iPhone and Mac. Along with the new iOS 12 and macOS Mojave betas, Apple has also included a new tvOS 12 beta.
Use Siri Shortcuts to quickly send photos to your family
How do you send a photo to several of your family members? Do you compose a group message, adding all their various addresses and phone numbers manually? Do you have several existing threads, each with a different combo of family members? Today, we’re going to see a much easier way to send a photo to multiple recipients using Siri Shortcuts (or Apple’s Workflow app). It’s so simple that it should be built in to the iPhone.
Siri Shortcuts can now control your HomeKit devices
Apple’s new Siri Shortcuts app, which is currently being beta tested ahead of a release alongside iOS 12, now comes with limited HomeKit support. Its latest update gives testers the ability to add certain smart home controls to their workflows. Shortcuts, first previewed at WWDC, makes Siri infinitely more useful on iOS by giving users the ability to create their own commands for a seemingly endless list of custom tasks. The 2.0 update adds some welcome HomeKit options to the mix.
This Siri Shortcut will automatically text your commute time to your spouse
This Siri Shortcut will send an iMessage to a friend, spouse or other contact telling them how long it will be until you get to their location. Once set up, all you need to do is say something simple (and easy to remember) like “Home soon.” This shortcut uses a brand-new feature in Shortcuts beta 2.0 that allows the sending of messages in the background, without having to confirm them first. It’s a small but powerful addition.
iOS 12 beta 4 fixes Fortnite crashes, adds other new bugs
iOS 12 users can finally enjoy Fortnite again after Apple’s latest beta fixed random game crashes. A problem with downloading Netflix titles has also been eliminated, but a number of new bugs have been introduced with this release — including on that breaks the new Screen Time feature. Apple warns iPhone and iPad users not to install beta releases on their primary devices, but do we listen? Of course not.
How to add your own iOS 12 Siri Shortcuts right now
Siri Shortcuts are the iOS way to automate actions you do over and over. The WWDC 2018 keynote gave an examples of chaining together a bunch of these actions into one shortcut — order your favorite “coffee,” and give you directions to work, or switch on the lights at home one whole hour before you get there in order to, I don’t know, waste electricity? To trigger these little automations, you just tell Siri, using a pre-chosen keyword/name.
Small company claims Apple stole Shortcuts logo
News Is the Apple Shortcuts logo a ripoff of this company's corporate one? Graphic: Apple/Shift Shortcuts is a cool feature in iOS 12 that carries out a collection on actions with a single Siri command. But a startup accuses Apple of stealing its logo. The company’s name is Shift, and both it and the Apple Shortcuts app have logos that are stylized versions of the letter ‘s.’ Additionally, both use similar colors: blue and magenta.
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