(Photo: Primakov / Shutterstock)
You probably spend a lot of time on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac running one task after another after another across a variety of apps. Think how much time you could save if you automated those tasks or combined them into a single action. I've learned to do all that, and more, with Apple's Shortcuts app. Offering a host of predefined actions, the Shortcuts app provides access to a huge number of existing shortcuts, along with the ability to create and run your own.
Shortcuts work with iOS 12, but you need to be running at least iOS 13 or iPadOS 13.1 to access all functionality. You’ll also need macOS Monterey 12.0 or higher to run shortcuts on your Mac. Meanwhile, an Apple Watch with watchOS 7 or higher can run shortcuts right from your wrist. Here's how I run existing shortcuts and create my own.
How to Run a Shortcut
One way I trigger a shortcut is by opening the Shortcuts app on my device and tapping a shortcut on the main screen. I can also ask Siri to run it for me by saying, “Hey Siri, [name of shortcut].” For those just getting started, Apple has several examples under Starter Shortcuts.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)Tapping Take a Break will turn on Do Not Disturb and set an alarm for a certain number of minutes. Choose Text Last Image shortcut to text someone the last photo or screenshot you took on your device. Pick Shazam shortcut to identify a song you’re currently playing. Tap What's a shortcut? to get more information about shortcuts and view a list of tasks that a shortcut can perform.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)Head to the Gallery to see a host of shortcuts you can try. Across the top are shortcuts for Accessibility, Fun & Games with Siri, Starter Shortcuts, Great with Siri, Wonderful Widget Shortcuts, Shortcuts for Apple Music, and Shortcuts for Sharing.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)Below are several additional categories, such as Get Stuff Done, Quick Shortcuts, Get Organized, Essentials, Collaborate Better, Photography, and Writing Toolbox. I recommend just selecting any shortcut that intrigues you; to run it, just say “Siri [name of shortcut]” and tap Add Shortcut to add it to your own library of shortcuts.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)Many shortcuts require some type of specific action, input, or information to run them. For example, a shortcut that plays a playlist in Apple Music needs to know which playlist you want. In this case, you’ll be prompted to choose an option when you try to add the shortcut.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)As you install certain apps, shortcuts are automatically generated for them. Browse through the App Shortcuts section, and you’ll find shortcuts for pre-installed apps such as Books, Camera, Music, Notes, Photos, and Voice Memos, as well as third-party apps such as Amazon, ChatGPT, Copilot, Facebook, and Yelp.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)Tap an app shortcut to run it. Long-press on it and you can add it to your Home screen to run it without having to launch the Shortcuts app. After you’ve added several shortcuts, go to the All Shortcuts screen, where you can tap a shortcut to run it. Depending on the shortcut, you may be prompted to enter specific information to proceed.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)How to Create a Shortcut
In addition to running pre-existing shortcuts, I can also create my own. As long as I use the same Apple account on all my devices, I can sync the shortcuts so they're available on all my Apple devices. I can easily create a new shortcut based on an existing app shortcut. If I long-press on the shortcut I want to use and select New Shortcut > Done. I can just move to the All Shortcuts screen and see my new shortcut. I can then tap to run it or tell Siri to launch it.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)To manually create a new shortcut, I'd go to the All Shortcuts screen and tap the plus (+) icon. I can create shortcuts to add an event to my calendar, email a contact, search for an address, play music, select certain photos or videos, and much more. Even better, I can combine several of these tasks into a single shortcut. For this example, I created a shortcut to take a photo and then email it to someone.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)The app displays different categories at the top, followed by a few suggested actions and a list of apps below. I chose the Controls category, swiped down the screen, and tapped Take Photo. The action appears as the first step in my shortcut. By default, the action will use the rear camera, but I can change it by tapping Back and choosing the front camera. I can also tell the action to ask me which camera I want to use each time.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)To add the next action, I tapped the Search Actions button at the bottom. From the list of categories, I selected Sharing > Send Email. To email a new photo to a specific person each time, I chose the Recipients variable and typed the person’s name or email address. To create a specific subject, I picked the Subject variable and typed my text. When finished, I tapped Done.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)To change the name of my shortcut, I long-pressed on it and chose Rename. I then selected the Name field to change it. From here, I can also edit any of the actions or other elements of the shortcut. When finished, I can hit Done. Just like a pre-existing shortcut that might be found in the Gallery, I can run a custom task by selecting it from the library or saying, “Hey, Siri, [name of your shortcut]."
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)How to Create an Automated Shortcut
I can also use the app's Automation feature to create shortcuts that run automatically. I can do this by opening the Shortcuts app, selecting Automation > New Automation, and then choosing the type of event that will generate a specific action. This could be the time of day, alarm, travel time, or a certain setting, like Airplane Mode being enabled or my AirPods connecting to my phone. Some events require that I perform a task, such as turning on Focus mode or launching an app.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)For this example, I'll work with Do Not Disturb mode. Maybe I want to turn on Do Not Disturb at a certain time and turn it off later on. If I want music to play automatically when I turn off Do Not Disturb, I can select Do Not Disturb, then check When Turning Off, and uncheck When Turning On. I can then check Run After Confirmation if I want to be prompted each time the shortcut runs. Otherwise, check Run Immediately if you prefer that the shortcut be run without prompting you.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)For this shortcut, I chose Run Immediately and left Notify When Run turned off, then tapped Next. I swiped down to the next screen, tapped Music > Play, and picked the song I wanted to play. Unless you wish to add any further actions, the shortcut is now ready.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)You can now test the shortcut by returning to your device's home screen. Make sure Do Not Disturb mode is on and then turn it off again. A notification should tell you that the shortcut is running, and your selected song should start playing on your device.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)Create Widgets for Shortcuts
Next, I can add widgets for my shortcuts by long-pressing on any empty area of the Home screen, selecting Edit at the top, and then tapping Add Widget. I'll then swipe down, select the Shortcuts entry, cycle through the different layouts for the Shortcuts widget, and tap Add Widget to add my preferred format.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)Manage Shortcuts
I can long-press on any shortcut to manage a variety of commands. From the pop-up menu, I'm able to edit, rename, view details of, share, duplicate, move, or delete the shortcut.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)Run a Shortcut on an Apple Watch
I can also run shortcuts from my Apple Watch, though only some support actions that will run directly on the watch itself. To do this, I'd open the Shortcuts app on my watch and select the shortcut I want to run.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)I can add individual shortcuts to the watch from an iPhone or iPad by long pressing it in the app, selecting details, and turning on the switch next to Show on Apple Watch. The app will tell me whether or not the shortcut uses an action that can run on the watch.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)Find Shortcuts Online
Want even more shortcut ideas? You can look at sites such as Reddit and RoutineHub to add shortcuts that other people have created. Here are a few that you can download onto your device:
- The Good Morning shortcut greets you, shows the news and weather, and then finishes with the app of your choice.
- With Good Night, Siri wishes you good night and turns on Do Not Disturb.
- The Meditation shortcut allows you to set a specific amount of time to meditate. Your device will activate Do Not Disturb, vibrate to start, and play chimes when your time is up.
- Use the Download YouTube shortcut to download the current YouTube clip you’re watching. Go to Share > More > Shortcuts > Download YouTube and save it to your photo album.
- Calculate Tip gives you a quick and easy way to figure out a tip. Run the shortcut, then enter the price of the bill and the percentage you want to leave as a tip.
- Weight Logger calculates your BMI and records your weight in the iOS Health app.