How to Use the Apple Shortcuts App on iPhone, iPad, or Mac (2023)

You may need seen the Apple Shortcuts app put in on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, however it won’t be instantly clear what it’s or how to use it. This app can streamline your routines and liberate a valuable few seconds on repetitive duties. A shortcut is just a means to get one thing accomplished along with your apps by way of a single faucet or phrase to Siri. You can create a easy shortcut to browse the high information tales of the day, for instance, or a series of actions to shut your sensible blinds, play sleep sounds, and switch off the lights at bedtime.

The Shortcuts app arrived with iOS 12 in 2018. It grew from an automation device for iPhones referred to as Workflow that Apple had acquired the earlier yr. It’s supposed to make on a regular basis duties a bit of simpler, however understanding how to get the most from it may be difficult. That’s why we have compiled this helpful information on how to use the Shortcuts app.

What You Need

To use Shortcuts, you want an iPhone or iPad working iOS 12 or later (some performance is simply accessible in iOS 13 or later). There can be a Shortcuts app for Mac that runs on macOS Monterey (12.0.1) or later. And many shortcuts will work with Apple Watches working WatchOS 7 or later.

If you’re signed in to the identical account on your entire Apple gadgets, shortcuts created in the app on one gadget will seem in the Shortcuts app on your different gadgets. The Shortcuts app is probably going put in on your gadget already, but when not, you’ll be able to obtain it from the App Store.

Getting Started With Shortcuts

All your shortcuts reside in the Shortcuts app. When you first open the app, you will notice a handful of examples to strive. Any shortcuts you add or create later will seem on your Shortcuts tab. We’ll get into how to create shortcuts in a second, however by far the simplest way to get began with shortcuts is to faucet on the Gallery tab, the place one can find categorized lists of shortcuts for all kinds of duties. 

Browse via the shortcuts on the Gallery tab and faucet on any shortcut that pursuits you to see what it does, the place it seems, and the way to activate it with a Siri voice command. If you need to strive it, faucet Add Shortcut or faucet the plus icon at the high proper of every shortcut on the Gallery tab.

Before you create any shortcuts, return to the Shortcuts tab and faucet the ellipsis (three dots) at the high proper of any shortcut to see the way it works. Until you get the dangle of the varied choices, reverse-engineering shortcuts is the finest means to perceive them. 

How to Create Shortcuts

Once you’ve tried a few of the premade shortcuts and have an thought of how they work, it’s your decision to create one in all your individual. Here’s how: