The Shortcuts app can be intimidating for regular iPhone users, but with iOS 27, it’s much easier to use. With the integration of Apple Intelligence, shortcuts can be created using natural language, and are more accessible to the average person.
Define Shortcut
When you tap the new shortcut button in iOS 27’s Shortcuts app, it opens to the Define Shortcut interface.
There is a text box that asks you what you want your shortcut to do, and you can explain what you need in natural language. You can start with one step, or add more parameters. Apple Intelligence selects the right actions, creates automation, and wraps it all up into a finished shortcut. A few examples of what you can do:
- Every evening, set an alarm for tomorrow based on my first Calendar event, turn on Sleep Focus, and dim the bedroom lights.
- Every morning, it shows my first meeting, today’s weather, and my Reminders to do today.
- Turn on the porch lights at night when you get a notification that food delivery is coming.
- Text my partner the ETA when I get off work, and start playing my podcast.
- Show me a summary of my day’s meetings and to-do list, and suggest anything I should prioritize.
- When I open YouTube, turn off the stop key. It turns on again when I close the app.
- Give me a three-line summary of today’s technology news.
Shortcuts and automations can work from time of day, location, app action, system feature like screenshot, incoming notification, and more. Shortcuts can do all kinds of things, from accessing system features to opening and running apps.
Add Refinement
After specifying a shortcut, the application will display each action that the shortcut will perform. If this is what you want, you can tap the play button to check it out. It will be automatically added to your personal shortcuts.
If it’s not what you want or you want to add more features, you can use the “Define change” interface. You can write down what you want to fix, and go through multiple rounds of refinement until you get what you want.
Shortcuts can be used from Siri, the app, Control Center, Action Button, and more.
Organize by doing
Once created, you can enter the editing interface manually if you want to add complex actions or make adjustments without using Apple Intelligence. AI shortcuts are in beta and not always perfect, so sometimes manual editing is required to get the desired result.
You can also open any shortcut and use Apple Intelligence mode to make edits.
New Automatic Traps
- When notification is received
- When taking a screenshot
- If the keyboard is connected
- When the Apple Watch starts working
New Actions
There are several new actions in the Shortcuts app.
- Make a recording of the notes
- Send messages in a group chat
- Updated the Get On Screen option that gets information about the content of the display (eg text, title, or links)
- Select an item from the list
- Delete conversations or messages from Messages
- Mark as read in Messages
- Search in messages
- Open the message inbox
- Send a Tapback
- Auto-enhance the image
- Delete albums and photos
- Favorite pictures
- Hide images
- Open the image
- Create a Group in Reminders
- Create a Category in Reminders
- Remove groups, lists, and categories from Reminders
- Organize the list in Reminders
- Change Hearing Aid Mute
- Change the Traffic Signals
Apple Intelligence models have been developed
Shortcuts can use advanced Apple Intelligence models that have access to a wide range of global information, meaning the model can search the web for information.
There are now cloud, Cloud Pro, and on-device models that can be used in shortcuts. Cloud Pro is capable of searching the web, and is used for queries that require information from the Internet.
Data Storage
Shortcuts can save and update data, so you can do things like add items to a list or save statistics.
Automation Updates
Automation is no longer a separate category in the Shortcuts app, and automation triggers are under common Shortcuts actions.
Cross-Platform Support
The Define Shortcut feature is available in the Shortcuts app in iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS Golden Gate.
Requirements
The Apple Intelligence Shortcut app features require a device that supports Apple Intelligence, including iPhone 15 Pro and later, iPads with an M-series chip or iPad mini with an A17 Pro, or a Mac with an Apple silicon chip.
Supported languages include English, Danish, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, Vietnamese, Chinese (simplified and traditional), Japanese, and Korean.