How To Create A Shortcut On Iphone

iPhone Shortcuts makes it possible to build automated workflows. Shortcuts App is integrated with Siri, which allows you to execute task sequences on your device with basic voice commands. It sounds fancy, but it merely means that you can pair phrases with your apps' actions to achieve ultimate iPhone automation.

Related: How to Delete Shortcuts from the iPhone

What Is a Shortcut?

An example of a Siri Shortcuts command is saying, "Hey Siri, I'm going for a walk." This simple phrase can be linked to a series of actions in your preferred order. For example, it can first prompt the weather app to tell you the temperature. Next, it can start playing your walking playlist. There can even be more steps associated with that one command, such as setting your Apple Watch to Silent Mode to avoid interruptions. Learn how to create a shortcut on iPhone and discover the best Apple shortcuts.

Shortcuts Gallery & My Shortcuts

The first screen you'll see when you open Shortcuts is My Shortcuts which will show all your shortcuts and suggested Starter Shortcuts. You can add shortcuts from other users using the Gallery. Once it is saved to My Shortcuts, you can tap edit to see the shortcut steps. This can help you edit the shortcut if necessary or create a similar one using different actions.

In my research, I found that there's usually more than one way to do the same thing, and the shorter your list of steps, the faster your iPhone processes the shortcut as a whole. It's entirely possible to get lost in the process. I know I did! There are so many shortcuts to pick from in the Gallery. It can be easy to get overwhelmed. To learn more about iPhone Shortcuts app and how it can be used to customize a share sheet, sign up for our free Tip of the Day newsletter.

How to Make a Shortcut on the iPhone

You can add custom shortcuts or pick from the Starter Shortcuts.

Open theShortcuts app.
Tap the + icon in the top right corner.
Select Add Action.
Select the app for which you want to create a shortcut.
Select an action. For example, send a message to a contact.
Select the recipient(s) for this shortcut.
Tap next.
Name the shortcut. You will need to say "Hey Siri," and then the shortcut's name to activate it, so consider an easy-to-remember phrase.
Tap done.
To test if your shortcut works, try speaking the command. You can also tap on the shortcut in the Shortcuts app and press the Play button in the bottom right.

How to Use Starter Shortcuts for Apple Music

Tap Gallery on the bottom right.
Scroll right through the top row
Tap Shortcuts for Apple Music.
For this example, we will do Play One and Shuffle. This will play a song of your choosing and shuffle the rest of your library.
Select Add Shortcut.

With this shortcut, you can say, "Hey Siri, Play One and Shuffle." This will take you to your Apple Music library. Once you select a song, it will play that song, and then it will play the rest of your music in random order.

Setting Up Your Shortcuts

Unlike apps, some shortcuts are installed with steps that require user input before the shortcut can function. Some shortcuts are more straightforward to edit than others. Understanding how to edit a shortcut is essential whether you're using an existing shortcut or want to learn to build your own. Let's take a look at the Tea Timer shortcut, for example.

How to Add the Tea Timer Shortcut

Open Shortcuts app.
Go to the Gallery.
Scroll or search for Tea Timer.
Tap Tea Timer.
Select Add Shortcut.

How to Edit a Shortcut

Once you have added the shortcut, you can edit the brewing time based on your tea preferences.

Open Shortcuts app.
Under My Shortcuts, find the Tea Timer shortcut. Tap the three dots to edit the shortcut.
Under each type of tea, you will find a number.
Edit the number accordingly. For example, if you prefer your black tea weaker, change 180 to 150.
You can also change the variable to Ask Each Time, if brewing time depends on the brand of tea you drink.
Tap Done to save your changes.

Any Starter Shortcut can be edited based on your preferences. The automatic setting for the Tea Timer shortcut is to vibrate when your tea is ready to brew. You can keep it or switch it out to have your iPhone play a song. To do this:

Under the Tea Timer shortcut settings, tap the x on Scripting: Vibrate decide.
Then tap the + icon.
Either search for apps and actions, or select them directly. For this example, I will choose Tea Time, Good Morning under Play Music.
If you accidentally delete something you want to return, tap the Undo button to revert your actions. You can also tap Redo when necessary. Tap the play button at the bottom right to test your shortcut.

Shortcuts Permissions to Access Other Apps

The Apple Shortcuts app does not automatically have access to all your apps. When setting up a shortcut, it may ask you to approve that access. When you tap on the shortcut in My Shortcuts, it will say something like, "This shortcut is not allowed to access your podcasts." Just tap Allow Access to solve this issue.

How to Delete Shortcuts

If you no longer need a shortcut, you can delete it in the Shortcuts app. Once you delete it, you will no longer be able to use Siri to perform the actions involved.

Open the Shortcuts app.
Under My Shortcuts, tap Select in the top right corner.
Select the shortcut(s) that you wish to delete.
Tap Delete in the bottom right corner.
Confirm to Delete Shortcut.

How to Create Custom App Icons

The cool thing about iOS 14 Shortcuts is that you can use them to create custom icons for your Apps.

Open the Shortcuts app.
Tap on the + icon located on the top right of the main app screen.
Select Add Action.
Use the search bar at the top of the screen and type Open App.
Select Open App.
Tap on Choose.
Select the app of your choice out of the list in alphabetical order. You can also search the app in the search bar at the top of the screen.
Tap on the three dots in the top right corner of the screen.
Tap on Add to Home Screen.
Tap on the app icon under Home Screen Name and Icon.
From the drop-down menu, select Take Photo, Choose Photo, or Choose File.
Select the image you would like to use and confirm it by tapping Choose.
Tap on New Shortcut to rename the app.
Tap Add in the top-right corner of the screen.
Tap on Done.
The new app icon will appear on your Home Screen.

iPhone Shortcuts makes it possible to pair phrases spoken to Siri with actions on your apps. There are endless ways to use the Apple Shortcuts app to execute task sequences. Learning how to create a Shortcut can make it faster to send a message, shuffle your Apple Music playlist, or enable other iPhone automation. It can take some time to master Shortcuts, but once you do, you'll be running your iPhone with ease using just your voice.

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