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Siri can also know that you're running late for work, based on your location and what time your meeting starts. The command will then allow you to find a lost item that has a Tile attached to it without having to worry about finding the Tile app, opening it, and then pressing a button.Īs Siri is baked into iOS, it knows your calendar events, including any meetings you have at work. If you click this button and then record a custom phrase, such as "I lost my keys", you'll be able to run that command just by talking to Siri. When you open the Tile app for the first time, you'll get a button that says "Add to Siri". Tile is a good example of how Siri Shortcuts can work with connected hardware. Each shortcut is made up of one or more actions.įor example, a shortcut that posts an animated GIF to Twitter might contain three consecutive actions: Get Latest Photos grabs the latest photos that you took on your device Make GIF uses those photos to build an animated GIF and Tweet posts the GIF to your Twitter account. You can mix and match actions to create shortcuts that interact with the apps on your iOS device, as well as with content and services. Go here to learn more about how Shortcuts workĪn "action" is the building block of a shortcut.Shortcuts can automate a wide variety of tasks - from getting directions, to the next event on your Calendar, to moving text from one app to another, to generating reports, etc. For example, you can build a "going for a run" shortcut that grabs the weather report, gives an ETA of your usual route, and launches your exercise music playlist. The Shortcuts app lets you create your own shortcut with multiple steps. Shortcuts vs Actions: The difference ShortcutsĪ "shortcut" is a quick way to get one or more tasks done with your apps. Shortcuts appear in three main places on an iOS device: As suggestions (via the lockscreen or Spotlight, proactively display shortcuts to actions from apps based on your usage) in Siri, triggered by your own custom voice commands and the Shortcuts app. Citymapper, for instance, offers Siri Shortcuts support, so that you can create a shortcut to ask "when's my next train", and then you'll get related updates, platform information, and more. Some app developers also have their own custom Siri Shortcuts. So, you can do things like tell Siri you're "going to bed" and the digital assistant will switch your phone to do not disturb or Sleep Focus.
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In addition to running shortcuts, you can use the Shortcuts app to create custom shortcuts, simplifying everyday actions by combining steps across multiple apps. They can perform an action automatically within an app in the background, or they allow you to dive into an app to get something done with a simple trigger phrase. These shortcuts will make sharing content with others a tad easier, such as the AirDrop screenshot shortcut.They're essentially quick actions across your apps on iOS. Shortcuts for Sharing: from Mail to Twitter and Instagram.Open genre playlists, play an artist, share your week in music, and much, much more. Shortcuts for Apple Music: for everything Apple Music.
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Some of the shortcuts include editing a Safari webpage, turning a webpage into a PDF, and adding a book to your wishlist.
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