Since the release of iOS 13, Apple’s Shortcuts app has become commonplace in compatible devices, offering powerful automation and time-saving techniques that can help you breeze through tasks such as automation of texts and organizing of photos. But for many users, navigating the Shortcuts app can be foreign territory and hence sometimes overlooked.
What makes Shortcuts so powerful is the fact that it is based on IFTTT automation (If This Then That), which allows users to set up triggers that then result in a certain action. While this may sound simple enough in principle, there is a steep learning curve when accessing the multitude of triggers and debugging issues available. Even someone like me, who has a knack for automation, has been stumped once in a while.
To help make the most of these shortcuts I have put together a few useful, easy-to-use automations that I now cannot live without. Speedy texting, for instance, is a great way to save time when announcing your ETA status to family and friends. It’s also fairly simple to set up.
If you are looking for something more advanced to indulge your creativity, consider using the Overlay Images shortcut, allowing you to superimpose humorous pictures onto different settings. Also consider the Explore Landmarks shortcut, which collects and presents you with information on local landmarks and businesses that you can access via Apple Maps.
If you are on the go often, consider using the Boot Battery shortcut which helps you keep your iPhone charged up. And finally, for those jamming out to tunes, consider using the Shazam++ shortcut, which vastly improves upon the original Shazam app by allowing you to play the songs found on the best streaming platforms.
The Shortcuts app for iPhone is amazingly powerful, but is content to lay low in the background, overlooked by the majority of Apple device users. This is a great pity because it has the potential to help people save significant time and effort. With a little bit of patience and familiarity, this app can be an extremely useful tool.
