Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Apple Releases iOS 12 Shortcuts App for All Users, Update Replaces Workflow

William Gates said:
So I'm trying to figure out what exactly I can and can't do with this. Can anybody help? I'd like to set the following up:

When I connect to my vehicle bluetooth in the morning I'd like it to close my garage (I do have a HomeKit enabled garage door), get traffic info to my child's daycare and work, and start playing music. Is this possible?
Click to expand...
this should work!
 
Applefanben said:
Anyone have a good resource on how to use the app? Or where to get pre-made shortcuts? Seems like a lot of tedious work to get it to flow properly.

Not much of a "it just works" mindset, imho. But I am just now looking at the app for the first time.
Click to expand...

Have you used automator on the Mac? If so, it is along those lines. I purchased the app a few years back have created several recipes for it and love it. Once you figure out what you can get done with it, you can create a bunch of items. My main one, is when I do screen shots or download images that I want to keep in Evernote, I run the recipe from my main screen and it allows me to pick the pictures and or screenshots, add keywords/tags, and save it. Samething for webpages etc. If you have something that you do routinely, there might be a fit in there for you.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Applefanben and lionel77
Shortcuts is great but it really needs more access to iPhone settings, and it needs other types of triggers besides Siri for automation.
 
  • Like
Reactions: lionel77
  • Like
Reactions: Justanotherfanboy
Hopefully Apple will release some sort of section in the App Store that highlights Shortcut ready apps (thought I saw a site that highlights shortcut actions already, but can't remember), otherwise will get confusing trying to keep track of them all as iOS 12 ready apps pour out. Sort of like they did with AR when that came out.
 
  • Like
Reactions: tehStickMan
Does anyone know how to set up "When I return home" type of automation? I want to turn on my Home connected lights (run a scene) when I come back home. Cannot figure it out.
 
unobtainium said:
Can you disable auto-brightness using Shortcuts? I want to create a “driving mode” that automatically disables auto-brightness, launches Google Maps, turns the volume up etc.
Click to expand...

As you've probably seen, you can set the brightness. I dont see a way to disable auto brightness though. You could probably have a day mode and a night mode for a set brightness though. Don't see why it would start changing once the phone is already unlocked and navigating.
 
Also how about this:

Let's say I want to share a current web page or image, usually you would go to tap the Share icon and then from there select where to share to.

I'm trying to see if I could create a shortcut by saying "Share to Person" which would run the action of opening the Share Sheet and selecting Messages and then sharing to the Person.

I know you can have the action shown in the Share Sheet under "Shortcuts" but it would be neat to have it automatically share what you have on the screen to the person you want.
[doublepost=1537211328][/doublepost]
moabal said:
Does anyone know how to set up "When I return home" type of automation? I want to turn on my Home connected lights (run a scene) when I come back home. Cannot figure it out.
Click to expand...


There should be an automation feature in the Home app.
 
LinkinJunior said:
Also how about this:

Let's say I want to share a current web page or image, usually you would go to tap the Share icon and then from there select where to share to.

I'm trying to see if I could create a shortcut by saying "Share to Person" which would run the action of opening the Share Sheet and selecting Messages and then sharing to the Person.

I know you can have the action shown in the Share Sheet under "Shortcuts" but it would be neat to have it automatically share what you have on the screen to the person you want.
[doublepost=1537211328][/doublepost]


There should be an automation feature in the Home app.
Click to expand...

I just realized that. I feel like an idiot.
 
The update seems to have messed up the color profile on iPhone X. Colors are brighter, more saturated, more washed out and generally crappier.
 
Many shortcuts confuse Siri, even prebuilt ones like “say cheese”. Using that made Siri search for pizza places. I had to change it to “take a pic”.
 
mdorais said:
"So, for example, you can create a shortcut to do something like turn on the thermostat at home using the Nest app"

This is literally something I'd love to set up a shortcut for as I own a Nest thermostat. I've been trying to do this in the app for 5 minutes. Either this is false advertising or not intuitive.
Click to expand...
The App has to have support for Siri Shortcuts for this to work. So will need to wait for a Nest update. A few apps I use have just updated with Siri Shortcuts support, including CityMapper which is actually very useful.
 
Feenician said:
Yes
Click to expand...
Thanks !

Haven’t updated yet.
[doublepost=1537212616][/doublepost]
macness said:
I just don’t get the use of this app. I never got the use of workflow either. For example: if I set up a shortcut with an activation phrase of “Siri I’m watching a movie” and it turned on Do Not Disturb, why wouldn’t I instead just tell Siri to turn on Do Not Disturb ??
Click to expand...

I don’t plan on using it. Not really neeeddd imo.
 
macness said:
For example: if I set up a shortcut with an activation phrase of “Siri I’m watching a movie” and it turned on Do Not Disturb, why wouldn’t I instead just tell Siri to turn on Do Not Disturb ??
Click to expand...

Well a single action that already has an alternative phrase isn't very useful, that's true. Instead you might have "Siri I'm watching a movie" activate DnD, close the blinds and dim the lights.
 
  • Like
Reactions: lionel77 and Pow!
blackcrayon said:
As you've probably seen, you can set the brightness. I dont see a way to disable auto brightness though. You could probably have a day mode and a night mode for a set brightness though. Don't see why it would start changing once the phone is already unlocked and navigating.
Click to expand...
Because I put it down in the dash in my car, where it's sometimes in shadow and sometimes not. When light is shining on it, it's bright enough to use for navigation. When it's in shadow, it gets very dim and since I'm sitting in the bright sunlight I can't see it at all.
 
So, I never liked workflow that much. It felt very clumsy - very Microsoft-ish. I was hopeful that Shortcuts would be a very Apple version of workflow. That it would be easy to use, like IFTTT. It's not. I really don't like it and hope they explain or improve it FAST, 'cause it basically sucks right now.
 
This already looks like it's going to give me the tools I need to solve some of the issues I've always had with Siri's integrations, so I'm happy as a clam. It'd be better if Siri just worked like you might hope, but, well... better this than nothing, I guess.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back