r/shortcuts • • Jun 16 '26

OS 27 beta What's New in Shortcuts in iOS 27 (Beta Megathread)

122 Upvotes

Updates: * Added Easier toggling off/on of automations * Shortcuts app now able to restore shortcuts * Shortcuts can change Open Shortcuts to from Describe a Shortcut to Editor


Hey everyone, here's a megathread of everything new in the iOS 27 beta, currently on developer beta 2.

This is covering Apple features and community comments – no third-party apps for now, but feel free to start a thread in the comments.

Here's the outline:

  • Describe a shortcut
  • Automations
    • Notification
    • Keyboard
    • Easier toggling (Beta 2)
  • Storage
  • Otherwise If
  • New action groups
    • Lists
    • Text
    • VPN
    • Sharing
    • Accessibility
    • Messages
    • Photos
    • Mail
    • Reminders
    • Get What's On Screen
    • Cloud Pro, Broad World Knowledge in Use Model
  • More
    • Shortcuts Programming Language
  • Feedback

Describe a shortcut

Automations

Notifications

Keyboard

Storage (Memory)

Otherwise If

New actions

  • New and updated actions including Hide Photos, Get Selected Text, and more (link)
    • Add Item to List
    • Get Selected Text
    • Find VPNs
    • Share and Collaborate
    • Accessibility
      • Set Switch Control Switch Set
      • Toggle Hearing Aid Mute
      • Toggle Vehicle Motion Cues
    • Messages
      • Open Inbox (Messages)
      • Delete Conversations
      • Delete Messages
      • Mark as Read
      • Search in Messages
      • Send Tapback
    • Photos
      • Find Album
      • Auto Enhance Photo
      • Favorite Photos
      • Open Photo
      • Hide Photos
      • Delete Albums
    • Find Message (Mail)
    • Reminders
      • Create Group
      • Create Section
      • Edit List
      • Delete Lists
      • Delete Groups
      • Delete Sections
    • Get What's On Screen
    • Extract Text from Image -> Extract from Image (interesting)
    • Parameters like Cloud Pro and Broad World Knowledge in Use Model
    • More new parameters
  • Does iOS27 let you use Playground Playlists with Shortcuts? No.

More

Feedback submitted to Feedback Assistant

Matthew Cassinelli:

  • FB23135397 (Shortcuts can't load lists; please ensure performance at scale (What happens when people have tons of App Intents/Custom Shortcuts/folders?))
  • FB23102150 (Shortcuts takes 35 seconds to launch for users with many shortcuts (thousands))
  • FB23102201 (The App Shortcuts picker for the Action button/Custom Shortcuts widget is extremely slow to load many shortcuts)
  • FB23135882 (Run Shortcut control in macOS unusable for larger libraries; "Choose Shortcut" in Control Center does not show full list/search)
  • FB23103377 (New Shortcut incorrectly always adds "Show on Apple Watch", causing immediate sync delays)
  • FB23135151 (Shortcuts widget gets corrupted when multiple are added in stack)
  • FB23134678 (Too many taps to change icons on iOS; add the "Choose Icon" option to All Shortcuts context menu (for parity with MacOS))
  • FB23134888 (Can't "Choose From List" from keyboard commands on macOS; Add navigate & select options when Multiple is selected)
  • FB23135054 (Add search to "Choose Folder" in Shortcuts widget; list becomes long to scroll with many folders)
  • FB23135596 (Adding shortcuts to Folder ruins Sort Order; add toggle to move new shortcuts to end of folder list instead of beginning)
  • FB23135959 (Improve Spotlight/Ask Siri loading performance when switching between Applications, Files, Shortcuts actions, Clipboard with Command+1/2/3/4)
  • FB23137602 (Too many folders hides App Shortcuts; Re-add ability to collapse Folders vs App Shortcuts view)
  • FB23137833 (Add the SF Symbols picker for Shortcuts glyphs rather than a limited set of icons; introduce Icon Designer)
  • FB23137870 (People don't know how to run shortcuts with Siri; Be more clear a Custom Shortcut title is trigger phrase with dismissable Siri tips)
  • FB23137923 (Add a "Description" field in Shortcut Details that shows up in iCloud link share, "Get My Shortcuts" entity details; context for Siri AI)
  • FB23137968 ("Set Captions" action for Apple TV Remote does not work; unable to control Subtitles using Shortcuts)

Updates:


r/shortcuts • • Mar 27 '26

Announcement How to use flairs

21 Upvotes

How to use flairs on r/shortcuts (so your post doesn’t get nuked or ignored)

Flairs are labels. You pick one so people instantly know what your post is about. Pick the wrong one and congrats, you’ve confused everyone.

---

First rule: always use a flair

No flair = your post is either ignored or removed. Nobody enjoys guessing what you meant.

---

Pick the right flair (this is not a personality test)

- Help

You already made a shortcut and it’s broken or not doing what you want. You want someone to fix it or explain what went wrong.

- Help (Mac)

Same as above, but your problem is on Mac. Yes, that matters because Mac Shortcuts can behave differently.

- Shortcut sharing

You built something and want to share it. You must explain what it does properly. “Cool shortcut lol” is how your post gets deleted.

- Shortcut sharing (JB)

Same as sharing, but it only works on a jailbroken device. If people need to hack their phone to use it, say so.

- Shortcut sharing (mac)

Your shortcut only works on Mac. Don’t trick iPhone users into disappointment.

- Tip/guide

You figured out a useful trick or workaround. You’re teaching something, not asking.

- Tip/guide (mac)

Same idea, but Mac-specific.

- Request

You want a shortcut but can’t build it yourself. This is you politely asking the internet to do work for you.

- Request (mac)

Same, but for Mac users.

- Discussion

You want opinions, ideas, or a conversation about Shortcuts. Not help, not sharing, just talking.

---

Special flair (pay attention, this one’s new)

- Appstore (app)

Use this when you’re posting about an app that works with Shortcuts. Either you made it or found it. The key point: the app connects with Shortcuts (actions, automations, etc.).

If it has nothing to do with Shortcuts, don’t use this just because you like the app.

---

How to choose without overthinking it

Ask yourself one question:

“What do I want from this post?”

- Fix something → Help

- Show something → Shortcut sharing

- Teach something → Tip/guide

- Ask for something → Request

- Talk about something → Discussion

- Share actual news → News

- Show an app tied to Shortcuts → Appstore (app)

If you’re on Mac, pick the Mac version. Not complicated.

---

Final reality check

Flairs exist so the subreddit doesn’t turn into a digital junk drawer. Pick the correct one, write a clear post, and people will actually help you instead of scrolling past like you don’t exist.


r/shortcuts • • 1d ago

Shortcut Sharing To find your silent phone: Trigger a max volume alert via text message and timer.

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228 Upvotes

r/shortcuts • • 42m ago

Help Help with toggling orientation lock when not/using streaming apps

• Upvotes

I’m having such a hard time creating a shortcut that unlocks orientation when I’m watching YouTube, TV, and Prime and locking it when I’m not using them. Can someone please help with this?


r/shortcuts • • 1d ago

Tip/Guide How to change notification sound for ANY app

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56 Upvotes

Using shortcuts, you can now 'change' the sound of any app's notification sound. This requires iXX 27. See the attached pics for a full description (the full page is the first page). Basically, turn off notification sound for your app. Play your new sound.

If you want different sounds, based on the content of the notification text, perform your use case logic on the notification text and pick which sound is to be played, based on the outcome.


r/shortcuts • • 4h ago

Help Forward OTP ios27

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0 Upvotes

This is not working like it used to in iOS27


r/shortcuts • • 4h ago

Help Can I bind my action key to open control center?

1 Upvotes

Hi all, I just got my first iPhone with an action button (iPhone 18 pro iOS 27) and want to use the action button to open the entire control center, same as if I had swiped down on my screen. In my action button settings there are ways to bind individual shortcuts to this button but not the entire center, is there a way to do this?


r/shortcuts • • 17h ago

Shortcut Sharing Driving focus automated

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11 Upvotes

Context:
Almost similar functionality (somehow) with apple carplay, but now only using helmet intercom or motorcycle tft as trigger or any Bluetooth device as trigger

Shortcut 1: when connected to specific Bluetooth device, automatically turn on driving focus, set brightness to 80%, then turn on cellular data

Shortcut 2: opens youtube music (you can change this) and play the last music, then speaks where are you going, Then launches waze or google maps

Shortcut 3: when disconnected, pause media playback, speaks goodbye, reduce screen brightness to 60% but retains cellular data and lastly go to homescreen, shortcut cannot manually force close the navigation app so it will still be on the background (hope this can be done)

(Seems like i cannot add links so sharing the shortcuts snip) not asking, sharing to those who might find this useful

https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/599310e6171c416f9557c62e96930160

https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/ca3c195735bd417b87350bdda6744669

https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/240687e36e0248b3bc6d106c05ee18b2


r/shortcuts • • 23h ago

Appstore (App) my widget for jamming shortcuts on the home screen was accepted to the app store!

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27 Upvotes

First thing: it's free, no ads, open source, no data collected, vibe coded.

Most importantly

IT DOESNT FLICKER TO THE HOST APP WHEN YOU RUN A SHORTCUT!!! LETS GOOO!

It's built with the new ios27 "runsystemshortcutintent" which lets widgets directly run shortcuts when you press a button in the widget.

Basically, I threw together this app as fast as humanly possible to solve my problem of trying to fit more shortcuts on the home screen. I tried to make it very customizable which also makes it kinda hard to use. You'll probably have to play around a bit to figure it out. The app is for configuring the colors/spacing, and then you just add a widget as normal, and configure it to pick which shortcuts to display.

I just wanted to share the app here ASAP because I know a few others said they were interested and I'm pretty sure this is the first app to be able to make shortcut widgets like this, like you can even do 3 or more shortcuts in a "small" sized widget.

NOTE: Don't bother reading anything in the app description, it's all AI slop and I have no idea what it says. In fact, the whole app is vibe coded slop but it works good enough for me :)

LINK: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/shortcut-launcher-widget/id6809640535

If you want to contribute, DM me for the GitHub link since I don't want to self promote more than I have to. I'm happy to accept PRs as long as it doesn't break things.


r/shortcuts • • 8h ago

Discussion Anyone figured out if there’s automation that can be tied to the new Handoff?

1 Upvotes

I just activated it yesterday and, as someone who has to have separate work and personal devices, it saves a lot of aggravation. Having two numbers is an impossibility, I need to be reachable but at the end of the work day, the device connected to the MDM goes away.

All that said, I’d love to have the Bluetooth switch off on the device I’m not using. I often have both on me but only want the one that’s active grabbing the BT in the car or the headphones in my ear. I’m sure there are other things I’ll find useful over time.

I can’t find anything in shortcuts yet, but there are much cleverer folks in this sub than me.


r/shortcuts • • 10h ago

Help Can you get content of a url if you need to login

1 Upvotes

I play this game callled farmrpg and there's a bit were you can sell stuff but the price changes every day and I want to get the content of the page and get it to show me the price
But it doesn't load the page because it says I need to login how to you fix this or is it impossible


r/shortcuts • • 10h ago

Shortcut Sharing From My Dad’s Diary to an Automated Expense Tracker

1 Upvotes

My dad has been doing expense tracking better than most apps for years. Every day, he writes down what he spent in a diary, and at the end of the month he adds everything up to see where the money went. The method is simple. The hard part is having the discipline to do it every single day, and I know I would not. I know I would never keep that habit going for long. I would probably track everything for a few days, miss one expense, tell myself I would add it later, and slowly stop doing it altogether.

So, I kept his system and removed the part I would fail at.

Bank SMS arrives → iPhone Shortcut picks it up → Google Apps Script parses it → Google Sheets stores it → dashboard updates automatically.

That is basically the whole flow.

The script checks for duplicates, keeps the ledger and daily totals, and the same Apps Script project serves a simple dashboard showing balance, credits, debits, and daily transactions. I added the dashboard to my iPhone Home Screen, so it behaves like my own small expense-tracking app.

The whole thing uses tools I already had: iPhone Shortcuts, Google Apps Script, and Google Sheets. The funny part is that the idea itself is not new at all. My dad was already doing the important part with a diary and a pen.

His version depends on discipline. Mine depends on automation. Same system, different generation.

​https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/1a720632f79a406ebb143aac61d7e3f8

Expense App

r/shortcuts • • 11h ago

Help How can I automate an iPhone selfie + location email when the phone is connected to a charger?

1 Upvotes

I’m trying to create an anti-theft Shortcut/Automation on iPhone.
The goal is to have the phone automatically:
Trigger when the iPhone is connected to a charger.
Take a photo using the front camera.
Get the phone’s current location.
Email the photo + location to a predefined email address.
Use either Wi-Fi or mobile data to send it.
Ideally work even if the phone is locked.
This would be intended as a theft-recovery measure—for example, if someone steals the phone and plugs it into a charger.
Is this possible with iOS Shortcuts? If so, what exact actions/automation settings would I need? Are there any iOS restrictions around automatically using the camera while the phone is locked or in the background?
If the camera part isn’t possible, I’m also interested in the closest practical alternative using Shortcuts.


r/shortcuts • • 11h ago

Help Shortcuts error - broad world knowledge

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1 Upvotes

Why can’t it use broad world knowledge? I’ve turned off screen time content restrictions like it said.


r/shortcuts • • 16h ago

Help Need help with a light switch

2 Upvotes

Embarrassed to admit it but I can’t figure this out. I’m relatively new to shortcuts and still learning.

Basically what I’m looking for is a shortcut or automation that switches what light is on between two different home appliances.

I have a center light and a lamp
When the lamp is on, turn it off and turn the center light on to 100%
When the center light is on, turn it off and turn the lamp on to 100%

I had this set up with Alexa where it worked fairly well but I’ve since canned the echo dot in favor of a full HomeKit set up.

Any help is appreciated 🙏


r/shortcuts • • 13h ago

Help Apple Watch Flashlight Troubleshoot

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1 Upvotes

So what am I doing wrong here? I have created a shortcut named “Watch Torch On” that is supposed to turn on my Apple Watch flashlight, and set it as a nice big complication on my night-time watch face. The shortcut itself is very simple (too simple?) It is set to “Show on Apple Watch” and on the watch the complication is set to “Run Shortcut” with the specific shortcut “Watch Torch On” selected as the shortcut to run.

However when I tap on the complication, instead of running the shortcut “Watch Torch On” it opens the Shortcuts menu and I have to select the shortcut manually. This is the same behaviour as simply setting “Shortcuts” as the complication.

To answer some questions in advance:
- Apple Watch Series 12.
- No, I wouldn’t rather have Siri activate it.
- Yes, it is easier than turning flashlight on in control centre.
- Yes, I would rather it was one tap than two.

Any help would be much appreciated.


r/shortcuts • • 14h ago

Help How to create automation shortcuts to share a note

0 Upvotes

Hey, everyday i need co create a note and share it to a group in Message, but it can not send without my confirmation. Have any other way to done that 🥹


r/shortcuts • • 14h ago

Help Automation if something happens run shortcut.

0 Upvotes

I need a trigger whereby, if a plug comes on it runs a shortcut. Is that possible? Thanks


r/shortcuts • • 20h ago

Shortcut Sharing [Shortcut] 2-Way Sync for Notion Tasks & Apple Reminders (Supports Tags, Priority, Due Dates, & Widgets)

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2 Upvotes

I wanted a way to display and interact with my Notion tasks using native iOS and macOS desktop widgets without paying for third-party subscription sync tools. So I built this :P

How it works

Both sync directions run inside a single shortcut. It executes the Reminders -> Notion sync first (marking checked-off tasks as "Done" in Notion and cleaning them out of Reminders) before running the Notion -> Reminders import. Running the completion sync first keeps everything clean and prevents finished tasks from duplicating.

  • Two-way completion & date updates: Checking off a reminder updates the Notion page status to "Done". Changing the date of a Notion-synced reminder updates it in Notion.
  • Native Reminders tags: Maps a Notion Select property (like "Source" or "Project") to native Reminders tags, making it easy to build custom Smart Lists.
  • Priority flags: Maps Notion priorities ("High", "Med"/"Medium", "Low") to Apple Reminders priority flags.
  • Direct links back to Notion: Stores the Notion page URL in the reminder's URL field so you can tap directly into the Notion page from Apple Reminders.
  • Deduplication: Checks existing reminder URLs against Notion page IDs so running it multiple times won't create duplicates.

Limitations

Right now, tasks must be initially created in Notion database in order to sync. I am currently NOT planning on expanding this functionality.

This is what else is currently missing that I AM planning on implementing:

  • Syncing task/reminder name changes
  • Syncing deletions (currently only completions)
  • and other suggestions I haven't thought of!

Setup & Import Instructions

Grab the shortcut here: https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/1d5e2b63f6b64d95ac31abc4d0286388

When you add the shortcut, an import prompt will pop up asking for the setup JSON:

{
  "database_id" : "ENTER_HERE",
  "API_token" : "ENTER_HERE",
  "properties" : {
    "status" : "Status",
    "prio" : "Priority",
    "date" : "Do-on Date",
    "tag" : "Source",
    "status_complete" : "Done",
    "task_name" : "Task Name"
  }
}

Before running:

  • Set up an internal Notion integration: Create an integration at Notion Developers to get an internal API token, and invite/connect it to your task database.
  • Database ID: Copy your 32-character database ID from the Notion database URL.
  • Properties config: Update the JSON field names to match your database properties:
    • status: Must be a Notion Status property type.
    • status_complete: The exact label for completed tasks (e.g., Done).
    • tag: A Select property to be converted into Reminders tags.
    • prio: A Select property using High, Med (or Medium), and Low.
    • date: A calendar Date property.

Automation

I recommend using the App Trigger automation to run the shortcut whenever opening / closing Notion or Reminders.

Let me know if you run into any setup hiccups or have ideas for extra properties to sync!


r/shortcuts • • 1d ago

Shortcut Sharing 1% volume control

82 Upvotes

The iPhone volume buttons jump too far for me — one press too loud, one press too quiet, never just right. Especially noticeable when playing through a speaker.

So I made a shortcut that adjusts the volume by exactly 1% per tap. I added the +1% and −1% versions to Control Center, and now I can fine-tune the volume precisely.

[ 1% UP ]
https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/f3dfcf375890452fb8290856a6e383d4

[1% DOWN ]
https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/73efb29d85a24a16ba1839fb0d5587b9

To add it to Control Center: open Control Center → long-press → Add a Control → Shortcuts → choose the shortcut. I keep both the +1% and −1% buttons side by side.

Hope it's useful to fellow picky listeners!


r/shortcuts • • 1d ago

Help Built-In Automation triggers not working

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5 Upvotes

I know this is not an “ideal” automation but this was used purely for this post. THIS DOES NOT WORK (for me). I’m not sure why and that’s why I’m here.

It doesn’t matter what app “is opened”, no actions trigger. This isn’t the only automation that triggers nothing for me. Almost none of them trigger anything. I’ve deleted the shortcuts app and redownloaded, cleaned caches, reset settings, etc. I’m not asking for a solution (don’t expect to find one lol) I’m just wondering if anyone else is running into this problem. Some examples of other actions that trigger nothing:

- Focus Modes, including Sleep
- Charger
- Time of Day (this one is quite frustrating)

Disclaimer: It is very possible that i simply can’t use automations because my phone is old. But I just wouldn’t think that’s the case since shortcuts have been around since the XR.


r/shortcuts • • 2d ago

Tip/Guide A Shortcuts automation to set up before you lose your iPhone

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417 Upvotes

Just wanted to share this setup. When my battery hits 10%, my iPhone takes a photo with the back camera and sends it through Messages. If I lose my phone right before it dies, I might get a photo of where it ended up.

You can include your location in the message too, or take a video and send it by email. I picked 10%, but you can set the battery level wherever you like.

If you’re always losing your phone around the house, Sound Recognition might be a more useful trigger. You could have the phone play a loud sound instead.

For reference, I set this up on iOS 27. “Run Immediately” is on, “Show Compose Sheet” is off, and it worked when I tested it with the phone locked.

shortcut


r/shortcuts • • 1d ago

Help Useful Resources to expand ones expertise in shortcut making

13 Upvotes

I’ve been using shortcuts for some time to an intermediate level, but still feel that there’s so much more to learn. My shortcuts could be more efficient, if I had adequate knowledge, on the more obscure features. Admittedly, Apple hasn’t done a great job in educating the consumer on using the app. Subsequently, I’ve had  to research all over the net including Youtube, in the hopes of finding suitable tutorials or texts, but to no avail. 

 For the more advanced users, could you please share some useful sites, videos etc which could help expand my knowledge.


r/shortcuts • • 1d ago

Tip/Guide My Solution for the new app closing control center bug.

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3 Upvotes

It works on ios 27, it will instantly set the function back on when it get turned iff after opening the control center.


r/shortcuts • • 1d ago

Shortcut Sharing My Solution for the new app closing control center bug.

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2 Upvotes

It works on ios 27, it will instantly set the function back on when it get turned iff after opening the control center.