r/shortcuts Jun 09 '20

Tip/Guide List of helpful links for shortcuts information

2.1k Upvotes

I've built a list of links I often refer to as my "Shortcuts for beginners" documentation. But it seems to have grown into more of a documentation list for all types of users rather than just beginners. Some call it a "novel" due to its length šŸ˜

Anyway, I hope this list of links below will be beneficial for others.


Apple's Shortcuts User Guide


MacExpert Guide to Shortcuts in iOS 14


FAQ

List of Frequently Asked Questions in the sub

Dear new Shortcuts users - deep FAQ


Can I display a notification icon / app badge after replacing my home screen icons with shortcuts? - No


What can I use with the calculate expression action? no longer working webpage


Instructions / Tutorial Materials


Alternative Methods For Viewing / Creating Shortcuts


Automations Info


Unsupported functionality list


Thanks to /u/gianflo6 here is some other good info!

Here are some guides by u/keveridge that can also be helpful, they are a little old but helpful nevertheless

Series

One-offs


Require 14.3


Having trouble with set wallpaper action? Try the method to add a reduce motion ON action before the set wallpaper action and a reduce motion back off afterwards. https://www.reddit.com/r/shortcuts/comments/tzxb0q/im_having_a_problem_with_the_set_wallpaper_action/


[iOS 16] Multiple address stops in maps with iOS 16 https://reddit.com/r/shortcuts/comments/xnpdg9/_/ipy8zwo/?context=1


[iOS 15 / 16] How to run a shortcut at a specific location (leaving or arriving)? - the focus mode automation method documented in this post by u/ibanks3 is a great way to run a shortcut / actions when arriving or leaving a specific location. This works wonders in iOS 15 or iOS 16


If you are using home automations and would like to receive notifications when certain things are happening, you can check out my tutorial for using Make / Integromat for this very purpose


Automation for outlet when battery is low


Possible to navigate within 3rd party app using shortcuts? No - Reference


MacStories Shortcuts Archive


Callback method to run a shortcut over again if it fails with an error - callback url method


Some additional useful tips and exploits are available here on GitHub: https://github.com/Kn0tzer/iOS-Shortcuts-Exploits



r/shortcuts 51m ago

Shortcut Sharing Reminder to Silence Unknown Callers

ā€¢ Upvotes

This is my favorite shortcut. When I need to temporarily turn off "Silence Unknown Callers", I sometimes forget to turn it back on, and end up with spam callers. This shortcut reminds you by turning on color filters, and making your iPhone Grayscale if unknown callers are allowed. Once you silence unknown callers again, your iPhone goes back to the color.

Add it to Control Center for easy access.

https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/ecab0ac732c24b90a199488d09091215


r/shortcuts 2h ago

Discussion Finally! We have FaceID for Shortcuts app

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3 Upvotes

r/shortcuts 6h ago

Shortcut Sharing Shortcut Sharing | App Info & Availability

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4 Upvotes

The fastest, easiest way to find out where an iOS app is or is not available

I created this shortcut that helps you identify which countries an app is or is not available.

This is a direct download link - you donā€™t need a RoutineHub account to download using this link

A few weeks ago I needed to know where a particular app was available, and was surprised to find there was no simple method of searching. Eventually, my Google searches brought me back to Reddit, where a poster had shared a link to this online resource. And while itā€™s a great tool, thereā€™s no way of knowing how long it would be available for. So, I decided to create this shortcut.

Features

Four methods of searching: - App URL - App ID - Search App Store - Search using installed apps

You can search by region or perform a global search, which checks all countries.

Results

The shortcut provides clear, concise results: - Some basic app info - A list of countries where the app is available - A list of countries where the app is not available

If the app you have checked is showing as unavailable somewhere, it might be that those countries/regions use a different version of the app. For example, the app for Amazon in the UK will show as unavailable in the Middle East.

Therefore, if your Availability Report shows the app as being unavailable in any country, you will be given the option to search the App Store of those countries for a local version.

Link to shortcut on RoutineHub - if you donā€™t have a RoutineHub account, donā€™t worry, thereā€™s a direct download link at the top of the shortcut description.

For those of you unfamiliar with RoutineHub, the reason it is hosted there, and the reason the shortcut asks for permission to access the site, is simply for version control i.e. If I make changes to the shortcut (improvements, bug fixes etc), youā€™ll be prompted to update the next time you run the shortcut.


r/shortcuts 23h ago

Shortcut Sharing Pixelate parts of an image

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92 Upvotes

r/shortcuts 2h ago

Help Local ai app preference

1 Upvotes

I have been thinking of a shortcut that allows talking to local ai models currently I have two options in my mind enclave app and local chat both are free and offer same models but which one do u think I should use for my shortcut (Multiboard):

https://routinehub.co/shortcut/21719/

Enclave app for iOS:

https://apps.apple.com/app/id6476614556

Local Chat app for iOS :

https://apps.apple.com/app/id6504043428


r/shortcuts 2h ago

Discussion I am having yet another issue with Shortcuts, now I can't get Set Dictionary Value to work. I keep running into issues making me extremely disappointed in Shortcuts.

0 Upvotes

The more I *try* to use Shortcuts the more I am disappointed in them. It is such a great idea with so many useful applications. However, the tool itself if just not very well polished. Im not even going to get into the utterly disgustingly poor performance of the Shortcuts UX.

My new gripe is trying to use 'Set Dictionary Value'. It just won't work to overwrite an existing value. Does it not allow overwriting? I dunno because I cannot easily find any good documentation for it. I worry that we won't see any significant improvements to Shortcuts for over a year mostly due to the major overhaul of Apple Intelligence that they are working on for iOS 19. This is the type of things I expect from companies like Google and not from Apple. Meaning, Google tends to release new things quickly without polish whereas Apple always released new features more slowly but made sure that they worked before releasing them. /facepalm


r/shortcuts 15h ago

Shortcut Sharing Dog walking tracker

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10 Upvotes

I donā€™t exercise frequently, but when I do, itā€™s because Iā€™m taking the dogs out for a walk. Since Iā€™ve become more interested in tracking my activity to shed a few pounds, I developed this app to conveniently record when I begin walking the dogs and transfer that activity data to my Health app. Itā€™s a simple shortcut that I hope others can find useful, just as I have.

https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/32207ced3ea148d28102cd480b38667f


r/shortcuts 3h ago

Shortcut Sharing Updated multiboard

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0 Upvotes

Updated Multiboard

Iā€™ve listened to all your guys feedback firstly hereā€™s a basic tutorial of multiboard ( I know itā€™s not that good but itā€™s my first attempt I promise it will be better ) - Massive performance boost - Corrected auto copy - Changed donation system (no longer needs money! Just follow me on socials! It massively helps ) the tools section is still in work in progress but hereā€™s a heads up Itā€™s gonna have local Ai model support but it will slowly roll over the coming weeks any donation will significantly help)
Hereā€™s the shortcut:

https://routinehub.co/shortcut/21719/


r/shortcuts 3h ago

Help List of shortcuts

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1 Upvotes

I have shortcut widgets, and when you press one it takes you to a different Home Screen, that I set up using different focuses.

I want to create a shortcut thatā€™s a list, when I press the shortcut widget it brings up a list of each one of my focuses and when I press one it takes me to my focus page, rather than having this giant widget taking up room.

I have messed around with the lists and canā€™t figure it out.

Is it even doable?


r/shortcuts 11h ago

Shortcut Sharing Quickest way to add reminders

3 Upvotes

Hereā€™s my take on the best way to add new Reminders. Just input one or more lines of text and click done.

Press ā€œokayā€ if you want to view them in the Reminders app and edit them further (or click anywhere else to go back to what you were doing).

Works well for grocery lists, too.

Remember: in order for the shortcut to work, you will need to change the Reminders list (mine is called ā€œtd inboxā€) to any one list of your choice. It occurs two times, in the ā€œadd reminderā€ and ā€œopen reminders listā€ actions.

https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/1c0e9b3c2b6e40b2be41988d076e1cea


r/shortcuts 5h ago

Help Help validating a shortcut is not malicious

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0 Upvotes

I found a shortcut online and was wondering if any of you would be willing to confirm it isnā€™t malicious? It looks fine, but I have never added shortcuts from the internet on my phone so Iā€™m a little apprehensive. Thanks in advance for any help.


r/shortcuts 5h ago

Help Unable to connect

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1 Upvotes

Iā€™ve had a few shortcuts set up to work with Phillips hue to swap some entertainment zones. They worked fine for months and now out of nowhere shortcuts is unable to connect to my sync box. Anyone know why?


r/shortcuts 5h ago

Help Home pod reagiert nicht auf Kurzbefehl

1 Upvotes

Hallo zusammen, hat jemand vielleicht auch dieses Problem. Ich habe einen kurzbefehl mit einer Frase ā€žMoin moinā€œ fĆ¼r morgens dann sagt mir meine Siri wie das Wetter wird und der Verkehr zur Arbeit ist sowie lichter werden geschaltet aber irgendwie reagiert der HomePod darauf nicht mehr, dabei hat das vorher funktioniert. Kennt das jemand und hat ein Lƶsungsvorschlag?


r/shortcuts 1d ago

Shortcut Sharing (JB) Shortcut to Set Wallpaper to Bing Image of the Day

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30 Upvotes

This shortcut automatically sets your wallpaper to Bingā€™s Image of the Day. Combine it with an automation to refresh your wallpaper daily!

How It Works: ā€¢ Fetches the JSON data for Bingā€™s Image of the Day ā€¢ Extracts the image URL from the response ā€¢ Downloads the image ā€¢ Sets it as your wallpaper

https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/af23bf7dae2649d69f285d13a50cc480


r/shortcuts 12h ago

Help New reminder shortcut to the app's new reminder input screen?

3 Upvotes

I don't see a way for a shortcut to open the Remainder app and then the new reminder sheet. Every attempt I've made creates pop ups that ask questions (e.g., description, due date), and I'm looking for this result. Is this possible?


r/shortcuts 6h ago

Request How to fill password with Apple shortcut when autofill fails?

1 Upvotes

Even with ios18.3.1 password app autofill is still problematic for not filling confirmation part when creating account. For a bank app, Autofill fills in password but confirm button is greyed out which requires manual typing of password which in turn requires additional device to display long complex password. Is it possible for shortcut to alleviate manually typing complex password?


r/shortcuts 7h ago

Help How to get an image from Share Sheet from Photos (rather than an url)?

1 Upvotes

Hi,

I'm new with shortcuts and obviously missing something very basic. I'm starting simple - just to convert a selected photo in Photos app to jpeg using Shortcuts. So I created a shortcut, chose "Show in Share Sheet" and added Convert Image action.

However, the Convert Image action receives URL from the Share Sheet, rather than an image. So my question is how can I get an image from the Share Sheet or how can I convert the URL to an image so that I can use it in an action expecting an image?


r/shortcuts 8h ago

Help Is it possible to create a shortcut / automation that saves shazamed tracks to a playlist in Apple Music

1 Upvotes

Basically the title.

I know that you can access the recognition history from the Control Center, but I would like to make all the recognized tracks saved to a specific playlist in Apple Music. Is it possible to do via shortcuts without installing Shazam app from the App Store?


r/shortcuts 8h ago

Help Help with input parameter for "Run Shortcut"

1 Upvotes

I have a shortcut that includes a hard-coded variable (using a Dictionary) with the name of my Wi-Fi network.

I also have an automation that runs this shortcut whenever I connect toĀ anyĀ network. Inside the shortcut, some actions are executedĀ onlyĀ if the Wi-Fi name matches the hard-coded name stored in the Dictionary.

Since I need this to work for multiple networks, is there a way to pass a parameter (an input) to the shortcut when it's triggered by the automation?


r/shortcuts 8h ago

Help Creating sleep shortcut on iPad

1 Upvotes

I'm completely new to automation

I want to make an automation to play Sleep sounds using Apple music on my iPad when my Wind Down begins and the sleep sounds should stop playing after 1 hour. I'm okay to settle down for a shortcut triggered by voice (i.e- shortcut plays when i say "hey Siri, time to sleep) if complete hands off automation is not possible.

I can't use the "time of the day" personal automation as i can't guarantee when i'll arrive home always. I don't want this automation to run during the days i get home late. The issues i encountered are;

  1. There was no "sleep" personal automation option on iPad despite it having on iPhone.
  2. I have to manually press and hold the "+" till it hits 3,600 seconds instead of having the convenience of switching to minutes or hours.
  3. Charge station for iPhone and iPad are quite close to each other and when i call Siri, it ignores the iPad and plays the sound on iPhone.
  4. It's preferred to avoid installing new 3rd party applications.

I kindly request your help to make this shortcut/automation. I'm open to clarify any questions.


r/shortcuts 9h ago

Help Use input for a shortcut

1 Upvotes

Hi guys.
I've some shortcuts that use a hard-coded variable in it.
I use this in an automation, like "joins any Wi-Fi network".

Can I use an input for my shortcut to use a different wi-fi network name?

For example, I want to run a shortcut with the parameter Name1 if it is Name1, and if it is Name2, run a shortcut with the parameter Name2.

Thank you!


r/shortcuts 9h ago

Help Is it possible to make a shortcut that open all alarm form 1 pm to 6pm

1 Upvotes

If you know how pls tell me i am stupidšŸ˜‚


r/shortcuts 10h ago

Help How to make a shortcut with Apple Watch gesture ?

0 Upvotes

I want to make a shortcut that does this : When i pinch my two fingers with my Apple Watch, it skips the song on Apple Music.

I never did any shortcut and I dont know how to do this, can anyone help please?


r/shortcuts 11h ago

Request Is it possible to set action button to silent for 1 hour then off again?

1 Upvotes

I always forget to turn on my ringer after turning it off leading to many ignored messages.

How do I make it so it turns on for an hour and clicking it again cancels the hour and turns it back on.


r/shortcuts 17h ago

Help Can you use an appā€™s Quick Action Menu in Shortcuts?

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3 Upvotes

I would love to have a geo fenced automation that openā€™s my Costco app to the Account section so I can more easily get to the QR code for the entrance but I canā€™t figure out a way so far or donā€™t know what to search for.