Siri shortcuts are now one of the best features iOS 12 has to offer. Of course, you need to ensure that you have the latest iOS version installed and also make sure that you have installed all the app updates available (if any) from the App Store to utilize 3rd party application shortcuts.
In addition to the latest software/app updates, the 3rd party applications should also support the feature to be able to utilize the Siri shortcut.
How to create a Siri Shortcut?
There are three possible ways to create a Siri Shortcut, they are (look for the detailed explanations below):
- Suggested Shortcuts: By default, you can head to the Settings->Siri&Search->All Shortcuts to add Siri shortcuts – but you will be able to add some basic shortcuts.
- Custom Shortcuts: In order to add custom shortcuts, you need to install the “Shortcuts” app from the App Store.
- App Shortcuts: Some 3rd party applications offer a “Add to Siri” shortcut button, just click on it and add a voice phrase for Siri. The button should look like this:
How do you add suggested shortcuts?
You just need to head on to the Settings menu and then tap “Siri & Search“. Next, you will observe the suggested shortcuts right away (As shown in the images above). If you want to take a look at more suggested shortcuts, tap on “All Shortcuts” and add the shortcuts you want.
Do note that you will be asked to record a voice phrase that will trigger that shortcut right after you add the shortcut. Here’s how it should look like:
How do you add a custom Shortcut?
To add a custom shortcut, you need to install the “Shortcuts” app from the App Store. Once you have it installed, launch it. Here’s how it is going to look like:
As you can see in the screenshot above, after launching the shortcuts app – you get the option to “Create Shortcut“. I have a few shortcuts added.
However, do note that creating your own custom shortcut might be a bit confusing (we will discuss it in brief below) if you want to have your desired input and action for the shortcut. So, we will recommend you to check out the Shortcuts gallery – where you get a lot of shortcuts ready to use, just add it and record a voice phrase and you are done. You can even customize them individually after adding it (by tapping the three dot icon on the shortcut card in the Shortcuts library as shown in the images above).
Custom Shortcuts: Explained
Creating a shortcut is not rocket science – but the scripting a shortcut to automate a task could be confusing. The gallery offers a lot of shortcuts – but in case you want to get creative, you should get to know about the basics. Take a look at the image below.
Here, you get a variety of options to utilize, you can even implement an if-else condition for your shortcut (for ex– if the input is X the output is Y else the output is Z). You can add a variable which points to the input and you can use this variable to apply a condition to trigger any action.
So, in a nutshell, you have to combine several actions to automate one shortcut as per your preference.
When you create a shortcut, it should look something like this:
Wrapping Up
Except when creating a unique custom shortcut, it is very easy and useful to utilize the Siri shortcut feature on iOS 12. If you have a question about anything related to it, you can let us know in the comments below.
Also, if you have started using Siri Shortcuts, what are the ones you are using right now?
Filed in . Read more about Siri.