Customizing iOS Shortcuts

Smartphones have made life so much easier, shaving so much time off of our to-do lists. But as we’ve proved once again, we crave even easier ways of accomplishing our goals.

And on this note, Apple is also happy to oblige. Not only is the iOS offering a shortcut to its main features, but it also allows users to customize these shortcuts according to their tastes or needs. Pretty neat, huh?

The latest iOS also came with their set of hidden shortcuts and how you can customize them to improve the way you use your iPhone. There are a couple of ways to access shortcuts on your Apple device. You can either go via accessibility to activate some shortcuts on your device or just get the iPhone shortcut to apply via Apple Store.

The iOS Shortcut Application

If you are using the latest iPhone series, then there is a high chance that your phone came with the iOS shortcut app. But even if it didn’t, you can easily just download it from the iOS App Store. This app helps you accomplish tasks on your device with a click or by engaging with Siri.

A shortcut is made up of actions that help make that function possible. For example, a shortcut that triggers Siri anytime you shake your head might be made up of the following actions.

Turn camera on
Use camera to scan head and detect motion
Turn Siri on.

In your shortcut app, at the bottom-right corner, you can find your Gallery tab, which is just a curated collection of creative and useful shortcuts.

You can take a minute to browse through the gallery and familiarize yourself with the possible shortcuts available and check out their actions by selecting “show actions” to see how it is built. When you come across a shortcut, you deem useful just tap on it to add to your library of shortcuts for later customization.

Swipe up or down to check out categories and tap see all to see more shortcuts in a category. If you want to see your selected shortcuts, select the library icon, which is labeled Library.

Create a Shortcut

To create a shortcut, go to the library and select the Create Shortcut Tab or the Plus icon at the top.

Here you can create the shortcut by selecting or searching actions to use in your shortcut and tapping on them. You can rearrange the selected actions by pressing, holding, and then dragging it above or below the other actions.

You can also redo, undo, and delete your action with an option to test the shortcut. Naming your shortcut is also easy. Just tap the two toggle icons on top of each other, enter a name and press done. Click done to save the shortcuts when you are done customizing.

To edit your shortcuts, click on the Three Dotted Lines in the library to open the editor. Here you can edit the actions, name, and appearance. When you’re done, you can run that shortcut by tapping on it in the shortcut app or asking Siri to run with a custom phrase.

To bring your shortcut to the front, go to your Home Screen and click on the Three Dots in the right corner of the shortcut, then select the Two Toggle Icons on top of each other. Here you will be prompted to select options to access your shortcut:

The first one allows you to record a message that will be used to trigger your shortcut via Siri.
The second option turns on the Widget show, which will display your shortcuts in the Today view.
The third adds the shortcut to your home screen.

Select the way you would wish to access your shorts easily. You can also customize your shortcuts via settings.

Turn On Siri with a Nod

One of the cool features of the iPhone is the Switch Control; it works by using your camera as a motion sensor and interprets certain motions as commands to access certain features. You can access Switch Control on your device via Settings => General and then Accessibility. Once you are in Switch Control, you can turn it on by selecting Scanning Style and then Manual. This should display switches for you to select and add a new switch.

Here you can select the head movement you want, either left or right, and then customize it to the feature you want to activate. You can choose from eight functions. They include Siri, the App Switcher, and the Home button, among others.

If you check out “Siri & Search,” you will have an option to create your shortcuts out of almost any function. If you select “More Shortcuts,” more shortcuts suggestions will be made available for you to work with. Select the blue plus sign next to a suggestion and the red button to trigger phrase for Siri. Anytime you say the phrase to Siri, this shortcut will be triggered.

Create Custom Names and Phrases

You can create keyboard shortcuts for specific words, names, and phrases by going to Settings and General, then Keyboard and Text Replacement. Here you can customize as many words and phrases or sentences as you want. It will help you reserve your energy whenever you are typing.