Shortcuts It is one of the most interesting developments that emerged during the launch of iOS 12, it is the combination between the old Workflow and the veteran Siri, a way to make both qualities more intelligent and especially more useful for us regular iOS users. However, for users who have had little contact with the already extinct Workflow application this "Shortcuts" They may sound a bit complicated, but don't worry, iPhone News has come to help you.
We are going to tell you what iOS 12 Shortcuts is and teach you with this definitive guide how you can get the most out of this new iOS application That will make our lives much easier.
What is this about Shortcuts?
Shortcuts they are fundamentally workflows, that is to say, we are going to teach the iPhone what are the steps to follow to perform a certain, theoretically simple action and that we perform in a fairly usual way, so the iPhone will execute these tasks when we start the shortcut through the mechanism of activation that we have preferred. One of the innovations of Shortcuts is precisely that we can establish voice commands through which Siri will execute the shortcuts that we have previously configured in the application. This is a way to force Siri to perform tasks that he did not previously do.
An example is that we can prepare a Shortcut to turn off all wireless connectivity when we tell Siri that "it is bedtime." This is only one example of the many tasks that we will be able to perform through Shortcuts, however, there will be many others that we can configure how to download YouTube videos easily and that cannot be invoked through Siri, we will take a look to these capacities.
How can I add new Shortcuts?
The application includes some predefined shortcuts, however we can add many more, and the possibilities are virtually endless.
- Shortcut Gallery: Within the application itself we have a gallery that Apple has developed in which the shortcuts that the Cupertino company has considered appropriate to make our lives easier are included.
- Import shortcuts from external sources: We can easily import a shortcut either because we have received it through an iCloud link or because it is available on any web page or server to which we have access.
- Create our own shortcuts: If you have the necessary skill you can create your own shortcuts to solve specific needs you have as a user.
How can I create my own shortcut?
The iOS 12 Shortcuts tool has a system that will allow us to create our own shortcuts, for this we only have to follow the next steps that we are going to tell you below, however, the most important thing is that you first soak up what the knowledge is necessary to develop these formulas, and above all make sure that the applications we want to invoke are available.
- We go to the Shortcuts application and click on the “+” icon in the upper right corner
- We use the search engine to select the task we want to execute, we look for “get from the clipboard” in the search engine
- Now we look for “Translate text with Microsoft” in the search engine and in the first range we put “Detect Language” to “Spanish”
- Touch select “Create note” to create a note in the application when we get the translation.
Now what the shortcut is going to do is take the content that we have copied to the clipboard and create a note with the translation Complete in the Notes application. It's that easy, we just have to select any text, click on “Copy” and execute this shortcut through the application to translate it in just an instant.
How can I assign orders to Siri to execute Shortcuts?
This is the most interesting option. In any shortcut we just have to enter to edit it by clicking on the "…" icon next to the shortcut and in the search box put "Add to Siri“, Then a kind of recorder will be opened that will allow us to record a voice command that will execute this shortcut that we have previously configured. This is how we can “make the virtual assistant more intelligent” of the Cupertino company.
It is important that we know that not all applications and all shortcuts with the possibility of assigning them to Siri are still compatible, so we must have a little patience while updating and developing news, however, Siri also has its own recommendations to make.
What are the different ways to execute a shortcut?
There are several mechanisms that Apple has provided for iOS users and so they can quickly and easily execute the shortcuts they have stored. These are what it offers us:
- Through the application itself Shortcuts: Entering the Shortcuts application and clicking on the one we need to run
- Through the Widget of the Shortcuts application: If we press for a long time activating the 3D Touch function in Shortcuts, the list of Shortcuts that we have predefined will open.
- Through Widget from the Notification Center: In the Notification Center we can also add a Widget that includes our favorite shortcuts, as many other applications do.
- Through Siri: As we have already said, Siri can activate the shortcuts that we have previously predefined for its capabilities.
- Through the menu "Share": We can add Shortcuts to the "Share on …" minor for example downloading content from YouTube and any other application.
Where can I get the best iOS 12 shortcuts?
If you think this is too much for you, don't worry, you can get the best shortcuts for iOS 12 through several places where they are stored and organized, you will surely find the one you are looking for in any of the following places:
And this is all about our definitive guide on Shortcuts for iOS 12We hope you have been useful and can get the most out of it, share your experience in the comments.
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