Apple in iOS 12 introduced a new Siri Shortcuts feature that's designed to let users create multi-step automations using first and third-party apps.
Since iOS 12's release, app developers have been adding Siri Shortcuts support to their apps, and today, Apple highlighted several apps that have launched useful Siri Shortcut options.
Tile, for example, has added a Shortcut designed to let you find an item attached to a Tile device, like your keys, by asking Siri. Apps like CARROT and Dark Sky offer up weather details with Siri commands like "rain report" or "UV index," while Citymapper lets you get commute information in seconds.
Evernote lets you get quick access to Shortcuts for sharing notes, creating audio notes, creating camera notes, and printing, while Day One has Shortcuts for creating journal entries and recording audio. Calendar app Fantastical lets you schedule events and preview what's coming next, and Trello, Things, and Omnifocus all have Shortcut options for streamlining projects.
Apple also highlights Waterminder for tracking your water intake, Lose It! for keeping track of what you're eating, MyTherapy for monitoring daily medications, and meditation in Headspace, all features that can be accessed via simple Siri commands without the need to open up the respective apps.
Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below.
Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
Tuesday December 2, 2025 11:09 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple is encouraging iPhone users who are still running iOS 18 to upgrade to iOS 26 by making the iOS 26 software upgrade option more prominent.
Since iOS 26 launched in September, it has been displayed as an optional upgrade at the bottom of the Software Update interface in the Settings app. iOS 18 has been the default operating system option, and users running iOS 18 have seen iOS 18...
Wednesday December 3, 2025 10:33 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple today seeded the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 updates to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming two weeks after Apple seeded the third betas. The release candidates represent the final versions of iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found during this final week of testing....
Friday December 5, 2025 10:08 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone.
In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028....
Thursday December 4, 2025 9:30 am PST by Joe Rossignol
In a statement shared with Bloomberg on Wednesday, Apple confirmed that its software design chief Alan Dye will be leaving. Apple said Dye will be succeeded by Stephen Lemay, who has been a software designer at the company since 1999.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Dye will lead a new creative studio within the company's AR/VR division Reality Labs.
On his blog Daring Fireball,...
Monday December 1, 2025 4:37 pm PST by Juli Clover
We're getting closer to the launch of the final major iOS update of the year, with Apple set to release iOS 26.2 in December. We've had three betas so far and are expecting a fourth beta or a release candidate this week, so a launch could follow as soon as next week.
Past Launch Dates
Apple's past iOS x.2 updates from the last few years have all happened right around the middle of the...
Monday December 1, 2025 3:00 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that ...
A U.S. appeals court has upheld a temporary restraining order that prevents OpenAI and Jony Ive's new hardware venture from using the name "io" for products similar to those planned by AI audio startup iyO, Bloomberg Law reports.
iyO sued OpenAI earlier this year after the latter announced its partnership with Ive's new firm, arguing that OpenAI's planned "io" branding was too close to its...
The iPhone Air has recorded the steepest early resale value drop of any iPhone model in years, with new data showing that several configurations have lost almost 50% of their value within ten weeks of launch.
According to a ten-week analysis published by SellCell, Apple's latest lineup is showing a pronounced split in resale performance between the iPhone 17 models and the iPhone Air....
Thursday December 4, 2025 5:18 am PST by Tim Hardwick
iPhone 17 Pro models, it turns out, can't take photos in Night mode when Portrait mode is selected in the Camera app – a capability that's been available on Apple's Pro devices since the iPhone 12 Pro in 2020.
If you're an iPhone 17 Pro or iPhone 17 Pro Max owner, try it for yourself: Open the Camera app with Photo selected in the carousel, then cover the rear lenses with your hand to...
Kinda wish it didn't say "App says: ..." and just say the text. Same with "Running your Shortcut." I think it's a waste of time to say running your shortcut. And for me it kind of breaks the experience of Siri doing stuff when it's saying "App says...".
Without those, I think the experience would be much more seamless.
Hopefully one day, Siri won't require a highly specific phrase. Or maybe you can add multiple trigger phrases at least. Don't want to always have to speak the exact same words.
Honestly, I’m still not entirely sure how I should use this. For whatever reason it doesn’t invite me to find out either.
This is how I've felt about 'shortcuts'. I know they are there only because I read sites like this. For what was one of the most anticipated features of the release according to the tech writers, if you didn't know about it you'd never find it and if you did know, you need to download the app, work out what it does and then figure out which bits work with your phone/watch etc.
Set up a shortcut in Overcast called "Techmeme" which plays their "Ride Home" podcast which I listen to on my way home. BTW I highly recommend it.
Me: "Hey Siri, Techmeme"
Siri interpretations:
"Hey Siri Text meme" *tries to send a message* "Hey Siri Tech Meme" *blob of text from Wolfram Alpha* "Hey Siri Techmeme" Tries to play in Overcast, fails every time on the first try, works every time on the second try if I don't end up with her thinking I said something else listed above.
When it's having problems, I've tried "Hey Siri, Play Techmeme" which opens the Podcasts app, which I don't want because it doesn't have the features I use such as speeding up voice pauses.
I tried setting it to "Ride Home" which a lot of times means that maps tries to pull up driving directions to my home.
It really seems half baked at this point. I think I'm just going to have to come up with a completely different phrase like "Hey Siri I like bananas" for her to understand what I want, but even then it will always fail to start playing on the first time and play successfully when I ask a second time. Not sure if that's a glitch with Siri or Overcast.
