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What’s New in Shortcuts – Issue 105

From Issue 105 of my Shortcuts newsletter:

WWDC is just two weeks away and iOS 17.5 has been out along with new iPad Pros for a bit now, bringing new Shortcuts actions for Puzzles in Apple News, a Squeeze gesture for Apple Pencil Pro that can run a shortcut, and Vocal Shortcuts coming as an accessibility feature next year.

On my front, I’ve been guesting on MacRumors and Automators to wrap up the end of the year, gave a big presentation to the iOS Developer Happy Hour group about App Shortcuts for developers, and set up a variety of folders in the Shortcuts Catalog.

I also don’t normally like to tease stuff, but I’ve been reaching Peak Home Screen and Peak Stream Deck, with lots more in store for the summer – I have Elgato gear to give away at WWDC too 😈.

Read the full issue on MailerLite.

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What’s New in Shortcuts – Issue 104

From Issue 104 of my Shortcuts newsletter:

Welcome to Issue 104 of What’s New in Shortcuts!

We’re far out of the Apple Vision Pro hype cycle and WWDC tickets are in developers’ inboxes already – however, iPad rumors are still swirling for May as well.

iOS 17.4 has been released, which brought new actions to Shortcuts for the Action button, as well a general stability that’s been much needed – there are still Feedback reports to file for 17.5, however.

In the Shortcuts Catalog, I’ve been going deep on entertainment shortcuts, plus Mac window management on the livestream. Plus, I linked to many videos, app updates, and stories worth checking out.

Here’s what’s new in Shortcuts:

Read the full issue on MailerLite.

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What’s New in Shortcuts – Issue 103

From Issue 103 of my Shortcuts newsletter:

 This issue is full of Apple Vision Pro links, and my return to YouTube with one unboxing video, a livestream, and a concept video – plus handy media shortcuts, a fix from Feedback, app updates you might’ve missed, and new Tim Robinson-inspired AirTag gear?

And, to finish it all off, two announcements!

Read the full issue on MailerLite.

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What’s New in Shortcuts – Issue 102

From Issue 102 of my Shortcuts newsletter:

Welcome to Issue 102 of What’s New in Shortcuts!

In this first issue of the new year, I’ve recapped everything from December and early January – from multiple sets of shortcuts I’ve released, to news about former Shortcuts team members, to the upcoming Apple Vision Pro launch.

Plus, I’ve redesigned the front page of my site – check it out: matthewcassinelli.com.

Until next time, here’s what’s new in Shortcuts:

Read the full issue on MailerLite.

 

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What’s New in Shortcuts – Issue 101

From Issue 101 of my Shortcuts newsletter:

Welcome to Issue 101 of What’s New in Shortcuts!

Since the last issue in September, I’ve entirely moved from California to Oregon—hence the lack of regular issues as of late—while Shortcuts has gone pro in a big way as one of the main features of the new iPhone 15 Pro – the Action button.

I’ve collected a swath of Action button ideas from the community, shared a big set of apps that are updated for iOS 17, and released a whole new collection in the Shortcuts Library – including a massive new section for members.

Plus, for today only, there’s a special Cyber Monday discount on annual memberships – get your subscription locked in before the price goes up next year.

And, just to leave you with a teaser, I have my first set of Apple review units to cover soon – iPhone 15 Pro, M2 iPad Pro, and the OG Apple Watch Ultra… 🙂

Until next time, here’s what’s new in Shortcuts:

Read the full issue on MailerLite.

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What’s New in Shortcuts – Issue 100

From Issue 100 of my Shortcuts newsletter:

Welcome to Issue 100 of What’s New in Shortcuts!!

Since the last issue mid-August, things have slowed down as developers gear up for iOS 17 and the betas stabilize a bit more.

We have some good news around Alex Hay’s apps, a new release of Obscura, and I’m ramping up podcasting again with Clockwise and my second members-only show – I talk about a lot of updates coming soon in that episode.

Otherwise, I wanted to thank you for your support as a reader of my newsletter – here’s to the next 100 issues!

Until next time, here’s what’s new in Shortcuts:

Read the full issue on MailerLite.

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What’s New in Shortcuts – Issue 99

From Issue 99 of my Shortcuts newsletter:

Since the last issue at the end of July, we’ve seen two beta releases – and with it, a major change to Shortcuts automations in the form of Location automations gaining true background support.

Plus, App Shortcuts are coming to Apple Watch and HomePod – make sure to read up on the limitations, however.

Further, the Camera app actions teased in the developer sessions are now out – I got to test them in a real-life situation at a music festival this weekend.

Also, I made Apple Music’s new Discovery Radio into a shortcut, and released a set of Keynote shortcuts I’ve been using lately for some client work.

Otherwise, we’re looking ahead at the home stretch ahead of the full iOS 17 release coming in September – I hope apps are updating their App Shortcuts for Spotlight!

Until next issue, here’s what’s new in Shortcuts:

Read the full issue on MailerLite.

 

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What’s New in Shortcuts – Issue 98

From Issue 98 of my Shortcuts newsletter:

Welcome to Issue 98 of What’s New in Shortcuts!

Since the last issue in mid-July, news has been a bit quiet on the Shortcuts front thanks to a delayed second public beta – developer beta 3 was a bit rough, and now beta 4 is out today along with the public beta late in the he day.

As such, I held off on a few stories related to beta features that I have yet to cover, so my Automations and Widget coverage are coming tomorrow morning instead.

However, I did discover a new action in the betas, plus uploaded my new Threads scraping tool to the Library too – shortcuts are live now, and stories on those are coming later this week as well.

Otherwise, I published a couple of holdover posts on Threads, a few interesting tips related to power user features you might use if you’re a Shortcuts fan, and a series of linked posts to check out.

Until next issue, here’s what’s new in Shortcuts:

Read the full issue on MailerLite.

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What’s New in Shortcuts: Issue 97

From Issue 97 of my Shortcuts newsletter:

Welcome to Issue 97 of What’s New in Shortcuts!

It’s been too long since my last newsletter – but we’re back just after the iOS 17 public beta, with coverage in full swing after my post-WWDC vacation (and first case of COVID 😖).

Since last time, I’ve revamped my process for the Shortcuts Catalog, restarted regular coverage on my blog, dug deep on YouTube videos (coming very soon), and, last but not least, have just published the first episode of my new membership podcast.

My goal with these changes is to cover the same material I’ve always published in the newsletter, while exposing each story to a larger audience. Plus, this change makes it feasible to produce regular newsletters now that I’m without a tool with quick integrations like Revue – I’m using MailerLite’s excellent RSS integration instead.

Members will also receive more frequent, shorter emails covering new members-only content when it is published – look out for those in your inbox if you’re subscribed.

And, as always, you can subscribe to all my blog posts using your feed reader of choice using matthewcassinelli.com/rss.

Until next issue, here’s what’s new in Shortcuts:

Read the full issue on MailerLite.

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What’s New in Shortcuts – Issue #096

From the latest issue of my Shortcuts newsletter:

Welcome to Issue 96 of What’s New in Shortcuts – this mid-month update is full of Shortcuts news as we head into the iOS 16.4 beta cycle.

Apple published more release notes looking back at what was fixed in iOS 16.3, plus the Shortcuts community discovered a new set of helpful actions (and bugs) from the newest developer betas.

In the Shortcuts Catalog, I published a new five-part series of blog posts on Mastodon Lists and interacting with the API using Shortcuts.

In the community, creators shared great shortcuts for Micropub posting, creative Alfred workflows, and inspirational ideas that resonate with how I think about Shortcuts.

Plus, Shortcuts-powered apps are always releasing new updates – I am a big fan of Raycast’s confetti option ?

All that, and more – here’s what’s new in Shortcuts from February 11th-20th, 2023:

View the full newsletter or sign up for to receive future issues free.

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What’s New in Shortcuts – Issue #095

Welcome to Issue 95 of What’s New in Shortcuts – it’s the second Friday in February and I’ve got a huge newsletter for you!

Creativity in the Shortcuts community is super high right now—maybe it’s from folks connecting more on Mastodon?—but the ideas coming out in just the last 10 days are excellent across the board.

This issue includes my new Mastodon Lists shortcuts, article & video guides from Shortcuts creators, a whole slew of AI shortcuts that keep getting more & more interesting, and lots of clever ideas from folks sharing their individual workflows — plus, more Feedback for Apple.

I continue to have too much fun with the subtitles in these – enjoy:

View the full newsletter or sign up for future issues.

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What’s New in Shortcuts – Issue #094

Welcome to Issue 94 of What’s New in Shortcuts – it’s hard to believe January is over and we’re already starting in on February.

The new M2 Macs have already been reviewed and shipped, plus the 2nd generation HomePod reviews are out before going on sale in-stores on Friday.

Since last issue, we also saw three major apps integrate with Shortcuts (Ivory, Things, and Pythonista), plus quick app updates, blog posts to read, shortcuts to add, and automation ideas to get inspired by.

Plus, I shared some feedback from folks in the community, highlighted some interesting details in the Shortcuts Spotlight section, and had a little too much fun with the subtitles in this one – enjoy:

View the full issue or sign up for future issues.

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What’s New in Shortcuts – Issue #091

Welcome to Issue 91 of “What’s New in Shortcuts” – I’m sneaking in one last issue on Revue!

I just got back from playing superheroes with my nephew in Portland over Christmas and I’m feeling super refreshed for next year – I hope you all had a chance to relax over the holiday break.

In this issue, we have more adventures with Mastodon, a new Stable Diffusion AI app with Shortcuts support, great Automation ideas, and some more newsletter housekeeping ahead of 2023.

Stay tuned for future newsletters on the 10th, 20th, and 31st of each month next year – details below:

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What’s New in Shortcuts – Issue #090

Welcome to Issue 90 of “What’s New in Shortcuts” — this is the last issue of 2022, and, as such, I wanted to thank you all for your readership this past year.

In 2022, I sent 25 issues covering everything new in Shortcuts, plus took an extended break that allowed me to rerelease my Shortcuts Library at scale — thank you for your support during this time.

2023 brings a lot of promise for Shortcuts and particularly how much better prepared I am to share everything I know — and we’ll always have this archive of what’s come before to learn from.

Unfortunately, Twitter is imminently shutting down Revue and deleting all of the data — so, for now, I am exporting my list and will be importing everyone into a new service when I figure out where to move the newsletter.

I’ve also published every issue directly on my blog (where it can’t get deleted, except by me) and will experiment with the format going forward. I may simply back to those stories in a more minimal newsletter style — I’ll have to see as I test this and other newsletter services over the break.

I’m off next week for Christmas and then the next issue lands on the 2nd of the New Year, so I’ll see you… next year.

Until then, here’s what’s new in Shortcuts:

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What’s New in Shortcuts – Issue #089

Welcome to Issue 89 of “What’s New in Shortcuts” — this week we saw the final beta release of iOS 16.2, which means the imminent public release (likely this Tuesday).

After the release is out, I’ve got plans to stream while playing around with the updates to the battery and wallpaper actions, plus any other changes we can find.

Speaking of streams, I had a fun time last week previewing the amazing Things actions coming soon and built a whole set for folks testing the beta — all the details below.

Plus, the ChatGPT shortcuts are getting even better, there’s a few good shortcuts ideas I’ve saved for future streams, and I’ve linked to five apps you should check out — enjoy:

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What’s New in Shortcuts – Issue #088

Welcome to Issue 88 of “What’s New in Shortcuts” — this is a special double issue after I took a short break the week of Thanksgiving in the U.S!

This Black Friday and Cyber Monday were full of discounts as usual, and I did the typical scoff at all the things I surely didn’t need… before promptly spending a bunch of money. I upgraded my WiFi setup for better stability while streaming, got a second 4K monitor, and managed to talk myself into buying an entire second camera setup — I’m excited to put this all to good use.

Since the break, I’ve been hard at work on my livestream process, building out the next release of the Shortcuts Library, and put time into the behind-the-scenes setup work that’s necessary to make my upcoming YouTube videos.

I’ve also built out hundreds of new shortcuts for the Mac, livestreaming, Apple TV, recipes, meal planning, groceries, online shopping, deliveries, and affiliate linking — those are all still in-progress, so stay tuned there.

On the stream coming soon, I’ve got plans for working on Things, Pixelmator, and StreamDeck — plus anything else that might come up.

Until then, this issue is full of goodies — there’s nine new Shortcuts stories, a slew of ChatGPT automations, great ideas and shortcuts to download, plus app updates you don’t want to miss:

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What’s New in Shortcuts – Issue #087

Welcome to Issue 87 of “What’s New in Shortcuts” — it’s Thanksgiving week here in the U.S. and that means downtime, Black Friday sales, and and the beginning of the extended holiday season.

In the current beta cycle, we’re at iOS 16.2 beta 3, which means a new “Get Battery Status” action is available for testers.

On the Shortcuts Catalog, I spent over 15 hours streaming around my shortcuts upload process, scraping information from .shortcut files, and working on the YouTube streaming process.

I’m basically solving my own problems live on-camera and stacking my progress to gain better momentum while developing in Shortcuts. Plus, I’m honing my streaming skills for future sessions — which will be a lot more approachable than these very complex discussions.

Otherwise, this week we have another great set of app updates, clever Shortcuts ideas, and more feedback from the community:

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What’s New in Shortcuts – Issue #086

Welcome to Issue 86 of “What’s New in Shortcuts” — I can’t believe I’m already back up to this many issues after switching to Revue (and soon to another service), so thank you for reading along. ?

This week, we got Apple Frames 3.0 from team MacStories, there’s an intriguing set of apps who’ve upgraded their Shortcuts support, I found some helpful shortcuts for ADHD & autistic folks, and we’re seeing more & more good ideas around Color Filters.

Plus, I’ve started to release my Apple Watch updates — enjoy:

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What’s New in Shortcuts – Issue #085

Welcome to Issue 85 of “What’s New in Shortcuts” — it’s been quite a week in the wake of new leadership at Twitter, but thankfully the Shortcuts community kept up their efforts in sharing good ideas.

Before we get to that all though, I saw in the news that Twitter will be shutting down Revue (the service I use to send these newsletters) by the end of the year.

Right now, I’m not sure what tool I’ll use to replace it — but I will import my subscriber list over so there shouldn’t be a change there, and I will let you all know of any news before I switch over.

However, I will have to rethink how I deliver the material, as Revue uniquely allows me to embed links and tweets easily/natively into the email — something other services don’t provide, especially for free. As such, this change means I may have to reconsider what I can feasibly offer.

I don’t have anything to share now, but I wanted to be transparent ahead of the change — plus, if you have any thoughts on what I should do, feel free to respond to this email and let me know:

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What’s New in Shortcuts – Issue #084

Welcome to Issue 84 of “What’s New in Shortcuts” — I’m back after some time off for my 33rd birthday!

In the last two weeks, we saw the launch of this year’s iPadOS and macOS Ventura releases, Live Activities coming to iPhone 14 Pro in iOS 16.1, the M2 iPad Pro and 10th generation iPads shipping, and the next iOS beta dropping — lots has gone down.

I also have some exciting news: I have an Apple Watch Ultra review unit from Apple!

I’ll be working on my initial impressions after unboxing it, plus focusing on Apple Watch shortcuts/apps/tips (amongst others) in the coming weeks — fun times!

Until then, here’s what’s new in Shortcuts: