Category: Newsletter

Hey everyone,

This week is lowkey one of my most exciting weeks for Shortcuts, despite a bit of a lull until the next version of iOS comes out…

Plus we’ve got some fun app updates for now and our ear towards the future:

I’ve finally done it! My whole Shortcuts library has been fully rebuilt according to my new system and I’m truly loving it – plus I figured out another level of what should go on my true Home Screens, so that’s been really exciting and already proving itself out in usefulness.

Thankfully David Sparks and Rosemary Orchard swooped in at just the right time and had me as a guest on the Automators podcast – look for the excellent conversation this Friday when the episode drops!

Until then, here’s two more of my new shortcuts and some great Shortcuts tips I found in the community – plus, look for the fully-updated Shortcuts Catalog coming very soon:

Hey there,

There’s a good amount of Shortcuts news this week, but there’s no pressure to learn it all right away – take what you want now and save the rest for later.

I’m putting together a bit more of a guided path through Shortcuts for folks like you soon, so absorb what sticks now and I’ll reinforce it with some good lessons down the line:

After the amazing results from the survey I sent around, I’ve made a few changes to this newsletter – first by moving it to Wednesday afternoon (PST) instead of Sunday evenings.

I’m also going to create less single-serving shortcuts and fewer but more powerful shortcuts that solve particular use cases & provide more continued utility over time.

In many ways, it’ll be the same content, condensed into bigger shortcuts that handle multiple tasks in one tool.

In addition, I’ll be taking some of the writing here and building it out more on my blog & other channels, then linking back to that each week – for example, I’ll be pausing my Scripting series here and turning it into more useful blog posts.

That being said, you’ll still see lots of inklings of future content in the newsletter in smaller tips as we go.

Thank you so much for being a subscriber and/or a member – with this helpful feedback and my new approach, I’m truly more excited than ever to synthesize and translate what I know into useful resources for you all:

This week was somewhat quiet on the Shortcuts front – there’s likely a new version of iOS coming out soon so we’re in the calm before the storm – but that won’t stop us from having fun with it.

This week I’ve got a set for better note-taking habits, working through Item actions in the Scripting category, links to Automations, some of my streaming shortcuts, and handwriting shortcuts for Members:

Believe it or not, we’re still just out of the second full calendar week of 2021 – it’s felt way longer than that though thanks to ~current events~.

This week was a bit quiet on the technology news front, but that just means more room for building up new routines with Shortcuts – here’s how I’m using it to gain momentum and avoid doing the same work twice:

Hello all – I’m assuming 2021 did not start off the way many of us expected.

I hope you all are taking care of yourselves and your loved ones as much as possible, which is always important but even more so during stressful times. Engage as needed, take breaks, and do what needs to be done:

Happy New Year!

I managed to hold off from working too much this last week and made sure to take more of the holiday off properly, which helped me get a little more perspective on last year and this upcoming one.

I hope you’re all giving any new endeavors the time they need to grow – I’m trying to take things slow and trust the process this year:

The end of this long year is finally here – hopefully everyone gets a chance at some downtime and rest.

Looking back, I am so glad that this Catalog I’ve created was a bright spot for me out of 2020. It took a lot of work, but I came out of this year with a permanent and linkable way for me to deliver my shortcuts along with extra information about the complexity that each entails – something I couldn’t otherwise do at scale before.

Now, over this break, I am taking some time to recharge… and use some of that space to organize my documentation around all things Siri Shortcuts. This new handbook will act as the foundation for future content around my videos, streams, podcasts, & this newsletter, as well as freelance writing for iMore that I’ll be starting up again in the new year – every bit I add makes me more excited.

So thank you all for joining me along the way, and I look forward to teaching you all as much as I can!

_P.S. Please feel free to respond to these newsletters with what you want to see – we’re all in this process of learning what it means to use Shortcuts in 2021 together._

Another fun week for Shortcuts users is complete – did any of you set up new shortcuts for the Home Screen once iOS 14.3 came out?

I want to see screenshots of your Home Screens—shortcuts or not—so reply to this email with yours and share some inspiration!

This is the week! Once iOS 14.3 drops, millions of people will update their smartphones and suddenly be able to create their “app ideas” by adding them as shortcuts to their Home Screen.

The main change? The limitation where “custom icons always open into Shortcuts first” is now gone!

Shortcuts added to the Home Screen actually behave like you’d expect, opening into apps immediately – plus they run all the scripting actions perfectly, just like the Shortcuts widget.

I’ve tried to capture my excitement in a video – look for it soon on YouTube. But until then, here’s what’s new in Shortcuts this week:

Welcome to Issue 13 of “What’s New in Shortcuts?”

As the betas of iOS 14.3 keep chugging along with the promise of better Home Screens coming soon, the community has rediscovered some new features that snuck in around iOS 14.1.

Plus, I’ve got some tools I put together for my own workflow – and a fun one for getting in the Christmas spirit.

Over on Reddit, we’ve got more creative uses of Shortcuts – and for members, I’ve updated my Routine checklists to use Reminders and Notes (which I’m quite excited about, not going to lie ?).

Welcome to Issue 12 of “What’s New in Shortcuts?”

In the wake of last week’s awesome “Add to Home Screen” update, I’ve been sharing lots on podcasts – make sure to catch both the latest Smart Tech Today and my appearance on Clockwise for my more-detailed take on the news.

Plus, members get to see how I went all out on my Home Screens – but first, here’s what’s new:

Welcome to Issue 11 of “What’s New in Shortcuts?”

These last two weeks have so much potential that it’s hard to grasp…

Shortcuts are now fully interactive on the Home Screen, the community-favorite action Set Wallpaper is back, and there are so many ways to tweak your devices that it will surely take some time.

So settle in over the long weekend, take note of areas you’d like to improve, and add some Shortcuts onto your Home Screens – it’s time to customize!

Welcome to Issue 10 of “What’s New in Shortcuts?”

Hello all – the big news this week is the return of Set Wallpaper in the iOS 14.3 beta!

It was present in a handful of betas in early iOS 13 days, but was removed and hadn’t come back… until now. Hopefully Apple’s resolved any issues and smoothes out the process in future betas, but I’m excited for it to roll out to the wider community – I have a feeling it’ll be popular.

Other than that, I’ve got new tools for new devices, links to the beta actions on my site, and shortcuts for my new favorite app Craft – enjoy:

Welcome to Issue 9 of “What’s New in Shortcuts?”

Hello all – hope you had an excellent weekend too! ?

I’ve got lots of fun Shortcuts goodness coming soon, so until then let’s jump right in:

Welcome to Issue 8 of “What’s New in Shortcuts?”

Hello folks – good news!

With iOS 14.2 nearing release, Shortcuts Sync seems to be back in working order and my library is fully intact again – let me know if you’re still having any issues on the betas.

Otherwise, I’ve spent over a week now using an external monitor with my iPad Pro—specifically with Shortcuts a lot—and I’m loving it, even despite the 4:3 aspect ratio and constant screen mirroring.

The ergonomics are way better, I’ve got my shortcuts on a screen larger than 12.9”, and my iPad Pro has never felt more like a desktop computer.

I’m completing a full office makeover right now, so no photos yet, but until then here’s what’s new with Shortcuts this week:

Welcome to Issue 7 of “What’s New in Shortcuts?”

This week we saw iPhones shipping, I held a few Shortcuts Live streams, and my Home Screen system is almost fully operational.

This week I’m settling into some new office gear I got after talking to Matt Galligan about ergonomics—I’m excited (and comfy)—so expect some impressions of using an iPad with a monitor next weekend.

Until then, here’s what’s new with Shortcuts from this week:

Welcome to Issue 6 of “What’s New in Shortcuts?”

I’ve kicked off streams for Shortcuts Live again, starting with an unannounced one this past Sunday afternoon – which ended up including my cat Oliver as a guest.

Make sure to follow me on Twitch if you’re interested in tuning in – I’ll be mostly streaming there instead of YouTube to keep the feeds separate (but look for new videos soon).

Otherwise, here’s what’s new in Shortcuts this week: