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What’s New in Shortcuts? Issue 8

Originally posted as ”What’s New in Shortcuts? Issue 8” – sign up for the newsletter here.

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:

🍎 APPLE ONE: ALL THE SERVICES!

With the release of Apple One, the new bundle of TV+, News+, Music, Arcade, iCloud, and the upcoming Fitness+, anyone can sign up for various tiers that fit their needs – here’s a handful of shortcuts you can use with it:

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Newsletter

What’s New in Shortcuts? Issue 7

Originally posted as ”What’s New in Shortcuts? Issue 7” – sign up for the newsletter here.

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:

📲 QUICK SHORTCUTS FOR iOS 14.1

Apple pushed out iOS 14.1 ahead of the new iPhones shipping – and they couldn’t help but add a few new things:

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Newsletter

What’s New in Shortcuts? Issue 6

Originally posted as  “What’s New in Shortcuts? Issue 6“ – sign up for the newsletter here.

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:

📲 GET YOUR SHORTCUTS FILL

With the HomePod Mini promising some fun shortcuts opportunities and iOS 14 being a bit more settled now, there’s always more to learn – here’s how you can keep up with myself and other Shortcuts creators:

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Newsletter

What’s New in Shortcuts? Issue 5

#Originally posted as ”What’s New in Shortcuts? Issue 5” – sign up for the newsletter here.

Welcome to Issue 5 of “What’s New in Shortcuts?”

It’s time for another Apple event… did you see the collection of Apple Event shortcuts from Issue 1? Check it out in the online archive of past issues for this newsletter.

Otherwise, here’s what’s new this week and what’s coming ahead:

📱 THE IPHONE IS COMING

Tuesday is Apple’s iPhone event and the rumor mill is in full cycle – here’s a handful of shortcuts to get you in the spirit:

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Newsletter

What’s New in Shortcuts? Issue 4

Originally posted as ”What’s New in Shortcuts? Issue 4” – sign up for the newsletter here.

Welcome to Issue 4 of “What’s New in Shortcuts?”

Since iOS 14 dropped, I’ve completely changed my Home Screens, Apple Watch faces, and Shortcuts folders – why not a new office layout too? When everything is in flux, sometimes it’s just nice to control your own space…

Here’s what’s new in Shortcuts this week – new issues coming every Sunday going forward!

📰 HOW TO KEEP UP WITH THE NEWS

This month has been a intense – and we’re only done with the first week. Here’s a few ways you can use Shortcuts to stay up-to-date on the latest news:

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Newsletter

What’s New in Shortcuts? Issue 3

Originally posted as ”What’s New in Shortcuts? Issue 3” – sign up for the newsletter here.

Welcome to Issue 3 of “What’s New in Shortcuts?”

Home Screen customization is the biggest trend now that iOS 14 has been out – it started with widgets but, funnily enough, went full-steam ahead thanks to Shortcuts’ Add to Home Screen feature.

From my Twitter – What a shame I never made a video out of this…

Let’s look at some ways you can approach your new Home Screen setup with Shortcuts in mind today:

📲 HOW TO MAKE YOUR HOME SCREEN AESTHETIC AF

Sick of that joke yet? After this TikTok went viral and pushed Widgetsmith to on the App Store, you’ve probably heard me make it a few times – but this trend of super-customized Home Screens trend is undeniably the most popular part of iOS 14:

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Newsletter

What’s New in Shortcuts? Issue 2

Originally posted as What’s New in Shortcuts? Issue 2 – sign up for the newsletter here.

Welcome to Issue 2 of “What’s New in Shortcuts?”

iOS 14, iPad OS 14, and watchOS 7 are finally here! There’s so much new, let’s get into it right away:

🏋️ APPLE’S FITNESS+, IPAD AIR, & APPLE WATCH EVENT

Apple launched a workout video service that syncs across devices, a new iPad Air that looks like a great choice for anyone who doesn’t need an iPad Pro, and the Apple Watch Series 6 & SE:

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Newsletter

What’s New in Shortcuts? Issue 1

Originally posted as ”What’s New in Shortcuts? Issue 1” – sign up for the newsletter here.

Welcome to the first issue of “What’s New in Shortcuts?” – thank you for signing up!

I look forward to sharing more about how to use Siri Shortcuts so everyone can learn more.

If you haven’t yet, check out the free Shortcuts Catalog with 300 shortcuts and 300 actions, plus the membership available.

With that, here’s what’s new this week:

🌬 CHECK YOUR AIR QUALITY

With wildfires raging across the West Coast of the United States, it’s worth learning more about the Air Quality Index and what your score means:

Continue reading “What’s New in Shortcuts? Issue 1”
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Newsletter Siri Shortcuts Links Offsite News

Announcing my new “What’s New in Shortcuts” newsletter

As part of my new Shortcuts Catalog1, I’ve created a brand-new newsletter called What’s New in Shortcuts?.

This free newsletter is designed for anyone interested in learning more about Siri Shortcuts, covering:
* feature updates as they’re discovered,
* interesting ways to use Shortcuts related to topical stories, and
* creative new shortcuts or apps with Shortcuts actions.

In addition, What’s New in Shortcuts acts as a way to subscribe to learn about future updates to my Shortcuts Library, Action Directory, and upcoming additions to the Shortcuts Catalog.

What’s in the newsletter?

Your email each week will consist of a short-and-sweet series of bulleted lists explaining ways you can use Siri, the Shortcuts app, and related technology, all written out as trigger phrases like “Hey Siri, remind me to vote early.”

Each line will link out to a page in the Catalog, directly to an iCloud URL for a shortcut, or to an article on my site or someone else’s2.

At the bottom, you’ll also find member updates around any new pre-release shortcuts or bonus content available for the Shortcuts Catalog – check out my membership page to learn more3.

Plus, if you aren’t a member, there will still be free shortcuts every week.

And that’s it!

How do I get the emails?

Subscribe now and you can easily stay up-to-date with all the best ways to use Apple’s new automation tools in your daily life – from myself and the growing Shortcuts community4.

New emails go out weekly on Fridays — just after the “What’s New in Alexa” emails 😈 — so there’s time to read up and experiment with things over the weekend.

Sign up today and look the next issue soon – I’m looking forward to sharing more with you all!

  1. Official announcement post coming once iOS 14 releases! ↩
  2. Fire up your blogs and get to sharing your shortcuts! For real, I want to link to everyone’s websites in this newsletter.

    Then, make sure post them as a good shareable tweet so I can retweet as well and DM it to me. ↩

  3. Members are automatically added to “What’s New in Shortcuts”, so no need to subscribe here if you’ve signed up – any duplicates will be accounted for as well. ↩
  4. Make sure to check out Club MacStories from Federico Viticci & friends, sign up for the new Tablet Habit newsletter from Jeff Perry, and get the email digest for the Automators forums as well! ↩