iPhone Shortcuts Now Builds Automations From a Plain Sentence

Setting up an automation on an iPhone used to mean piecing it together step by step. In iOS 27, you can just type what you want. The Shortcuts app asks, "What do you want your Shortcut to do?" Answer with something like "text my ETA to my partner when I leave work," and the phone builds it. CNET reported on the change on October 21, 2026.

What changed

Shortcuts is Apple's app for automating tasks on iPhone, iPad and Mac. Earlier versions were not easy to use. People had to set up each action by hand, plus the conditions that start it. Now Apple Intelligence, Apple's built-in AI features, picks the actions and links them together. It can also handle tasks with several steps.

One example: a single shortcut that turns on Background Sounds when bedtime starts, then turns them off an hour later.

How to try it

Open the Shortcuts app and tap the + button at the bottom of the screen. The app shows a few suggested automations, such as "Dim screen brightness when Bedtime begins" and "When I get in the car, get directions." Or describe your own.

A finished shortcut stays in the app. Long-press it to edit or rename it. There are several ways to start one:

• Press the iPhone's Action Button
• Tap a widget on the lock screen
• Tap a bookmark on the Home screen
• Ask Siri by saying, "Siri, [name of shortcut]"

Who can use it

The describe-it feature needs Apple Intelligence. That means an iPhone 15 Pro or later, or an iPad or Mac with Apple silicon, which is an M1 chip or newer. Older devices can still use Shortcuts, but only in the traditional Editor mode.

Prefer the old way

Not everyone will want to type out requests. To make the app open in the classic Editor view, go to Settings, then Apps, then Shortcuts, and select "Editor."

For ideas, the CNET writer suggests online communities like Reddit. His own shortcuts are simple but get daily use. One opens Control Center from the Action Button. Another turns on Reduce Motion, a setting that tones down screen animations, whenever the phone enters Low Power mode.