Let’s face it: we all want to spend less time fiddling with menus and more time actually living our lives. Our iPhones are incredible tools, but sometimes it feels like we are tapping through the same twelve screens just to do one simple task. Whether it’s texting your partner that you’re on your way home, setting a specific playlist for the gym, or getting your phone ready for bed, those seconds add up into minutes, and those minutes add up into hours.
Enter the Shortcuts app. If you have hidden this app in a folder or deleted it because it looked too complicated, you are not alone. It can look intimidating at first glance. However, for the everyday Apple user, Shortcuts is the secret weapon for reclaiming your time. You don’t need to be a computer programmer or a tech wizard to use it. You just need to know what you want to automate.
Below, we break down essential, easy-to-use shortcuts that will streamline your day, remove friction, and make your iPhone feel like magic again.
1. The "Intelligent" Morning Briefing
How many apps do you open within the first ten minutes of waking up? You probably check the Weather app to see if you need an umbrella, the Calendar app to see your first meeting, and maybe the Reminders app to see what’s due. That is a lot of switching back and forth before you’ve even had your coffee.
You can replace all of that with a single tap or a voice command to Siri. A "Morning Briefing" shortcut can read your schedule, tell you the forecast, and even start your favorite podcast automatically.
Why it’s a game-changer: It stops the "doom scroll." By having Siri read you the essentials, you avoid opening apps that might distract you with notifications or social media feeds.
How to set up a basic version:
- Open the Shortcuts app and tap the "+" symbol to create a new shortcut.
- Search for "Get Current Weather" and add it.
- Search for "Get Upcoming Events" from your Calendar.
- Search for "Speak Text." In the text box, you can combine these variables so Siri says, "Good morning. Today's high is [Temperature] and your first meeting is at [Time]."
- Name the shortcut "Morning Briefing." Now, just say "Hey Siri, Morning Briefing."
2. The "Running Late" ETA Text
We have all been there. You are leaving the office, heading to a dinner reservation, or picking up the kids, and you need to let someone know exactly when you will arrive. Usually, this involves opening Maps, checking the time, closing Maps, opening Messages, and typing out "I'll be there in 15 minutes."
You can automate this entire process into one button press. With a "Share ETA" shortcut, your iPhone calculates the traffic and sends a pre-written message to a specific contact instantly.
This is particularly useful for safety and communication with spouses or roommates. It removes the danger of trying to type while walking to your car or rushing out the door.
How to create it:
- Create a new Shortcut and search for "Get Travel Time."
- Set the destination to "Home" (or a specific address).
- Add the "Send Message" action.
- In the message body, type: "I'm leaving now! Traffic looks okay, I'll be there in [Travel Time]."
- Set the recipient to your partner or best friend.
- Add this shortcut to your Home Screen as a widget for one-tap access.
3. The "Super Low Power" Mode
The iPhone’s built-in Low Power Mode is great, but sometimes you need to go to extremes. Maybe you are at a concert, camping, or out late with 5% battery and no charger in sight. You need that phone to stay alive for an Uber or an emergency call.
You can create a "Survival Mode" shortcut that does everything possible to save juice in a single second. Instead of manually dimming the screen, turning off Wi-Fi, turning off Bluetooth, and enabling Low Power Mode individually, one button does it all.
Pro Tip: You can set an "Automation" in the Shortcuts app to trigger this automatically whenever your battery level drops below 10%. It’s a set-it-and-forget-it lifesaver.
What to include in this shortcut:
- Set Low Power Mode: On.
- Set Brightness: Set to 10% or lower.
- Set Wi-Fi: Off.
- Set Bluetooth: Off.
- Set Cellular Data: (Optional) Off, if you really want to conserve, though remember this cuts off internet access.
4. The Instant "Focus Time" Timer
The Pomodoro technique (working for 25 minutes, taking a break for 5) is a popular productivity method, but setting it up can be annoying. Or perhaps you just need a quick timer for laundry or cooking. Instead of scrolling through the spinning wheel in the Clock app to find "25 minutes," you can create custom timer buttons.
Imagine having a folder on your home screen with three icons: "Laundry," "Nap," and "Deep Work." Tapping "Laundry" instantly sets a 45-minute timer. Tapping "Deep Work" sets a 60-minute timer and simultaneously turns on "Do Not Disturb."
This reduces the friction of starting a task. When you remove the friction of setting up your environment, you are more likely to actually do the work.
How to build a Focus Tool:
- Search for "Start Timer" and set the duration to 25 minutes.
- Add the action "Set Focus" and choose "Work" or "Do Not Disturb" to turn On until the timer ends.
- Now, with one tap, you are in a silence bubble for exactly 25 minutes.
5. Quick Photo Clean-Up
Photos take up a massive amount of storage on our iPhones. Often, we take screenshots of recipes, memes, or confirmation numbers that we only need for a few hours. A month later, our camera roll is cluttered with junk we don't need.
You can create a shortcut called "Clean Up Screenshots." This shortcut scans your library specifically for screenshots taken more than 7 days ago and presents them to you. You can then select the ones you want to delete in a batch.
This is a fantastic way to reclaim storage space while waiting in line for coffee or sitting on the bus. It turns a tedious maintenance task into a quick, satisfying cleanup.
How to Start Without Building From Scratch
If the idea of building these "recipes" still feels a little daunting, don’t worry. Apple has done most of the work for you. Inside the Shortcuts app, there is a tab at the bottom called Gallery.
The Gallery is essentially an App Store for shortcuts. You can browse categories like "Essentials," "Morning Routine," or "Photography." When you find one you like, simply tap "Add Shortcut." You can then tap the three dots (...) on the shortcut to edit it slightly—for example, changing the phone number in the "Heading Home" shortcut to your actual partner's number.
Final Advice: Start with just one. Pick the task that annoys you the most—whether it’s calculating a tip, setting a laundry timer, or texting your ETA. Once you see how much time that single shortcut saves you over a week, you’ll wonder how you ever used your iPhone without it.