The dedicated Shortcuts app on Apple’s iPhones, Macs, iPads, and Apple Watches has recently received many updates. These updates include watchOS 9.4, iOS 16.4, iPadOS 16.4, and macOS 13.3. These updates also include a list of new actions and improvements.
An Intercom action now allows you to send announcements to HomePods in your home through iOS devices. There is also a Find Books action that allows you to locate content within the Books app. On devices that are supported, there are specific actions that can be taken to activate the always-on Display. On a Mac, you can log out of your account and choose to put the computer to sleep at any time.
- On iOS and macOS, Find Books searches your library to locate books or PDFs that match a specified title, author, genre, purchase date, or content type.
- Intercom is an application that allows you to receive announcements on your iPhone and Apple Watch.
- On iOS and macOS, the Set VPN command will connect to a VPN, disconnect from a VPN, or set the On Demand option for any VPN.
- Set On iOS and macOS, the preference for AirDrop Receiving can be set to Everyone, Contacts Only, or Nobody. The default setting is Contacts Only.
- On iPadOS and macOS, the “Set Stage Manager” command will enable or disable the Stage Manager application and change its settings.
- On iOS and watchOS, toggling the Announce Notifications setting requires you to select Set Announce Notifications.
- Toggle the Silence Unknown Callers setting on an iOS device using the Set Silence Unknown Callers function.
- On both iOS and macOS, the display settings can be toggled using the Night Shift and True Tone settings.
- On compatible iOS devices, tapping Set Always-On Display will turn it on or off the Always-On Display.
- Find Apps is a utility built into macOS that can locate and sort applications.
- Displays the finds and filters that have been found on macOS.
- On both iOS and macOS, users can now access the Shut Down, Restart, and Lock Display options.
- New features on macOS include the ability to log out, sleep, and put the Display to sleep.
In addition to that, several actions have been modified. Find Photos, for instance, can now be used to look for screen recordings, and the Get Device action can now display the operating system build number.
- The move window command now allows you to move a window to a display on macOS.
- Ask for Input now has a new option called “Allow Multiple Lines,” which can be turned off if only a single line of text is needed to be entered.
- Find Photos now can locate screen recordings.
- Find Contacts now provides more accurate results when filtering by birthday.
- Get Device Details is now able to retrieve the operating system build number.
- Get Device Details now rounds numbers, including the current battery level, volume, and brightness, to remove any unnecessary decimal digits from the value.
- Siri now supports using the Set Playback Destination command when it’s invoked.
- If no music passes as Input, playing music will restart when you play Play Music again.
- Dictionary files can now be generated as an output from AppleScript records by using the Run AppleScript command.
- Nothing will now generate a variable containing zero items rather than no variable.
- It is now possible to configure repeat to run zero times.
On devices running iOS 16.4, iPadOS 16.4, macOS Sierra 13.3, and Apple Watch models running watchOS 9.4, you’ll find these new actions and enhanced action options in the Shortcuts app.