Shortcuts made easy
Apple plans to launch a new version of its Shortcuts app on iOS 27, according to a Bloomberg report. That update will allow users to create new shortcuts only by describing the actions they want done.Inside the new Shortcuts app, users will see a prompt asking, “What do you want your shortcut to do?” and a text field where they will be able to describe their idea. Once they’re done, the app will automatically build and install the new shortcut on the device.
This will be a significant change to the Shortcuts app, which allows users to create personalized shortcuts with multiple actions from several apps. Currently, creating a shortcut requires a manual process with the built-in visual scripting tool, which could be complicated and overwhelming.
New writing assistant abilities
Writing Tools may get extra features. | Image by PhoneArena
Apple also plans to introduce a significant upgrade to the AI-powered writing tools. Part of those will be a new grammar checker, which is said to work similarly to the Grammarly app.The new suggestions will appear in a translucent menu, which will slide up from the bottom of the screen. This menu will have the original text and the suggested revisions, with users having the option to approve individual or all changes or to ignore the suggestions.
Wallpaper generation
A new option in the wallpaper picker tool will allow users to generate new wallpapers and home screen backgrounds with AI. Powered by the Image Playground app, the tool will help iPhones match something Google and Samsung have offered for quite a while.These new features are part of Apple’s long-awaited AI comeback after two shameful years in which Apple Intelligence was lagging behind and the smarter Siri was nowhere to be seen. Among the most anticipated iOS 27 features are a Siri chatbot and various Apple Intelligence improvements.
This could be impactful
I’ve been trying to master the Shortcuts app ever since it was launched, which has led me to mixed results and a lot of frustration. If AI could translate my ideas into the very idiosyncratic scripting language of the app, I’ll be extremely happy.
Judging from how Claude helps me fix and build shortcuts, this one could work well and turn into my favorite AI implementation ever. Still, it’s AI, so I won’t trust it until I see it working consistently well with my own eyes, but the making Shortcuts easy to use by anyone could have a significant impact.
