Your typical smartphone can perform hundreds of different tasks – but chances are there is a handful of core tasks you perform multiple times a day. Whether it’s setting your morning alarm, forwarding your location to a friend, logging your water or caffeine intake, or launching your favorite exercise-tracking app, you can automate all of these tasks using Siri shortcuts.
With a little help from Siri Shortcuts, performing complex tasks can be as easy as tapping an icon on your homescreen or asking Siri.
In this article you’ll learn how to modify your iOS settings to permit third-party shortcuts. A few of the top websites where you can find a wide range of third-party shortcuts will be shared as well. Finally, you’ll learn how to install third-party Siri shortcuts to your iOS device.
How to allow “untrusted” third-party shortcuts on iOS
By default, Apple blocks all unverified shortcuts. This means that before you can use any third-party shortcut, you’ll need to change the settings on your iPhone or iPad:
Launch your device’s “Settings” application.
Tap “Shortcuts.”
Find the “Allow Untrusted Shortcuts” slider and give it a tap to enable.
Read the disclaimer, and if you’re happy to proceed, tap “Allow.”
When prompted, enter your device’s passcode.
You’re now free to install third-party shortcuts on your iPhone or iPad.
Where to find third party shortcuts for iPhone and iPad
There’s plenty of websites and message boards where Apple fans share the shortcuts they’ve developed. If you already have a specific shortcut in mind, it’s always worth booting up your favorite search engine and typing a phrase that describes your dream shortcut – there’s a chance you may get lucky!
Alternatively, if you just want to browse, then I recommend checking out the following websites:
- Shortcuts Gallery. This site boasts hundreds of third-party shortcuts, organized by category. Each shortcut features a description plus instructions on how to install that particular shortcut, making this a great starting point for any iOS user./r/shortcuts. This is a huge community of over 190,000 members and features a wide selection of third-party shortcuts. As a Reddit board, this is also a great place to post your shortcut-related questions and connect with other iOS users.Shortcuts Archive. This repository features hundreds of shortcuts that have been tested by the MacStories team.Shortcuts Catalog. Here you’ll find over 300 shortcuts, helpfully organized into folders.
Install third-party shortcuts on Apple’s iOS
To install a shortcut:
On your iPhone or iPad, head to the site and open the shortcut you want to install. In this instance, we will use Log Water.
Tap “Add to Siri.”
You can now review how this shortcut is structured and make some changes, if required. For example, you could change the message that Log Water displays after you’ve recorded your water intake.
If you’re happy with the shortcut, tap “Add Untrusted Shortcut.”
This shortcut will now be added to your Shortcuts app, ready for you to use.
How to add a third-party shortcut to your homescreen
By default, all your third-party shortcuts are accessible via the Shortcuts app. However, you can make these shortcuts more easily-accessible by adding them to your homescreen.
To add an iOS shortcut to your homescreen:
Launch the Shortcuts application.
Find the shortcut in question and tap its three-dot icon.
On the subsequent screen, tap the three-dot icon.
Tap “Add to home screen.”
This shortcut will now be added to your homescreen so that it’s always within easy reach.
Wrapping Up
Here we have showed you how to access thousands of third-party shortcuts and how to install them in your phone. There are many things you can do with Shortcuts, including changing your app icons.
Jessica Thornsby is a technical writer based in Derbyshire, UK. When she isn’t obsessing over all things tech, she enjoys researching her family tree, and spending far too much time with her house rabbits.
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