Apple is taking steps to increase the appeal and usability of its Shortcuts app as it rolls out a revamped user interface in iOS 17. The app, which enables power users to create custom automations for their favorite applications, will now be more streamlined to cater to a broader audience of everyday users.
The Shortcuts app has garnered a passionate but relatively small following since its inception. Building automations within the app has been a complex task, often limiting its advanced features to more tech-savvy users. However, the app has seen increased adoption in recent years, fueled by users who wanted to design custom app icons to complement their new iPhone home screen themes and widgets.
With the new design in iOS 17, Shortcuts are organized into featured rows, providing a more intuitive starting point for users to engage with minimal extra actions. For instance, a WWDC developer attendee shared a photo with TechCrunch that displayed colorful rows showcasing Shortcuts for key Apple apps, such as Books, Camera, Clock, and Files. In earlier versions, Shortcuts were arranged as small, vibrant squares but were not sorted by apps.
The redesign also simplifies the process of creating automations and makes it easier to identify the actions linked to a specific app. The updates to Shortcuts are partly due to their prominent placement in the iOS 17 user interface.
Common actions related to an app will now be displayed when users search for an app in Spotlight. Developers can also adopt colors that match their app, along with thumbnail images for each entity instance. On its iOS 17 preview page, Apple demonstrates this update by presenting the Photos app in Spotlight with image thumbnails that direct users to different albums.
Besides visual updates, Apple has made subtle changes to Siri to facilitate spoken commands for triggering App Shortcuts. Users can now employ more natural phrases, and Siri will recognize them as the Shortcut's trigger, courtesy of on-device machine learning. The new App Shortcuts Preview tool enables developers to test phrases users might attempt with Siri to launch their apps. However, this functionality is not yet available on the Apple Watch.
App Shortcuts can now be utilized on HomePod, as long as the corresponding app is installed on an iOS or iPadOS device. Apple has also revamped the Automation setup process, but details regarding this consumer-centric update are scarce at the moment. Further information and hands-on experience will become available once the public betas launch in about a month.
As the popularity of no-code and low-code platforms like AppMaster.io continues to rise, it's essential for tech giants like Apple to simplify and streamline their application-building processes. AppMaster.io offers a user-friendly platform that allows even non-technical users to design and develop web and mobile applications in a cost-effective and efficient manner. Apple's redesigned Shortcuts app aims to cater to this demand, enhancing user experience and increasing its accessibility to a wider audience.
