If you haven’t already grabbed iOS 12, what are you waiting for? Back up your device—because you can never be too sure—and install the new version of the operating system to take advantage of all the performance improvements and new features Apple has cooked up.
Among these, Apple’s new Shortcuts app is perhaps one of the best reasons to install iOS 12. Though it can feel a little complicated at first, the app—replacing Workflow, which Apple purchased in 2017—allows you to chain together apps and behaviors. For example, you could create an “omw home” shortcut that pulls up directions to your house and automatically texts your roommate or spouse with the travel time.
Even though iOS 12 has only officially been out for a day, we want to hear any and all useful shortcuts you’ve created or found. Drop your best examples in the comments below, and we’ll feature the best shortcuts you’ve come up with in a follow-up post.
To get you started, here are a few fun examples from around the web:
Making a frequent locations list
If you always find yourself needing directions to a few key locations—home, work, your favorite ice cream place, et cetera—you can create a “List” of these locations in Shortcuts. Add the “Show Directions” function below that to pass whatever you tap on to your favorite mapping app (like Apple Maps or Google Maps), which automatically pulls up directions to that location from wherever you are.
Lumos! Nox! Yer a wizard now, Harry!
This useful shortcut allows you to pick a person in your Contacts app. When you do, it then calculates the travel time to their home (whatever you’ve listed) and automatically sends them a text message with the time it’ll take you to get there.
This sleepy Reddit user came up with a shortcut that gives you a list of napping times to pick from, then sets Do Not Disturb (and an ever-important timer) while you’re taking a quick trip to dreamland.
If you really want to turn off your device’s wifi or Bluetooth connections—not just break whatever your device is currently connected to—try using Shortcuts. Here’s one for wifi, and here’s one for Bluetooth.