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Shortcuts is getting an AI-powered revamp; here’s what that could mean

Apple Intelligence could be about to launch in China despite US government fears |

Long-time 9to5Mac readers will remember that the native Shortcuts app started as an indie project called Workflow, a clever, approachable tool that made automation fun and accessible to less technical users.

Today, Shortcuts remains a powerful utility, particularly on the Mac. However, compared to how agentic AI tools have reshaped how we think about automation, it’s feeling a bit stagnant. That may be about to change.

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iOS 18.4 adds tons of new Shortcuts actions, hints at Siri’s future upgrades

Apple Intelligence could be about to launch in China despite US government fears |

Siri’s big AI upgrades may still be a long way off, but some changes to the Shortcuts app in iOS 18.4 offer the first major hints in Apple’s software of what’s to come. Shortcuts has gained new actions for Apple apps, with super fine-grained controls available for building shortcuts that change apps’ settings in various ways.

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This iOS Shortcut lets you find out who pays for Twitter Blue

This iOS Shortcut lets you find out who pays for Twitter Blue

Twitter owner Elon Musk had promised to put an end to the legacy blue check badge that was given to media and government personalities, but his plans have been delayed. Instead, Twitter has stopped distinguishing between those who pay for Twitter Blue and those who have a legacy verified badge. But there’s an iOS Shortcut that lets you find out if the person behind a Twitter account is paying for the blue badge or not.

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Take your screenshots up a notch using ‘Apple Frames,’ now with support for iPhone 13 and more

One of the shortcuts I use most often is the Apple Frames shortcut made by Federico Viticci at MacStories. Apple Frames is a shortcut that runs through Apple’s Shortcuts app. It’s designed to put screenshots inside physical device frames of Apple products, as you can see in the lead image of this story.

This week, Viticci has debuted Apple Frames 2.0, a new version of the popular shortcut that has been completely rewritten to be faster and lighter, and add support for the latest iPhone 13, 24-inch iMac, and more.

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Monochrome iOS 14 icon set nets designer six figures in six days

Monochrome iOS 14 icon set

If you’re looking to change up the look of your iPhone, using an iOS 14 icon set is a cool way to do it. You can replace all your favorite app icons with custom ones that have a consistent look and feel.

The popularity of this has taken many by surprise – including a designer who saw his quickly-created but beautiful set earn him a six-figure sum in just six days …

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MusicBot leverages the power of Shortcuts to enhance Apple Music, AirPlay 2, and HomePods

Apple Music is constantly getting better with interface improvements and new features for discovering music. What we don’t see as often are new power user features. MusicBot from Federico Viticci is a feature-packed set of actions built with Shortcuts that power users will love. The shortcut is loaded with almost 800 actions including useful ways to control AirPlay 2 and HomePods with Apple Music.


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