Apple's AI-powered Shortcuts in iOS 27 lets anyone build workflows via prompts
Describe what you want in plain English; Shortcuts builds the automation steps.
At WWDC 2026, Apple unveiled a major AI-driven update to its Shortcuts app, which has long been a favorite among power users for automating repetitive tasks and chaining actions across apps. The new version, coming with iOS 27, replaces the visual scripting interface with a natural language prompt system powered by Apple Intelligence. Users simply describe what they want—for example, 'Notify my partner when I leave work and share my ETA'—and Shortcuts automatically determines the required steps, selects the right app actions, and sets up the automation logic. This eliminates the need to understand variables, conditional logic, or action sequences.
Senior Manager Cecilia Dantas demonstrated the feature live, emphasizing that while Shortcuts is powerful, building workflows has been intimidating for most users. The AI handles the complexity, from accessing stored addresses and calculating travel time with Apple Maps to triggering messages. Users can also refine shortcuts by typing additional instructions, such as adding a podcast playback. This update dramatically lowers the barrier to entry for automation, making it as easy as writing a request. The feature will arrive with iOS 27 this fall, potentially transforming how everyday iPhone users interact with their devices.
- Apple Intelligence allows users to create automations by typing natural language prompts, replacing manual visual scripting.
- Example workflow: 'Notify partner when I leave work with ETA' automatically uses Maps for routing and Messages for alerts.
- Updates to shortcuts can also be made by describing changes, and the feature ships with iOS 27 this fall.
Why It Matters
Democratizes powerful automation for non-technical users, saving time and reducing complexity in daily tasks.