The Shortcuts app just became one of the most exciting parts of iOS 26. Not exaggerating.
For years, it sat quietly on the Home Screen or buried in a folder for most people. It was a bit intimidating, a bit geeky, and honestly not worth the effort unless you were deep into automation.
But now? With Apple Intelligence built in, Shortcuts feels completely different. It’s no longer just about stringing together app actions. It’s about letting your iPhone think through a task for you.
I’ve been testing the early beta of iOS 26, and the new Shortcuts experience feels like the first time the iPhone is genuinely anticipating what I want, not just reacting to taps.
There’s a “Morning Summary” shortcut that’s already become a go-to. It reads my schedule, checks the weather, scans reminders, and spits out a personalized overview of the day—all using on-device AI. There is no configuration, no scripting, just results.
Then there’s the “Leftover Recipes” shortcut. One night, I was staring into the fridge at a sad combo of spinach, a sweet potato, and half a lemon.
Normally, that’s a lost cause. But I ran the shortcut, and it offered a dinner idea that actually worked—something warm, fast, and edible. There was no app switching, no Google rabbit hole.
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These aren’t just canned tricks, either. You can combine Apple Intelligence with other apps—Calendar, Reminders, Safari—and build totally custom shortcuts using plain English prompts.
Want a PDF summarized from Safari? Done. Need action items pulled from messy meeting notes? Easy. The models handle the heavy lifting, and you get back time.
There’s also a quiet brilliance in how Apple is doing this: using on-device models and Private Cloud Compute.
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It keeps your data private while still giving you access to some real AI muscle. When setting up a shortcut, you can even choose between the on-device model, ChatGPT, or Apple’s cloud version. It’s smart, but it also respects your privacy.
What makes this update special is how seamless everything feels. You don’t need to learn Shortcuts anymore.
You just open the app, tap a Gallery option, and watch it work. Apple finally made automation feel native, which means a lot more people are about to discover what this app is really capable of.
Do you think Shortcuts is finally ready for mainstream iPhone users? Let us know in the comments.
