The Shortcuts app has always been an amazingly powerful automation tool for users who know what these very words mean. But now, it may finally become an approachable tool that delivers on its true potential for users of all kinds. Here’s why.
Starting with the customer experience and working backwards to the technology
Even before Apple acquired Workflow in 2017 and turned it into Shortcuts in 2018, this app was one of the most impressive tools ever released on iOS.
It abstracted away much of the complexity that made macOS’s excellent Automator so intimidating to some users, while preserving a level of firepower and inter-app connection that had always felt impossible (or even forbidden) on the iPhone and the iPad.
And while Apple has continued to improve on Shortcuts over the years, including its recent integration with AI models, much of its functionality and benefits have remained limited to a subset of users.
