There are so many potentially great videos on YouTube, but I rarely have 30 or 45 minutes to find out whether one is actually worth watching. A lot of the time, I just want the substance: the actual point, whether the content holds up, what evidence is presented, and whether the title is click bait.

So I built this little shortcut to answer all of that in a couple of seconds. It pulls the transcript, sends it to ChatGPT, or another AI if you prefer, strips away the filler, and gives you the actual content, the strongest evidence, anything worth being skeptical of, and whether watching the full video would add anything meaningful.

Requirements:

1. ChatGPT app installed and signed in on your phone, or substitute another AI.
2. Get a free API key from Supadata.ai.

Installation and first run:

1. Install the shortcut from the link below.
2. Run the shortcut once.
3. It will ask you for your Supadata API key.
4. Paste in your key.
5. The shortcut will probably tell you there was no video to process. Ignore this message on the first run.

Using it after setup:

1. Find a YouTube video you don’t feel like donating the next 47 minutes of your life to.
2. Copy the YouTube URL to your clipboard.
3. Run the shortcut again.
4. A few seconds later, the analysis pops up.

The analysis includes the direct answer to the video’s premise, a concise summary, the strongest evidence presented, anything worth being skeptical of, and whether the full video is actually worth watching.

No copying transcripts. No manually pasting anything into AI. No scrubbing through a 38-minute video trying to find the four minutes where the creator finally gets to the point.

Hopefully this gives you a few hours of your live back!

Shortcut:
https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/1f9a9818924e482699ab099530aef765

Hi! I have two wallpapers that i use regularly, both with different widgets. I was wondering if there was a way to change those widgets automatically, not one by one like now.

Any help would be appreciated, thanks!

Follow up to my post about the auto mute Shortcut. Here's the full breakdown of how it works and, importantly, how to set up the two automations that trigger it, since that part trips people up the most.

Shortcut link again for convenience. https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/3273ae21c4904615aa09327caf0f61de

The shortcut itself

It's one shortcut used by both triggers. At the top it just receives a Text input, that's how it knows whether it was called for Open or Close.

Open branch.

1. If Shortcut Input is Open
2. Set variable Current Volume to Current Volume (the built in Get Device Details action, Volume option)
3. If Current Volume is greater than 0
   • Toolbox Pro. Set AppVol_WasMuted to 1
   • Toolbox Pro. Set AppVol_Saved to Current Volume
   • Set volume to 0%
4. Otherwise
   • Toolbox Pro. Set AppVol_WasMuted to 0
5. End If

Close branch.

1. Otherwise (this is the else of the outer Open check), then If Shortcut Input is Close
2. Toolbox Pro. Get value for AppVol_WasMuted, then Set variable WasMuted to Global Variable Result
3. If WasMuted is 1
   • Toolbox Pro. Get value for AppVol_Saved, then Set variable SaveVol to Global Variable Result
   • Set volume to SaveVol
4. End If

Two Toolbox Pro Global Variables carry the state between the two separate runs, AppVol_WasMuted (flag) and AppVol_Saved (the volume level to restore). This is what makes it possible for one shortcut, triggered independently by two different automations minutes apart, to remember what it did the first time.

Personal Automations

This is the part that's easy to get wrong, so here's the exact setup for both.

Automation 1, App Opened

1. Automations tab, Create Personal Automation. Then plus, then App
2. Choose your app(s), set the condition to Is Opened
3. Add action Text, type Open
4. Add action Run Shortcut, select Volume Manager Toolbox Pro. Make sure it's connected to the Text action above it, so the shortcut receives Open as its input
5. Turn Ask Before Running OFF
6. Turn Notify When Run OFF
7. Done

Automation 2, App Closed

Same as above, but the trigger condition is Is Closed, the Text action says Close instead of Open, and both Ask Before Runningand Notify When Run are off, same as before.

Both toggles being off is what lets the whole thing run silently in the background without you having to tap anything.

Same note as before, Toolbox Pro's Global Variables actions are iOS and iPadOS only, so this specific build won't run in Shortcuts for Mac. And since it only needs actions available since iOS 16.4, it's a solid option if you're not upgraded to iOS 27 yet.

Questions welcome, happy to help troubleshoot if you build your own version of this.

Ever get caught with your ringer blasting the second you open a certain app, a game, a meditation app, whatever, and always forget to mute first? Here is a Shortcut that does it for you automatically, using a single shortcut driven by two Personal Automations.

What it does

• When you open the app, it checks your current volume. If it's above 0, it remembers that volume, then mutes the phone.
• When you close the app, it checks whether it was the one that muted you, and if so, sets your volume right back to what it was.
• If your volume was already at 0 when you opened the app, it leaves everything alone, so there's no unwanted restore later.

How it's built

One shortcut, named Volume Manager Toolbox Pro, does double duty for both triggers. It receives a small text input, either Open or Close, from whichever automation calls it, and branches accordingly.

• On Open, it reads the current volume with the built in Get Device Details action (Volume option), saves it, and calls Set Volume set to 0.
• On Close, it checks whether it actually muted the volume last time, and if so, restores the saved value.

State (whether it muted you, and what the saved volume was) is stored in Global Variables using Toolbox Pro, the Set Value and Get Value actions, so it persists between the two separate automation runs without needing to save files.

Requirements

• iOS 16.4 or later. The volume reading action needs 16.4 or newer. Built and tested on 16.6.1.
• Toolbox Pro installed and given permission to access its Global Variables actions.

Please note that Toolbox Pro is available for iOS and iPadOS only, and it does work in Shortcuts for Mac. If you want a Mac compatible version of this, you'd need to swap the storage step for something like a plain file or DataJar.

This is also a nice one to hang onto if you're still not on iOS 27. It only relies on actions that have been stable since 16.4, and there's nothing here that needs the newest OS to work.

Download Shortcut

https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/3273ae21c4904615aa09327caf0f61de

I will drop a follow up post with the full automation setup walkthrough (screenshots of every step) for anyone who wants to see exactly how the two triggers are wired up. Happy to answer questions in the comments!

Maybe I'm going crazy but it says to filter by due date for today and the reminders show up for tomorrow. Also yes I did confirm that it was showing the filtered list on the right there. Is this an issue with me or a bug on Apple's end? Any help is appreciated

I'm struggling to get my watch automations working.

When Airplane Mode is turned on -> The "Flying" focus and the Low Power Mode turns on, but the rest of the actions in the middle don't trigger. I get an error on my phone.

When Airplane Mode is turned off -> LPM turns off, nothing else happens.

What am I doing wrong?

This has to be one of my favorite shortcuts yet. I keep my phone on a MagSafe charger at my desk and in the car all day, but I only want a full 100% charge overnight. This automation keeps my battery from constantly sitting between 80–100% for no reason!

Hello :)

Wanted to see if I can get some assistance in creating the following shortcut.

Once shortcut is selected a prompt with three options come up.

1. Receipt
   
2. Chase Deposit
   
3. Payment

After one of those three options is selected then it opens the scanner. Photo is taken of document.

Then when it’s about to save I want it to pull from the selection and rename it with the current date and selection.

Example: MM-DD-YYYY-Receipt

Then select which folder to save.

Is there a built in or third party way to check if guided access is on?

I like to have them on during the day and off at night, but don’t want to set up focus modes or go into settings

I have a specific URL that I want to open automatically in Yandex Browser, but Yandex is not my default browser.

Is there a way to make an iOS Shortcut that:

Tap Shortcut → open this specific URL in Yandex

I've tried using the Open URLs action, but it opens in my default browser instead.

Is there a Yandex URL scheme or another workaround to force a specific URL to open in Yandex?

I’m trying to set up an automation that turns vpn on when I launch specific app, but the trigger seems not to work. I tried changing the triggering app, didn’t help, I tried changing the action from vpn to vibrating or notification, still no success. I also tried launching shortcuts like turn on/off the vpn, the vibration and notifications also work when I launch them as shortcuts. When turning on the notify when launched setting in automation, no notifications show up. I also tried reinstalling shortcuts app, tried to delete and create the automation again, no result. iOS:26.6.1(latest I guess). I would really appreciate if you guys can help me

I'm Kay, the developer of Nurture, an iPhone baby-care tracker. Siri logging is a key reason I built it: when your hands are occupied caring for a baby, opening a form isn't always practical. The moderators kindly approved this one-time post.

Nurture provides built-in App Shortcuts for bottle feeds, starting/stopping sleep, logging past sleep, and wet/dirty diapers. You can also log manually in the app; both routes feed the shared family timeline so caregivers can see what was recorded. These are app-provided actions, not an iCloud shortcut download.

I'd love feedback from Shortcuts users on one small workflow:

1. Install the TestFlight beta, open Nurture, sign in, and create a family with a demo baby profile.
2. Find Nurture's actions in Shortcuts (the app's Family tab also shows the Siri/Shortcuts setup). Try logging a bottle using Siri, then compare it with the manual Quick log form.
3. Tell me where action discovery, spoken amounts, or the confirmation wording felt awkward. If you already have a willing co-caregiver, you can also check that the entry appears in their shared timeline.

One limitation worth knowing: the bottle confirmation is spoken after saving. There isn't a pre-save confirmation or automatic detection of misheard numbers, so please check the recorded amount. Entries can be edited or deleted in the app. Use demo data for testing and don't share private baby/family details in comments.

Walkthrough with Siri/App Shortcuts screenshots, an infographic, and the manual logging screen

Join the iOS TestFlight beta

Nurture is currently free, with no subscription, in-app purchases, or ads. It's a recordkeeping tool, not medical advice. Feedback here or through TestFlight is welcome—especially whether Siri actually saves you taps in this workflow.

I made an Apple Intelligence dictation shortcut — speak a message, AI cleans it up, then it copies it to your clipboard

https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/a6744c060b3a40be873b5e61b8ef7cb9

Hey! So I quite literally just started using Shortcuts and I want to add an automation that texts my partner that I’m home safe, but only when I’ve left a specific location. I’m not understanding if the “If” thing is what I need to use? If this automation is possible, could someone explain how to create it like I’m 5?

Thank you!

I need a boost to stay organized with all of the kids events since school started. I just created a simple shortcut and linked to my lock screen. It then shows the next 7 events once I click. I could just go into the Google Calendar app but….well, you know how that goes. Anyway, if you have some shortcut ideas that are calendar related, please let me know.

https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/f66cf92213664885958cc462c2e0c926

I wanted to know whether I should take an umbrella or else. But I also wanted that information to be simple, clear and accessible without having to look for it.

So I made a shortcut that runs every morning to update: - title: “Drink with Jocelyn” = “🌧️ Drink with Joycelyn” - notes: “don’t forget the gift!” = “don’t forget the gift! [appends new line] Weather: 🌧️ 16°C”

With this, every calendar notification, widgets, else shows the information. works 100% of the time.

To safely test it: create a sub-calendar named "test calendar" and put in fake events at different location where you know the weather will be different for each. Back in the shortcut: in the "select event" step, add a condition "Calendar is test calendar". Make sure to also test a location to an official building/parc whatever: Get Weather messes up when a name official name is included i.e. "Starbuck 123 street" so I included steps to change that. Works in my Western Europe country address formatting, test it in yours. Let me know.

Remarks: - ios27 only latest beta - titles works fine - notes: it looks for a line that starts with “weather:” to update it. If you are I don’t know, an astronomer who makes that kind of event notes, you’ll be in trouble - haven’t tried it but Siri reading these notifications… I’m assuming she’ll say “emoji rainy weather drink with….” Annoying, if you have any suggestions. - if like for me, the weather changes too fast too often, duplicate the shortcut and change the trigger - it uses Apple cloud intelligence which makes it internet dependent albeit still fast. I tried on-device messes up the text appending steps. - you can change the “events in the next 48h” in the first step to cover more time or less

Pretty much what the title says! I’m a big fan of using NFC tags around the house, and I’m trying to find an app that will track how many days it’s been since I last did a chore or task around the house (changing the furnace filter, mopping the floors, deep cleaning the blankets, etc).

I’ve found apps that will do this alright but am having trouble finding one that will work with shortcuts. Anyone use something similar?

How do I produce a result for the phone number, label, & url part listed under “current location”

I mainly use three focus modes: Personal (which is my default mode and it should be active whenever the other two are deactivated), Driving (that activates whenever my phone connects to CarPlay or a few other Bluetooth devices) and Work (which activates whenever I arrive at my work and deactivates whenever I leave)
I have automations set up so that when Driving or Work are disabled, it will wait for a few seconds and turn on Personal

This worked well enough for a while, but sometimes it doesn’t turn on Work when I arrive or turn it off after I leave.

I have the Work/Driving automation set up in the Focus screen and the Personal one in the Shorcuts app. Is there any way to know what’s been causing the Focus to not be activated?

Not sure what’s going this year but every month since May, my Verizon home Wi-Fi is chronically going out like all the time including like every night my new data through Mint Mobile was reloaded for the month including last night! The first time I realized this , it literally sucked me out a month’s worth of data within the first week of the data month and I’ve literally spent over $200 in data add-ons since this became an issue and I did NOT used to have to do that. Hopefully there are actions that can help me disconnect my cellular data to preserve my monthly data allotment for the month if wi-FI decides to act stupid.

Does anyone know a way to create a shortcut to:

Turn off 5G (switch to 4G only)
Turn on low power mode
And turn off tap to wake

Thanks

I have a morning automation that does various things, one of which, is to automatically revert to the current app I’m using, whilst the automation is in execution.
The automation has to enter an app called ‘ lock launcher’ to refresh the Dynamic Island and lock-screen settings, then instantly take me back to the app I was using (usually tiktok at that time) or whichever app I’m using. It’s a bit on and off as it would work for tiktok, but I want to see if someone has some insight into how I get it to switch back to any app, other than tiktok.

Hey guys, I'm the dev behind the LiveMinder iOS app. Its a free app that lets u put ur Apple Reminders on ur Lock Screen and Dynamic Island, really helpful if ur forgetful or have a condition like ADHD.

When I first launched the app a couple years ago there were many API limitations for Live Activities and Shortcuts, well not anymore! Original Thread Here.

The new update lets u launch Live Activities of your Reminder Lists straight from Shortcuts without needing to launch the LiveMinder app at all, and sync in real time with Apple Reminders. You can mark Reminders done and so on without needing to launch any app.

You can make automations:

- when ur work focus is on, it will show your Work list, or

- geofence ur grocery store so ur grocery list shared with ur signifient other is automatically shows up when you enter

Just to throw a few ideas. And you don't need to open the LiveMinder app ever again after setup, u can use Apple Reminders with all its goodness.

You can also have up to 5 lists at the same time (Apple limitation, plz dont be mad at me). Also all these features are completely free.

Link to example shortcut using a LiveMinder intent: https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/c1de541f260c4515b5685ae9158eb669

Features that will be available soon:

- Ability to start multiple Live Activity for same list, like pt 1, 2. (This already exists in app, just not in the shortcut intent yet, my bad)

- Any other feature recommendation yall have!