How to Use Apple Intelligence to Create Shortcuts on iPhone

The Shortcuts app has been the kind of feature that people know exists but rarely use. That's because building an automation means understanding how actions connect, how triggers work, and how to chain multiple steps together. That's not everyone's cup of tea. iOS 27's Describe a Shortcut feature lets you create a shortcut on iPhone by simply writing what you want it to do. I have been testing it on my iPhone, and it has changed how I interact with the app. Here is how to use it.

Describe a Shortcut with Apple Intelligence on iPhone

If you have an Apple Intelligence-supported iPhone running on iOS 27, then here's how you can use the new Describe a shortcut feature to create a shortcut on your iPhone with plain English. 

1. Open the Shortcuts app and tap on New Shortcut in the bottom of the page.
2. Here, write down what you want the shortcut to do in the text field. (The more specific the description, the better the result.)

3. You can also tap the microphone below the keyboard to speak the description instead.
4. Tap Send and wait a few seconds while Apple Intelligence builds the shortcut.
5. Once created, you can review the shortcut by going to the hamburger menu in the top right corner.

6. You can also tap on the play button to see how it works in action.

Once done, the shortcut appears in the Shortcuts app. I have already created numerous shortcuts with this method on my iPhone Air after installing the iOS 27 developer beta on it. It has made shortcuts easy for me, and I have no excuse not to use it anymore. 

Let me take you through a couple of reference shortcuts that I have made on my iPhone using the new Apple Intelligence Describe a shortcut feature. 

Creating a Simple Shortcut 

I will give you a couple of examples to create a shortcut with Apple Intelligence in Shortcuts. First, I tried a simple shortcut, like turning on the flashlight when a notification arrives. Here's the prompt that I used. 

Prompt: "Turn on the flashlight when I receive a notification on WhatsApp."

Apple Intelligence built the shortcut in seconds, setting up a notification trigger connected to the flashlight action with no additional input from me. 

Generating a Multi-Step Shortcut 

I also tried an involved multi-step prompt that triggers based on my location and performs multiple automations at once. Here's the prompt: 

Prompt: "Turn on silent mode every time I reach the office and text Ajaay that I have reached."

This multi-step shortcut was ready to use with all my instructed actions within a few seconds, and Apple Intelligence perfectly handled all the difficult guesswork of creating a shortcut. 

How to Use Different Apple Intelligence Models in Shortcuts

As mentioned above, you can use different Apple Intelligence models in the Shortcuts app based on the complexity of the task. The most basic and private is the on-device model, which can perform less intensive tasks. But it is more private, as all the processing takes place on your iPhone.

Using On-Device Model

Here's one example of writing a joke with Apple Intelligence on-device model using the Shortcuts app:

1. Open the Shortcuts app and tap on the + icon at the top.
2. Here, add the Get Weather action and set the location to the Current location.

3. Then add Get Detail from Weather Conditions and select a variable like Temperature or Humidity.

4. From the search bar at the top, search and select Use Model and tap on On-Device.
5. In the prompt box, write something like, "Write a 2-line funny joke about the weather condition based on the input". Make sure to use whichever variable you have selected above.

6. Add Show Content action, and pick Response in the Content field.
7. Run the action by tapping on the Play button at the bottom right.

The app will now display a pop-up alert showing a funny joke loosely related to the weather outside.

Choosing Cloud Model in Shortcuts

The cloud model sends data to Apple's private cloud servers for processing. Let's create an example shortcut with the Cloud model to create an itinerary from Messages. 

1. Inside the Shortcuts app, tap on the + icon to create a new shortcut.
2. Here, add the Find Messages action and head over to Add Filter > Unread > Body.

3. Add keywords like Hotel, Airline, and Restaurant. (Make sure to use one with the iMessage icon. For emails, use the action with the blue Mail icon.)
4. Then, add Combine Text action.

5. Search the Use Model action and select Cloud.
6. Here, select the Combined Text variable and enter this prompt, "You are my travel assistant. I will give you booking Messages. Create a travel itinerary with dates, times and addresses."

7. Now, add the Show Content action and select Response as the variable.

Using ChatGPT model in Shortcuts 

You can also choose the ChatGPT model in the Shortcuts app, which is best for more advanced tasks. However, your data will be shared with ChatGPT. Here's a quick shortcut I created to get Instagram captions for my photos. 

1. Tap on the + icon in the Shortcuts app, and then tap on the i icon from the bottom bar.
2. Here, turn on the Show in Share Sheet toggle.

3. Tap on the blue tick button to proceed.

4. Search Use Model and select the ChatGPT option.
5. Choose a variable as Shortcut input and then add the prompt, "I have this photo. Describe it in one sentence, then generate 20 Instagram caption ideas".
6. Add the Show Content action and select Response as the variable.

Now, whenever you share an image in the Photos app with the Clipboard or to the shortcut itself, it will generate 20 Instagram captions for it. You can also add a Create Notes action to save these actions. 

Tips for Writing Better Shortcut Descriptions

Based on my testing on the iOS 27 developer beta, here are a few things that produce better results when trying to create a shortcut on an iPhone with Apple Intelligence:

• Be specific about the trigger: "When I arrive at the office" works better than "at work". If the location is saved in Contacts or Maps, naming it directly helps Apple Intelligence find it faster.
• Name contacts exactly as they appear: For shortcuts involving messages or calls, using the name as it appears in Contacts avoids any confusion.
• Describe the outcome: "Send my location to Ajaay every morning at 9 am" works better than trying to describe the individual steps involved.
• Keep multi-step prompts to one sentence: Longer, comma-separated descriptions tend to produce more accurate results than separate sentences.
• Review before saving: Always check the shortcut Apple Intelligence builds before tapping Add, particularly for automations involving contacts or location triggers.

Which iPhones Support Apple Intelligence in Shortcuts?

The ability to create and add Apple Intelligence shortcuts isn't available on all iOS 27-eligible iPhones. These include iPhone 15 Pro or newer models. Older iPhones will not be able to use these new advanced action capabilities even after the iOS 27 update. 

If you are a pro Shortcuts user, then these additional Apple Intelligence features will help you create some nuanced and creative automations which were not possible before. This new iOS 27 integration makes things much easier. I have been personally using the Morning Summary and Summarise Mails shortcuts every day, and I don't think I will be creating shortcuts manually ever again.