• iOS 27 might bring artificial intelligence (AI) to Apple’s Shortcuts app
• It could let you build Shortcuts with natural language prompts
• This would make Shortcuts far more accessible to users

Ever since it debuted in iOS 12, Apple’s Shortcuts app has had enormous potential. Yet it’s never been able to fulfil that potential because the process of creating automated workflows on your iPhone — the purpose of Shortcuts — has always been frustratingly convoluted (something I’ve previously argued against). But that might all change in iOS 27.

According to a new Bloomberg report, Apple’s iOS 27 update will include a major upgrade for the Shortcuts app, powered by artificial intelligence (AI) via the Apple Intelligence platform. And if it works as intended, it could finally make Shortcuts more accessible to iOS users.

Bloomberg explains that Shortcuts’ AI revamp — which is currently being tested by Apple — “lets users create Shortcuts simply by describing what they want them to do.” That stands in sharp contrast to Shortcuts today, which requires you to either manually add each step in your automation or download fully formed ones from Apple or other users.

The report states that, in iOS 27, you’ll be asked, “What do you want your shortcut to do?” You can then enter a simple natural language prompt, and Shortcuts will begin creating your workflow. Within a few seconds, you’ll have your AI-generated shortcut ready to go.

‘It just works’

I’ve long felt that Apple’s Shortcuts platform has been held back by its own complexity. Apple gives you no real guidance on how to create a Shortcut — you’re more or less thrown in at the deep end and left to fend for yourself. With that in mind, I’ve previously argued that Apple needs to create a ‘Shortcuts Academy’ at the very least to help people get to grips with the Shortcuts app and enable them to tap into its real power without feeling overwhelmed.

But by handing the reins over to AI, Apple might have found an even better solution. There would be no need to learn the complicated process of building a potent shortcut, and instead, you’d just need to tell your phone what you want and let it do the heavy lifting. Not only does that lower the barrier to entry, but it’s very in keeping with Apple’s own philosophy of simplifying the user experience. What better example of “it just works” could there be?

Of course, that’s all assuming it does work as intended. Just this week, Bloomberg reported that Siri’s AI features — already delayed by two years — will be labeled as “betas” when iOS 27 is revealed at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) this June, suggesting Apple still has to iron out some creases.

But even if Shortcuts’ AI upgrade needs a little more time in the oven, it could shape up to be exactly what I’ve been waiting for. And I’m sure there are plenty of Shortcuts users who feel the same way.

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Alex Blake has been fooling around with computers since the early 1990s, and since that time he's learned a thing or two about tech. No more than two things, though. That's all his brain can hold. As well as TechRadar, Alex writes for iMore, Digital Trends and Creative Bloq, among others. He was previously commissioning editor at MacFormat magazine. That means he mostly covers the world of Apple and its latest products, but also Windows, computer peripherals, mobile apps, and much more beyond. When not writing, you can find him hiking the English countryside and gaming on his PC.