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Apple's iOS 27 is set to make compatible iPhones smarter and more capable than ever. With this huge update, there are settings to help keep kids safer while using their devices, give you more control over how Liquid Glass looks, and — iPhone 15 and newer — will get an AI-powered Siri. But beyond these software enhancements, Apple is also upgrading one hardware feature on the iPhone: the Action Button.
This nifty button is already a pretty versatile tool as it can run all sorts of quick actions, the most notable of which is a shortcut of your choice. While this sounds promising in theory, casual users often find the Shortcuts app quite intimidating. In turn, they tend to just go for the premade Shortcuts found in the app and on platforms like Reddit and YouTube. That means the Action Button often goes underused.
This, however, is set to change with the help of one of the new Apple Intelligence features — Describe a shortcut. You now have the power to create a custom shortcut that fits your needs exactly, even without learning the ins and outs of the Shortcuts app.
How it works?
The AI-powered Describe a shortcut feature on iOS 27 is designed to eliminate the hassle of creating a shortcut from scratch. Instead of manually adding the sequence of actions for the custom shortcut, all you need to do is type what you want it to do. Then, just sit back as Apple Intelligence analyzes your prompt and automatically builds the shortcut.
In iOS 27 Beta, the setup goes like this: launch the Shortcuts app, tap the new New Shortcut button at the bottom, and type your prompt. It can be as simple as "Set an alarm for 9 a.m.," or as complex as "When I set the phone to Silent Mode, turn on color filters, enable Always On Display, and start a Pomodoro Timer with 25 minutes work and 10 minutes rest."
After that, you'll see the result of the generated shortcut. If you realize you need the shortcut to do something else, just enter the changes you want to make. Then, tap the play icon to run the new shortcut and check your edits. To add new steps to the shortcut, press the hamburger icon in the upper right corner. Once you've generated your shortcut, you can proceed with assigning it to the Action Button. Keep in mind that this feature isn't stable yet, so if you do decide to download iOS 27 Beta to your iPhone, it's possible you could run into some issues.