Practical Shortcuts for Dummies (like me)

[jaberg]

I created two Shortcuts tonight. In service of my photography, but they’re both based on the same concept, and it’s universally applicable. So simple and obvious that I’m stunned that it’s taken me this long to conceive of and create them. So much so that I’m almost embarrassed to share them here. (I won’t be surprised by a chorus of “beat you to it.”)

The first resides on the dock of my iPhone. When activated it brings up a menu that allows me to select and open any of six camera apps I use. (Freeing up two slots on the dock in the process.) The other, on the iPads‘ docks, opens the selected image processing tool. Say goodbye to the dedicated homescreen. That’s it. Nothing fancy. Maybe 5 minutes expended. Tomorrow I plan to make one for my Photography Utilities like PhotoPills, TPE, and the apps that interface with my dedicated cameras. Maybe another for writing and “office” apps.

I can’t stop slapping my forehead. To quote Lord Richard Buckley, “So simple, like the jitterbug it plum evaded me.”

 

[jaberg]

In case anyone needs a head start on the recipe. I’m happy to answer any questions, but know up front that, even unseen and unheard, I’ll never be mistaken for Rosemary Orchard…

p.s. I know there are only five apps listed. I‘ll be adding (another path to) the stock Camera app.

 

[lloyddean]

Gota start somewhere and sometime.

 

[japtor]

Not to knock your usage here, but more out of curiosity, wouldn't a folder on the dock with said apps provide the same functionality? I'll be amused if the answer is not knowing about folders on the dock . If it's something about organization and not wanting to move stuff around a certain way, there's a way to make app icon copies vs moving but forget the details.

...but I can think of two ways the shortcut is different! If you have the iPhone 15 Pro you can set the action button to a shortcut and launch the apps that way. And in iOS 18 you can set the Lock Screen buttons to shortcuts (or apps), so you could replace the camera button with your camera app launcher shortcut.

For myself I have a few automated/triggered shortcuts that do dumb little debatable quality of life things for myself:

• iPhone and iPad turn on low power mode pretty early, at something like 40-60% I forget. (I should probably just get the batteries replaced)
• One is triggered on Bluetooth and/or CarPlay connection for driving, just turns on a custom focus and jacks up the system text size from my usual 80% to 120%, to make it easier if I glance at my phone for something. And of course reverses on disconnection. There can be some occasional weirdness with this one depending on how the car connects.
• One that asks to run on plug in on my iPad. I think it dims the iPad screen, jacks up the font size, sets the sleep focus, and runs the good night homekit scene. There used to be more cause I used to have it run automatically, and pop up a "go to sleep?" prompt first if it was dark. That was based on some overly elaborate scripting just to check if the current time was between sunset and sunrise time.
• Then in the morning around sunrise, sleep focus turned off and font size turned back to normal.
• If I have some specific alarms set to go off, they trigger a shortcut that turns on my bedside lamp and plays music on my HomePod mini.

At some point you may run into overlap of things (like my font size stuff there) and then you get into the fun of refactoring to reduce unnecessary actions. Then annoyances of limitations that may be surprisingly addressed one day. Like "run without confirmation" for automations was a god send for my usage but wasn't there from the start (and/or for particular triggers...still isn't for everything iirc).

 

[jaberg]

Feel free to be somewhat amused. I’d completely forgotten about folders in the dock. I used them at one time but removed them for reasons now forgotten. Simplicity? I think I prefer this, but it’s been a minute.

I eliminated all iOS folders, and also removed the vast majority of apps from the homescreens, when the App Library was introduced. No swiping for me. My devices have only the “Main” homescreen, and that’s mostly widgets. I open apps from the dock, using search or Siri, or via the “Siri Suggestions” widget on my homescreen. Yes, I am sometimes forced into the library when I can’t remember the name of a seldom used app. PhotoScan, that I use sporadically for documenting artwork behind glass and hanging on walls, is one such tool. It’s now represented in Camera Picker. Another advantage of the shortcut is that I can relabel apps that lack descriptive names. Which of the three ”Ree” cameras is the best for shooting raw? ReeXpose (Raw). Also, the shortcut is created once, then automatically shared to, or edited from, all of my devices.

I do have a few curated (and constantly in need of that curation) homescreens that have specific groups of apps on them. These become visible only within various Focus Modes. (Also overdue for visitation and revision.)The “photo processing” screen is made redundant by my new shortcut.

My iPhone is a 13 Pro —no Action Button — and I’m not running 18 on it yet, but I do have my eye on that Camera Lockscreen button.

Many ways to peel the Apple. I appreciate your sharing of yours.