Best Phone Automation

Ranked #1 of 7 for best phone automation

Apple Shortcuts review

Apple's free automation app, built into iPhone and iPad, with 20 triggers that can run without asking1.

Updated By the Best Phone Automation deskHow we scoreDisclosure

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Verdict

8.2/10

Apple Shortcuts is the best phone automation for iPhone owners: it is free, already installed, and Apple lists 20 triggers that run it without asking21.

Best for iPhone and iPad owners

Skip it if you use an Android phone, or you need every trigger to fire without a tap: Apple lists 20 triggers that can run without asking, and some actions have to be set to run automatically one by one1.

Visit Apple Shortcuts (opens the Apple Shortcuts website)

Apple Shortcuts at a glance
DeveloperApple Inc.3
PriceFree; a built-in app on iPhone and iPad24
Runs oniPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Apple Vision; the Mac has its own Shortcuts app and user guide54
Triggers that run without asking20, including Time of Day, Arrive, Wi-Fi, NFC, Battery Level and Charger1
Action buttonRuns a chosen shortcut on supported models (iPhone 15 Pro or later)6
Apple IntelligenceDescribe a Shortcut builds a shortcut from plain language4; the Use Model action calls on-device, Private Cloud Compute (Cloud and Cloud Pro) or ChatGPT models. Needs an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max or iPhone 16 model or later7
Latest App Store updateVersion 6.7, October 19, 20263
OriginReplaced the Workflow app in version 2.0, September 17, 20188

How Apple Shortcuts scores

Score breakdown for Apple Shortcuts
Power 25%8.0Hundreds of actions drawn from the apps on your devices9, variables10, If with Otherwise If11, Repeat loops12, web API requests13, JavaScript on Safari pages14, storage actions that keep data between runs11 and AI model calls7. Actions are features of those apps broken into steps9, so its reach ends at what the apps on the device expose, and web requests cannot sign in with OAuth 215. Score: hundreds of actions with variables, If, Repeat and web requests, bounded by what installed apps expose, give 8.0.
Ease of use 25%8.0A curated Gallery of ready-made shortcuts in rows such as Essentials and Morning Routine16, an editor that predicts the next action17, and a shortcut built from a plain-language description18. The description builder needs an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone18, running an automation without a tap takes a separate Allow Running When Locked switch plus, for some actions, a setting of their own1, and custom shortcuts rest on content flow and variables, which the guide teaches in their own chapters19. Score: a gallery and a plain-language builder, with content flow to learn and a separate switch for runs without a tap, give 8.0.
Reliability 20%8.0Shortcuts is a built-in app2, and Apple lists 20 triggers that run without a confirmation tap once Allow Running When Locked is on1. By default an automation sends a notification asking you to run it20, some actions need their own run-automatically setting1, and automations synced to another device arrive turned off21. Score: built into iOS, with 20 published triggers that run without a tap, gives 8.0.
Price 15%9.5Free on the App Store and preinstalled on iPhone and iPad42. Cloud AI models in Shortcuts have daily limits, and Apple says expanded access will cost a fee in the future7. Score: free and built in, with no paid tier, gives 9.5.
Privacy 15%7.5Shortcuts are stored on the device in encrypted form and iCloud sync is optional22; each shortcut asks before it touches your data23, and JavaScript checks run on the device24. The App Store privacy label lists coarse location, user content, a device ID, product interaction and diagnostics as data linked to you and used for analytics4, and shared shortcuts are sent to Apple25. Score: on-device storage with a device ID on the privacy label gives 7.5.

Apple Shortcuts pricing

Apple Shortcuts pricing, checked 8 November 2026
PlanPriceNotes
Shortcuts appFree4Built into iPhone and iPad; the App Store lists the price as Free.
Apple Intelligence cloud models in ShortcutsNo fee published; daily usage limits apply7Apple says AFM 3 Cloud models in Shortcuts are subject to daily usage limits and that expanded access will be available for a fee in the future. Needs an Apple Intelligence-enabled device such as iPhone 15 Pro or later.

Strengths and weak spots

Strengths

  • Free and preinstalled: Shortcuts is a built-in Apple app on iPhone and iPad24.
  • 20 triggers can run without asking, from Time of Day and Arrive to NFC, Battery Level and Charger1.
  • Real program logic: variables, If with Otherwise If, Repeat loops, web API requests and storage actions that keep data between runs10111213.
  • Starts from the Action button on iPhone 15 Pro or later, a double or triple tap on the back of the phone, Siri, the Home Screen widget or Apple Watch6269.
  • Apple Intelligence builds a shortcut from a plain-language description, and the Use Model action calls on-device, Private Cloud Compute or ChatGPT models187.

Weak spots

  • Apple devices only: the App Store listing covers iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple Watch and Apple Vision4.
  • By default an automation sends a notification asking you to run it20. Apple lists 20 triggers that can run without asking, and the Notifications, Keyboard and Screenshot triggers added in iOS 27 are missing from that list111.
  • Automations sync to your other devices but arrive there turned off2021.
  • Web API requests cannot sign in with OAuth 2, and Run JavaScript on Webpage runs only from the share sheet of an open Safari webpage1514.
  • The AI features need an Apple Intelligence-enabled device such as iPhone 15 Pro or later and a supported language, and cloud models have daily usage limits7.

Alternatives to Apple Shortcuts

Head to head

Apple Shortcuts: common questions

Is Apple Shortcuts free?

Yes. Shortcuts is a built-in app on iPhone and iPad, and the App Store lists it as Free24. The Apple Intelligence cloud models inside Shortcuts have daily usage limits, and Apple says expanded access will be available for a fee in the future7.

Can Shortcuts automations run without asking?

Yes, for the 20 triggers Apple lists, including Time of Day, Arrive, Leave, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, App, Battery Level and Charger. Open the shortcut, tap Edit, go to Privacy and turn on Allow Running When Locked; some actions also have to be set to run automatically1. By default, an automation sends a notification asking you to run it20.

Which iPhones can run a shortcut from the Action button?

Apple lists iPhone 15 Pro or later as the supported models. Go to Settings > Action Button, swipe to Shortcut and choose a shortcut6. Back Tap, an Accessibility setting, also runs a shortcut when you double-tap or triple-tap the back of the phone26.

Sources

  1. Apple. Add automations to Shortcuts on iPhone or iPad - Apple Support. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  2. Apple. Delete built-in Apple apps from your iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch - Apple Support. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  3. Apple. iTunes Search API lookup for Shortcuts (id1462947752, US store). Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  4. Apple. Shortcuts App - App Store. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  5. Apple. Shortcuts User Guide for Mac - Apple Support. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  6. Apple. Run shortcuts with the Action button - Apple Support. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  7. Apple. Use Apple Intelligence in Shortcuts on iPhone or iPad - Apple Support. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  8. Apple. Shortcuts App - App Store (legacy listing id915249334, formerly Workflow, last updated 2019, with version history). Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  9. Apple. Intro to Shortcuts on iPhone and iPad - Apple Support. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  10. Apple. Intro to variables in Shortcuts on iPhone or iPad - Apple Support. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  11. Apple. New in iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and visionOS 27 (Shortcuts release notes) - Apple Support. Checked 8 Nov 2026.
  12. Apple. Use Repeat actions in Shortcuts on iPhone or iPad - Apple Support. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  13. Apple. Intro to web APIs in Shortcuts on iPhone or iPad - Apple Support. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  14. Apple. Intro to the Run JavaScript on Webpage action in Shortcuts on iPhone or iPad - Apple Support. Checked 8 Nov 2026.
  15. Apple. API limitations in Shortcuts on iPhone or iPad - Apple Support. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  16. Apple. Discover shortcuts in the Gallery on iPhone or iPad - Apple Support. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  17. Apple. Navigate the action list in Shortcuts on iPhone or iPad - Apple Support. Checked 8 Nov 2026.
  18. Apple. Create a custom shortcut on iPhone or iPad - Apple Support. Checked 8 Nov 2026.
  19. Apple. Shortcuts User Guide - Apple Support. Checked 8 Nov 2026.
  20. Apple. Intro to shortcuts with automations on iPhone or iPad - Apple Support. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  21. Apple. Sync shortcuts on iPhone or iPad - Apple Support. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  22. Apple. Secure features in the Shortcuts app - Apple Support (Apple Platform Security). Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  23. Apple. Adjust basic privacy settings in Shortcuts on iPhone and iPad - Apple Support. Checked 8 Nov 2026.
  24. Apple. Advanced Privacy and security settings in Shortcuts on iPhone or iPad - Apple Support. Checked 8 Nov 2026.
  25. Apple. Legal - Shortcuts Sharing & Privacy - Apple. Checked 8 Nov 2026.
  26. Apple. Run shortcuts by tapping the back of your iPhone - Apple Support. Checked 9 Nov 2026.