Apple will let you build workflows using AI in its new Shortcuts app

Overview

Apple is rebuilding its Shortcuts app so people create automations by describing what they want in plain language instead of wiring each step together by hand. Apple Intelligence reads the request, picks the right app actions, and assembles the full workflow in the background. Apple showed the feature at its WWDC 2026 developer event on June 8, and the updated app ships with iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and the next macOS release in fall 2026.

Key Takeaways

Users describe an automation in everyday words, and Apple Intelligence builds the workflow steps automatically instead of requiring manual drag-and-drop editing.
The demo automation messages a contact with an estimated arrival time when the user leaves work, pulling travel data from Apple Maps and sending it through Messages.
Editing also works by description: a person asks for a change, such as adding a podcast on the drive home, rather than reworking each step.
Apple positioned the update as a way to open Shortcuts to non-technical people who found the older visual tool too complicated.
The new Shortcuts experience ships with iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and the next macOS release in fall 2026.
The change is part of a wider WWDC 2026 push to place Apple Intelligence inside everyday apps rather than in a separate chatbot.

Stats & Key Facts

#1 developer event, WWDC 2026 on June 8, 2026, where Apple showed the feature.
#3 platforms get the update at launch: iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and the next macOS release.
#Fall 2026 is the planned release window for the updated Shortcuts app.
#3 apps appear in the demo workflow: location services, Apple Maps, and Messages.

Plain-Language Automation Replaces Manual Step Building in Shortcuts

The core change moves Shortcuts from a visual editor to a description-first tool.

For years, building a Shortcut meant dragging individual actions together, connecting them in order, and managing variables that passed data from one step to the next. That structure made the app rewarding for technical users but confusing for everyone else.

In the new version, a person types or speaks a request that states the result they want. Apple Intelligence interprets the description, decides which app actions fit, and assembles the full automation in the background. The user no longer hunts for the right action or sets up variables by hand.

How the Leaving-Work Demo Workflow Strings Apps Together

Apple used one concrete example to show the feature end to end.

›The automation triggers when the user leaves a saved work location.
›It reads the stored address to know when the person has departed.
›It pulls a travel-time estimate from Apple Maps.
›It sends an arrival update to a chosen contact through Messages.

From a single plain request along the lines of notify a contact with my arrival time when I leave work, the app figures out each piece. The same workflow that once needed several manually linked steps now comes from one description.

Editing a Shortcut by Describing the Change

Editing follows the same description-first pattern as creation.

Once a Shortcut exists, the user changes it by stating what they want added or removed instead of reopening the step editor. Apple showed this by asking the leaving-work automation to start a favorite podcast during the drive home.

This matters because real automations rarely stay fixed. People adjust them as routines shift, and a description-based edit removes the friction of relocating actions inside a complex chain.

Why Apple Aimed This at Non-Technical Users

Apple framed the redesign around accessibility, not raw capability.

Cecilia Dantas, a senior manager on Apple's Home Software product marketing team, acknowledged that creating Shortcuts has felt complicated, which is the stated reason for adding the natural language approach. The goal is to let people who avoided the old tool build multi-app automations without learning its mechanics.

For a business reader, the practical effect is that routine tasks like sending status updates, organizing files, or chaining app actions become reachable without a technical background. The automation power that existed before is now described rather than constructed.

Part of a Broader WWDC 2026 Apple Intelligence Push

Shortcuts is one piece of a larger strategy shown at the event.

At WWDC 2026, Apple worked to place Apple Intelligence directly inside the apps people use daily, including scheduling, photos, task automation, and phone features, rather than routing everything through a standalone chatbot. The Shortcuts update reflects that direction by embedding AI inside an existing tool.

Coverage of the keynote also pointed to wider Siri and system-level AI changes announced alongside Shortcuts, signaling that automation is being treated as a mainstream feature rather than a niche for advanced users.

Release Timing and Platform Availability

The feature arrives with Apple's fall software cycle.

›Ships with iOS 27 in fall 2026.
›Comes to iPadOS 27 in the same release window.
›Arrives in the next macOS release alongside the mobile versions.

Apple has not detailed whether the workflow assembly runs entirely on the device or relies on its server-based Apple Intelligence systems, and the announcement did not spell out developer APIs or a full list of supported third-party app actions.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is changing in Apple's Shortcuts app?

Users will describe an automation in plain language, and Apple Intelligence will build the workflow steps automatically. The older approach required manually connecting each action and managing variables by hand.

When will the new Shortcuts app be available?

It ships with iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and the next macOS release in fall 2026. Apple showed the feature at its WWDC 2026 event on June 8, 2026.

What example did Apple show?

A shortcut that messages a contact with an estimated arrival time when the user leaves work. It reads a saved work location, pulls travel time from Apple Maps, and sends the update through Messages.

Do I need to be technical to use it?

No. Apple designed the natural language approach for people who found the old visual editor complicated, so building multi-app automations no longer requires finding specific actions or setting up variables.

Does it run on the device or in the cloud?

Apple has not specified whether the workflow assembly runs entirely on-device or uses its server-based Apple Intelligence systems. The announcement focused on the user experience rather than the technical architecture.

Apple is turning Shortcuts from a tool for tinkerers into one anyone can use by simply describing the result they want. The redesigned app reaches iPhone, iPad, and Mac users in fall 2026 with iOS 27 and its companion releases.