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With the iPhone Shortcuts app, you can make your phone perform tasks much quicker — here are the best shortcuts people have created

Paige Leskin

2018-12-02T14:30:00Z

Apple released iOS 12 for its iPhones and iPads this year, and one of the newest features in an app called Shortcuts.
The app lets you create shortcuts for your phone to perform certain actions if you know a little something about programming. But fortunately, tech-savvy users out there have been busy creating their own Shortcuts that you can use for free.
Here are some of the best shortcuts we've found, which let you easily transfer playlists, create GIFs from live photos, and even turn on your flashlight with the "lumos" command (a la Harry Potter).

If you've yet to discover the new Shortcuts tool on your iPhone, you're missing out on something that can make your life a whole lot easier.

Apple's newest software, iOS 12, was released to iPhones and iPads in September with lots of cool new features, such as an improved Facetime app for group video calls and a new app for tracking how much time you spend on your phone.

But there's another new goodie included in iOS 12 that you may not have time to pay around with yet: Shortcuts. The feature lets you "program" your phone to automatically perform certain tasks and functions when you tap a button or speak a custom voice command to Siri. For example, you could program your phone to automatically turn on the lights and send your spouse a text when you tell Siri "I'm home."

Creating a shortcut sounds complicated. Luckily you don't have to: You can just use the shortcuts that other people have already created.

There are shortcuts to help you calculate tip on a bill, make anonymous phone calls, and convert playlists easily between Apple Music and Spotify.

Here are 15 of the best Shortcuts we've found that will make your life on an Apple device a lot simpler:

Advent Calendar: 25 fun interactive elements for each day leading up to Christmas.

Source: RoutineHub

Police: record police interactions and let a trusted contact know you've been pulled over.

Source: Business Insider

Ultimate Downloader: Download video, photos, and audio from YouTube, SoundCloud, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Source: RoutineHub

New GIF: Convert any live photo, photo burst, or video into a GIF ... in a jif.

via GIPHY

Source: AlexSwak on Reddit

I got in a wreck: Send your location to an emergency contact, turn on your flashlight, and call 911.

Source: RoutineHub

All-in-One Utilities: tools include "ultra low power mode," ability to play 2048 offline, a network speedtest, and a random number generator.

Source: RoutineHub

Playlist Converter: Transfer music playlists between Spotify and Apple Music.

Source: laloz8 on Reddit

Safe To Run With Dog?: Determines whether it's safe for your dog to run outside depending on the current temperature and humidity.

run jogging exercise couple dog central park — People jog during a warm day in Central Park, New York December 25, 2015. Much of the U.S. East Coast could see record high temperatures on Christmas Day and through the weekend even as a major winter storm looms for the southern Great Plains, forecasters said on Friday. Eduardo Munoz/REUTERS

Source: vtboyarc on Reddit

Photo Map Thumbnail: add a thumbnail to a photo showing where the picture was taken

Add thumbnail map to photo from r/shortcuts

Source: atomicsiren on Reddit

Calculate Tip: Quickly figure out how much you want to tip, just by entering your bill total.

Source: Apple Shortcuts

Lumos: Tell Siri 'lumos' to turn on your iPhone flashlight with some Harry Potter spell magic.

Source: RoutineHub

Dark Mode V2: Get dark mode on almost any website.

Source: Ndh4k4 on Reddit

Item Lookup: Scan a barcode to look up an item online at Amazon, Target or Walmart.

Source: JaredButters on Reddit

Apple iPhone

With the iPhone Shortcuts app, you can make your phone perform tasks much quicker — here are the best shortcuts people have created

Advent Calendar: 25 fun interactive elements for each day leading up to Christmas.

Police: record police interactions and let a trusted contact know you've been pulled over.

Ultimate Downloader: Download video, photos, and audio from YouTube, SoundCloud, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

New GIF: Convert any live photo, photo burst, or video into a GIF ... in a jif.

I got in a wreck: Send your location to an emergency contact, turn on your flashlight, and call 911.

Combine Screenshots & Share: Select how many of your most recent screenshots you want stitched together to easily share with friends or on social media.

All-in-One Utilities: tools include "ultra low power mode," ability to play 2048 offline, a network speedtest, and a random number generator.

Playlist Converter: Transfer music playlists between Spotify and Apple Music.

Safe To Run With Dog?: Determines whether it's safe for your dog to run outside depending on the current temperature and humidity.

Photo Map Thumbnail: add a thumbnail to a photo showing where the picture was taken

Calculate Tip: Quickly figure out how much you want to tip, just by entering your bill total.

Lumos: Tell Siri 'lumos' to turn on your iPhone flashlight with some Harry Potter spell magic.

Dark Mode V2: Get dark mode on almost any website.

Item Lookup: Scan a barcode to look up an item online at Amazon, Target or Walmart.