Shortcuts have always been powerful, but let's be honest—they haven't exactly been "smart." They followed strict rules. If A happens, do B. But with the release of Apple Intelligence and the new ChatGPT integrations in iOS 18.2, that changes completely.
I've spent the last few weeks rebuilding my automation library to take advantage of these new AI tools. The result is a collection of 18 new and updated shortcuts that don't just move data around—they understand context, summarize content, and actually generate things for you. From automatic packing lists to smarter birthday texts, these are designed to handle the heavy lifting.
Let's walk through the standout shortcuts in this collection, how to set them up, and how they actually work on your device.
Most of these shortcuts rely on the new Apple Intelligence features found in iOS 18.1 and the ChatGPT integration in 18.2. You'll need a compatible iPhone (15 Pro or later) or iPad with an M-series chip to run the AI-heavy ones.
Pro tip: For the "Scan Documents" shortcuts, you'll also want to grab Toolbox Pro. It handles the scanning interface better than the native Shortcuts action does right now.
This is a step up from your standard "Save for Later" bookmark. Sometimes you see something on a screen—a shirt, a social post, a weird error message—and the link isn't enough. You need the visual context.
This shortcut takes a screenshot, uses AI to analyze what's on the screen, and saves it all to a structured Apple Note.
When it's done, you have a searchable note with the image, the context of why you saved it, and a direct link back to the source.
Nobody likes sending the same generic "Happy Birthday!" text year after year. I built two versions of this. The simple one just finds contacts with birthdays today. The advanced one is where the magic happens.
The AI version actually checks a log of what you sent that person last year to ensure you never repeat yourself. It generates a fresh, unique message every time.
This one requires a tiny bit of prep work to function correctly:
This was a request from the community. Instead of a static packing list, this shortcut uses Apple Intelligence to generate a custom list based on your specific trip.
It asks you where you're going, how long you'll be there, what activities you're doing (like scuba diving), and what luggage you're bringing. Then, it creates a tailored Reminders list for you.
This is probably the most streamlined version of a podcast transcriber I've built. Apple improved the transcribe action on iPhone and iPad, so this is much more reliable now.
It pulls the latest episode from an RSS feed, transcribes the audio, and uses ChatGPT to generate a summary, key points, and a full text dump into Apple Notes.
Pro tip: If you run into memory limits on older iPhones, try running this one on an iPad or Mac. It works nearly 100% of the time on macOS.
With the holiday season coming up, I wanted a quick way to check price history without loading a bunch of tabs. This shortcut scrapes CamelCamelCamel for multiple products at once and gives you a clean list of current prices.
There are 18 shortcuts total in this drop. Here are a few other quick wins worth checking out:
These shortcuts are all available to download now. Whether you're trying to organize your next trip, keep track of your spending, or just remember to text your friends on their birthday, there's something here for everyone.
Grab the ones you need, open them up to see how they're built, and don't be afraid to tweak them to fit your own workflow. That's the best part about Shortcuts—they're just the starting point.