A Deep Dive into iOS 27's New 'Get On-Screen' and 'Search' Actions in Shortcuts

We've been keeping a close eye on the latest iOS 27 developer beta updates. Beta 2 just dropped, and it brings some serious firepower to the Apple Shortcuts app. If you love automating your device, you'll want to check out these new capabilities. Let's dive in.

Manage your automations with new toggles

If you have dozens of automations, keeping track of them can get chaotic. Apple just made this much easier by adding individual toggles directly on the main automation screen. You can now pause an automation without having to delete it entirely.

Here's how to try it

1. Open the Shortcuts app and navigate to the Automation tab.
2. Tap the toggle switch next to any automation to disable or enable it.
3. Tap the filter icon in the top right corner.
4. Select Turned On or Turned Off to narrow down your list.

Capture everything with the upgraded 'Get On-Screen' action

Previously, the Get on-screen action was fairly limited. It mostly just grabbed URLs from Safari. In iOS 27, this action got a massive upgrade. It now pulls deep contextual data right from whatever is visible on your screen. You can grab phone numbers, calendar events, and text. It even works with voice memos, files, messages, and contacts.

Give it a spin

1. Add the Get on-screen action to a new shortcut.
2. Tap the variable field to choose your target content type, like Reminders or Files.
3. Run the shortcut while looking at a supported app to instantly grab that on-screen data.

Pro tip: Map this shortcut to your iPhone's Action Button. You can look at a grid of files, press the Action Button, and instantly run a bulk-edit shortcut on all visible items at once.

Find exactly what you need with the 'Search' action

Apple also revamped the Search Action to make it truly universal. Instead of just passing a simple query, this action now digs directly into your personal data.

Here's how to use it

1. Add the Search Action to your shortcut workspace.
2. Tap the Type variable to open the filter menu.
3. Select specific apps to search through, like Messages, Photos, Mail, or Voice Recordings.
4. You can also leave them all checked to search everywhere at once.

Trigger shortcuts from app notifications

This might be the most powerful addition in the entire update. You can now trigger an automation simply because an app sent you a push notification. This opens up a whole new world of cross-device automation.

How it works

1. Go to the Automation tab and create a new personal automation.
2. Select the When I get a notification trigger.
3. Choose the specific app that sends the target notification.
4. Add your desired shortcut actions to run when that alert comes in.

Why you'll love this

• Cross-device syncing: You can use a third-party app to send a notification to your iPhone when your iPad battery hits 100%. That notification can then trigger an automation on your iPhone to update a widget or send a text.
• Mac integration: You can use notification triggers to run shortcuts on your Mac studio at home while you are out of the house.
• Custom alerts: Connect apps that don't natively support Shortcuts by using their standard push notifications as the bridge.

Time to start building

These iOS 27 additions take Shortcuts to a whole new level. The ability to pull deep on-screen context and trigger actions from simple push notifications makes your device much smarter. Update to the latest beta, play around with these new tools, and see what you can build.