iOS 26 is changing how we interact with what's on our screens. It's not just about identifying a flower in a garden anymore. We're seeing a shift where screenshots become actionable bridges to other apps, deeper searches, and smarter workflows.
I've noticed something interesting in the latest release. When you take a screenshot, it's starting to trigger Visual Intelligence capabilities—offering to summarize text, save dates, or even search directly inside apps like Lowes and Pinterest. It's a huge step forward for context awareness.
But we don't have to wait for every app to catch up. In this post, I'll walk you through the new native features, the third-party apps that are already nailing it, and six custom Apple Shortcuts I built to bring this "visual intelligence" power to any iPhone right now.
First, let's look at what's actually new in the OS. Visual Intelligence has been around for a bit, but it's getting smarter. If you take a screenshot of a flyer with a date, you can add it to your calendar instantly. If it's a menu in another language, you can translate it on the spot.
The real game-changer in iOS26 is the search integration. When you tap the Search icon on a screenshot, you don't just get Google results. You now see specific third-party apps appearing at the top of the list.
This is powerful. If you tap the Lowes option on a picture of a grill, it doesn't just show you pictures—it deep links you to the product in the Lowes app so you can buy it. Some apps, like Bezel, are even using this extension to frame your screenshots instantly.
I think every app should work this way, but they don't yet. So, I built a set of six Shortcuts that "hack" the screenshot feature to give you visual intelligence super-powers. Before we dive into them, here's the best way to set them up for quick access.
Pro tip: I've built these shortcuts to automatically hide the Control Center before they take the screenshot. You don't need to worry about the menu blocking your view.
Social media is full of movie clips with zero context. No title, no caption. It's frustrating. This shortcut uses Apple Intelligence and ChatGPT to solve that mystery instantly.
We've all gotten that text: "Can you pick up eggs, milk, and bread?" Instead of switching apps and typing it out manually, let the shortcut do it.
Run the Text to Grocery List shortcut while looking at the conversation. It scans the screen, extracts the food items, and adds them directly to your Groceries list in Reminders.
Sharing raw screenshots can look messy. Sometimes you want it to look professional, like it's displayed on a device. Apps like Bezel and ShareShot are great, but you can also do this fast with a shortcut.
Pro tip: This is faster than taking a manual screenshot and cropping it. It's perfect for sharing bugs or design ideas with your team.
You see a cool coffee shop or park on a friend's story, but they didn't tag the location. This shortcut solves that FOMO.
Run Find Local Food Spots. It analyzes the image for landmarks or text, figures out where it is (searching near your current location), and opens it directly in Apple Maps.
I also included a couple more helpers in the pack:
Visual Intelligence is just getting started, but you don't have to wait for Apple to finish it. These shortcuts bridge the gap right now.
Give them a try. Set up the "What Movie is This?" shortcut first—it's the one you'll probably use the most. And if you want to dive deeper into what Shortcuts can do, check out the community over at shortcut.bot.