iOS 16.4 and macOS 13.3 Gain Multiple New Shortcut Action Options
The iOS 16.4, iPadOS 16.4, macOS 13.3, and watchOS 9.4 updates add a long list of new actions and improvements to the dedicated Shortcuts app that is available on Apple's iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Apple Watches.
There's now a Find Books action for locating content in the Books app, along with an Intercom action for sending announcements to HomePods in your home through iOS devices. There are dedicated actions for activating always-on display on supported devices, and on the Mac, there are options for logging out and putting a Mac to sleep.
- Find Books searches your library for books or PDFs matching a given title, author, genre, purchase date, or content type on iOS and macOS
- Intercom broadcasts announcements to your home on iOS and watchOS
- Set VPN connects, disconnects, or sets the On Demand setting for any VPN on iOS and macOS
- Set AirDrop Receiving sets the AirDrop Receiving preference to Everyone, Contacts Only, or Nobody on iOS and macOS
- Set Stage Manager enables or disables and changes the settings for Stage Manager on iPadOS and macOS
- Set Announce Notifications toggles the Announce Notifications setting on iOS and watchOS
- Set Silence Unknown Callers toggles the Silence Unknown Callers setting on iOS
- Set Night Shift and Set True Tone toggle the display settings on iOS and macOS
- Set Always-On Display toggles the Always-On Display on supported iOS devices
- Find Apps finds and filters apps installed on macOS
- Find Displays finds and filters displays on macOS
- Shut Down, Restart, and Lock Display are now available on iOS and macOS
- Log Out, Sleep and Put Display to Sleep are now available on macOS
Several actions have also been updated. Find Photos, for example, can be used to find screen recordings, and the Get Device action can now show the OS build number.
- Move Window now allows moving a window to a display on macOS
- Ask for Input has a new "Allow Multiple Lines" option, which can be disabled for single-line text input
- Find Photos can now find screen recordings
- Find Contacts now filters by birthday more accurately
- Get Device Details can now get the OS build number
- Get Device Details now rounds numbers, including the current battery level, volume, and brightness, to remove unnecessary decimal digits
- Set Playback Destination now works when run from Siri
- Play Music once again resumes currently playing music if no music is passed as input
- Run AppleScript can now produce dictionaries as output from AppleScript records
- Nothing now produces a variable with zero items, instead of producing no variable at all
- Repeat can now be set to run 0 times
These actions and updated action options can be found in the Shortcuts app on iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Apple Watch models running iOS 16.4, iPadOS 16.4, macOS Ventura 13.3, and watchOS 9.4, respectively.
Popular Stories
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below.
Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone.
In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028....
In a statement shared with Bloomberg on Wednesday, Apple confirmed that its software design chief Alan Dye will be leaving. Apple said Dye will be succeeded by Stephen Lemay, who has been a software designer at the company since 1999.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Dye will lead a new creative studio within the company's AR/VR division Reality Labs.
On his blog Daring Fireball,...
A U.S. appeals court has upheld a temporary restraining order that prevents OpenAI and Jony Ive's new hardware venture from using the name "io" for products similar to those planned by AI audio startup iyO, Bloomberg Law reports.
iyO sued OpenAI earlier this year after the latter announced its partnership with Ive's new firm, arguing that OpenAI's planned "io" branding was too close to its...
Apple today seeded the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 updates to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming two weeks after Apple seeded the third betas. The release candidates represent the final versions of iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found during this final week of testing....
The iPhone Air has recorded the steepest early resale value drop of any iPhone model in years, with new data showing that several configurations have lost almost 50% of their value within ten weeks of launch.
According to a ten-week analysis published by SellCell, Apple's latest lineup is showing a pronounced split in resale performance between the iPhone 17 models and the iPhone Air....
iPhone 17 Pro models, it turns out, can't take photos in Night mode when Portrait mode is selected in the Camera app – a capability that's been available on Apple's Pro devices since the iPhone 12 Pro in 2020.
If you're an iPhone 17 Pro or iPhone 17 Pro Max owner, try it for yourself: Open the Camera app with Photo selected in the carousel, then cover the rear lenses with your hand to...
Apple is encouraging iPhone users who are still running iOS 18 to upgrade to iOS 26 by making the iOS 26 software upgrade option more prominent.
Since iOS 26 launched in September, it has been displayed as an optional upgrade at the bottom of the Software Update interface in the Settings app. iOS 18 has been the default operating system option, and users running iOS 18 have seen iOS 18...
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that ...
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.
One thing worth...
('https://www.macrumors.com/2023/03/27/ios-16-4-macos-13-3-shortcut-actions/')
