iOS 26 adds over 25 new Shortcuts actions and major upgrades

With the release of iOS 26, Apple has quietly delivered one of the most substantial upgrades to its Shortcuts app in years, introducing more than 25 new actions and expanding automation capabilities across iPhone, iPad, and Mac. As first noted by automation expert Matthew Cassinelli, the update significantly strengthens Apple’s broader automation ecosystem — particularly through new AI-powered tools built on Apple Intelligence and ChatGPT.

This was reported by 9to5Mac.

A major boost for automation

Shortcuts in iOS 26 can now tap directly into large language models, allowing users to generate, transform, and analyze text within their automation workflows. These additions work alongside an expanded set of Mac automations, creating a more unified experience across Apple’s platforms. In an unusual move, Apple also published a complete breakdown of the new and updated actions, underscoring the scale of the upgrade.

What’s new in Shortcuts

Across the system, nearly every major app gains fresh automation capabilities. Freeform now lets users add files directly to a board, while Image Playground can generate images on demand. Mail supports searching for messages, and the Measure app can be launched automatically.

Messages receives two new search tools for locating specific messages or full conversations. Photos gains a suite of enhancements, including album renaming, library filtering, advanced search, and automated Memory creation. Reminders now offers a quick-entry action, and Screen Time allows users to pull detailed app and website usage data into their shortcuts.

Sports introduces the ability to retrieve upcoming events, and the Stocks app lets users add or remove symbols from a watchlist. One of the most powerful additions — the new "Use Model" action — enables Shortcuts to directly invoke Apple Intelligence or ChatGPT, feeding model outputs into subsequent steps of a workflow. Visual Intelligence is now accessible as well, and Voice Memos supports searching for specific recordings.

Weather gains options to add or remove saved locations, while Writing Tools receives a significant upgrade with actions that adjust tone, rewrite text, create lists or tables, proofread, and summarize content.

Improvements to existing actions

Alongside the new tools, Apple refined several existing actions. Calculate Expression now supports units such as currency, temperature, and distance, enabling real-time conversions. Create QR Code adds customization options for styling and color. The Date action can now reference holidays, while Find Contacts includes relationship-based filtering. Transcribe Audio promises better performance, and Show Content can display scrollable collections of items such as calendar events and reminders.

A deeper automation ecosystem

For users seeking the exhaustive technical overview, Apple has published updated documentation detailing even more improvements — including new glyphs, expanded Mac automation features, and broader customization options across platforms.

With iOS 26, Shortcuts evolves into a far more capable automation engine, bridging system-level tools with on-device and cloud-based AI models. For power users and everyday iPhone owners alike, automations are set to become both more powerful and more accessible than ever.

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