Apple Revolutionizes iPhone Automations with AI in iOS 27

Apple Bets on AI to Democratize Automations on iPhone

Apple's Shortcuts app, often overlooked by the general public, is set to undergo a major transformation. With the arrival of iOS 27, expected to be unveiled at the WWDC next June, Apple aims to simplify the creation of automations using artificial intelligence.

Currently, the Shortcuts app allows users to automate various tasks on their iPhone, but its complexity discourages many users. To create a shortcut, one must assemble multiple actions, such as sending a message, launching an app, or controlling smart devices. This approach, while powerful, remains unintuitive for the average user.

Towards Simplified Voice Creation

According to information from the internal code of iOS, confirmed by several sources, Apple is working on a new method that would allow users to generate automations from natural language voice commands. Users could simply express their request aloud, and the system would automatically create the corresponding shortcut. This innovation would leverage Apple Intelligence models, which have already been introduced in previous versions of the system. These models, initially used to integrate existing automations, would now be employed to directly design actions.

Siri, a Central Player in This Evolution

The exact timeline for the rollout of this feature remains uncertain. Mark Gurman, a well-informed journalist at Bloomberg, had mentioned an initial launch planned for last year, but potentially postponed to 2026 in case of delays. Recent discoveries in the code suggest that it will indeed be iOS 27 that serves as the launch platform.

Moreover, this major version of iOS is also expected to introduce a complete overhaul of Siri. Apple's voice assistant would evolve into a conversational chatbot capable of interacting with the applications installed on the device. The shortcut generator could thus integrate with this new AI-enhanced Siri, among its many features.