Hey everyone! I made another Shortcut, this time for working with PDFs without needing a separate app.
It currently has six tools:
• Photos to PDF
• Merge PDFs
• Image to PDF
• Split PDF Pages
• Extract Text from PDFs
• PDF to Image (PNG)
You can also preview, rename, save, or share your PDFs, and export extracted text.
Everything runs through Apple Shortcuts. No subscriptions or additional apps needed.
🔗 Download:
https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/5aaf39f580b845c39beb3aefeecf6465

Still working on improvements, so feel free to share any feedback or suggestions!

I go through phases where I make a bunch, then delete a bunch. I started doing it even when it was still the Workflow app.

I do have a few folders. But when I get past 30 or so it feels a little overwhelming. I'll forget I have some, or some are variations and I can't remember which did what and so on LOL.

Then on MacPowerUsers this week one of the hosts said he has hundreds, and the other host said he has over 2000 iirc?!

How does that even work? How do you remember what you have, what they're for etc.?

I have to think my mental model is incorrect for thinking about this?

Interested in everyone's thoughts here.

So i posted this summary of a shortcut i made when commenting on an earlier post. A few people have asked for it so thought I’d put it here.

Notes-

1. This is a skeleton version (necessary as we have different playlists, folders, notes/reminder categories, etc), so you will need to go through the various modules and customize them as you see fit (playlists, podcasts, notes/files and folders, directions home, etc) I’ve left examples where possible, to help with the customization.
2. i created this as a modular system, so youll need all the shortcuts linked in order for it to work properly.
3. i have not yet updated to iOS 27 and have heard multiple issues with shortcuts, no idea what it might break in this so YMMV.

Hope you find it as useful as I do!

Menu UI shortcut summary

I set the action button to open a scrollable menu of the following options- most lead to submenus and actions, denoted by bullets below

Maps

• ⁠search (opens Google Maps directly into search box entry)
• ⁠directions (opens Google Maps directly into destination box entry)
• ⁠home (Google Maps directions home)
• ⁠Maps (opens Apple Maps)

Music -(a scrollable list of my fav playlists and a Music app launch option)

Podcasts -(a scrollable list of my fav podcasts and a podcasts app launch option)

Strands (i find this to be the most useful section for me. Quickly using copied text to create reminders or notes without leaving the app im in. Collecting quotes, saving information in an organized manner, easily finding a saved Reddit post about where the best pizza in my area is, etc)

• ⁠creates a new Note in my Quotes folder in Apple Notes with clipboard text/pic
• ⁠creates a new Note in my Strands folder in Apple Notes with clipboard text/pic
• ⁠creates a new Reminder with clipboard text
• ⁠creates a new Reminder with copied link and asks for Reminder title text (I’ll often use this option for links to specific Reddit posts about suggested restaurants, etc.- just copy the link, activate this action, title it Pizza for example, and its saved to my Recommended category in Reminders)
• ⁠opens a new Reminder text box
• ⁠opens a new Note text box
• ⁠opens camera, picture taken will not save to phone library, but instead to a Files folder (I prefer keeping my phone library empty (everything is in albums, and are filtered from library view)

Search

• ⁠opens a text entry box, once entered, gives options to search that text in Google, DuckDuckGo, Youtube, Giphy, Reddit, or ChatGPT.

Reddit

• ⁠opens Reddit

Safari

• ⁠opens Safari

Photos

• ⁠opens Photos

Play/Pause

• ⁠as stated (super useful to me as i find ios kills the music/podcasts controls on the locksreen and notification shade much too quickly- this action will resume the last thing playing regardless.)

Next

• ⁠next track

Back

• ⁠restart track

Add

• ⁠add current track to any playlist

Apps

• ⁠scrollable menu of all apps

Record

• ⁠opens Camera and begins video recording

Memo

• ⁠begins voice memo recording

Remote

• ⁠Apple TV remote

Time

• ⁠menu options of timers (5,10,15,20,30, or custom minutes) and set alarm option

Translate

• ⁠opens text box with clipboard inserted for translation selection

Send pic

• ⁠opens camera and sends taken pic to selected contact, photo not saved to photo library

Business papers

• ⁠Notes document scanner

Torch

• ⁠flashlight

Great that it works from the lock screen and it also generally prevents the need to switch apps for saving links or other tangents, or go to the homescreen at all.

Shortcut links

Main Menu shortcut

https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/347e4253ed294a1595ee4aeaeb4dc7d4

Associated required shortcuts

https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/1561b7a40e2f47aaad919944703416f0

https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/e382cfd6e4b24d66a6a3c38b5d8764df

https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/6d4f8af80cac417ea4e6b0b27fff8888

https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/a71a6191c49d48a7a901cea41cbd8c3b

https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/0a339219f4ca4441a61bf40d814253e4

https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/355153e2695e4a57a802d869f57b1551

https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/7c73f49e2ade4a728fbeffe0d17ab13e

https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/b068e26bd43e4f56a82e04ed34674684

https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/ac31d74e038f4ad4820d9148b1716839

https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/800a4f3a10fa4ed28556c1f84d5f5f73

https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/e77736cc376d4ef595c0e85cc761aefej

Edit-
Last link wasnt working, new link-

https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/cdf78466421b443999f022d614961fb6

Just want a simple shortcut as above. I used Siri but it’s not working and I can’t figure out why. Does any one know what the problem could be?

If I'm not mistaken, used to be able to disable an automation in Shortcuts. Now in iOS 27 I don't see the option given that they combine Shortcuts and automations into one category (which I think was a very dumb idea).
I didn't see the answer in Apples new guide for shortcuts.
Did they just remove the option to disable an automation that you made? I don't want to spend a bunch of time creating an automation and then have to delete it anytime I don't want it to run.

Hi

I have asked for help creating this shortcut before and it worked great until it didn’t. The shortcut logges my clock in and out in a text file just fine.

Then a Ai summary shortcut was suppose to look at all the data and summaries the total days worked, gross hours, net hours (minus fixed break) and overtime hours (Monday - Thursday everything over 7.5 hours and Friday anything over 7 hours)

However, it seems to work only with a few clock in and clock out. If there’s to much data it won’t complete the shortcut.

I have been trying to find another solution but with out luck. I was thinking maybe it’s possible to use google sheets and use that to calculate, but not sure how to automatically switch when a new month starts

My last resort hoping someone can help me create this shortcut.

Thanks
Simon

I looked around with the search function and have not been able to find a shortcut that simply toggles "hey siri" on/off. The use case is that when I am at my desk I want to be able to hands free my phone to play music or respond to messages or emails. Whenever I try to create one myself it keeps telling me a shortcut can change settings. Ideas?

Hi everyone! I’m trying to make a shortcut that plays music from Spotify (because I don’t pay for Apple Music) when I snooze or turn off my alarm. But it asks for permission to open Spotify every time it runs, which defeats the purpose. My attempt is attached. There’s no option under “Open Spotify” to turn on/off Automation. If you have any advice on how to change it to stop that request to have it run properly, I’d appreciate it. Thanks!!

ETA: link to shortcut https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/72ef2aade2fd4fde9be8a9fb080d2c7c

Is it feasible to create a shortcut that would open the Facebook app then navigate to the Friends tab and then the All page?

Hi all,

Wondering if this is possible via AppleScript or similar. Would be very useful to be able to keep signatures synced between accounts without needing to manually update them.

My mailbox is across the street about 80-100 feet from my house. The post office does not use the flag where I live as part of their policy. The door is in the front and flips down to horizontal. I have tried an Aqara door sensor on HomeKit to no avail. Any shortcut suggestions?

I have a small obstacle here somewhere in the system

I would like, if focus x or y or z is active, the device does not output anything except the message. So it’s quiet.

And if the focus is not activated accordingly, of course the speech output is executed next to the message

Thank you

Ask Siri AI to create an automation that runs when I join my gym WiFi but it doesn’t work and throws up an error “This action could not be run with the current user interface.” What’s the point of Siri making an automation it should know can’t run!?

I was getting the (The file "settings.json" couldn't be opened.) error before so I deleted the shortcut and file from “Files” and now I’m getting the following error

(-- No media downloaded, {Out} is empty --)

Is anyone familiar with this and how to resolve the error on iPhone?