Shortcuts can run locally on Apple Watch in watchOS 7

Apple Watch users will be able to run Shortcuts on their device without a connected iPhone once watchOS 7 sees release this fall, greatly expanding the feature's capability beyond iOS.

Shortcuts on Apple Watch promises to deliver powerful one-tap triggers for complex actions like running Apple Music playlists, controlling HomeKit appliances, requesting Siri processes and more. Many of those capabilities will arrive on Apple's wearable for the first time with watchOS 7.

Siri Shortcuts support for watchOS was announced on Monday, though Apple failed to detail how the feature will work. Specifically, it was unclear whether shortcuts will be available on Apple Watch as standalone native actions or remote triggers when tethered to iPhone.

Apple answered that question in a developer session on Friday, noting Watch can run shortcuts locally without a connected iPhone.

There are a few factors at play in shortcut handling. First, shortcut type is taken into consideration. If the action is an NSUserActivity, watchOS 7 looks for a host app which, if installed, will run. Absence of said app results in an error message. Similarly, shortcut intents are handled locally on Watch through app extensions or remotely on iPhone as a backup.

Federico Viticci spotted the video and shared its contents in a tweet.

A new Shortcuts app provides users with a list of shortcuts synced across iOS, iPadOS and watchOS via iCloud. The new support also brings shortcuts to watch faces as dedicated complications.

The first watchOS 7 beta went out this week ahead of an expected release this fall.

5 Comments

caladanian 380 comments · 10 Years

About 4 years ago

Shortcuts could be the start of something big.

razorpit 1793 comments · 17 Years

I know there’s a lot of love for Shortcuts, but I just don’t get it.

For the most part I find what you can do with them is extremely limited. Generally I can simply tell an app to do something and Siri will do it. More frustrating the apps I would like to write a shortcut for aren’t accessible in Shortcuts.

And for the very few use cases where a shortcut can do a few steps at once, they either fail for some stupid reason, or when they do work I have to painfully sit through Siri’s “Ok”, “Done”, “Waiting for ‘X’ to respond” blathering after every damn step.

Generally it is faster and easier to just use the app.

Fidonet127 593 comments · 5 Years

razorpit said:

I know there’s a lot of love for Shortcuts, but I just don’t get it.
For the most part I find what you can do with them is extremely limited. Generally I can simply tell an app to do something and Siri will do it. More frustrating the apps I would like to write a shortcut for aren’t accessible in Shortcuts.
And for the very few use cases where a shortcut can do a few steps at once, they either fail for some stupid reason, or when they do work I have to painfully sit through Siri’s “Ok”, “Done”, “Waiting for ‘X’ to respond” blathering after every damn step.

Generally it is faster and easier to just use the app.

I use shortcuts a lot. Shortcut 1: Turn off WiFi and Bluetooth. 2: Turn them back on and send iMessage to wife. 3: Record weight and body fat, then leave me in the BMI section of health. 4: send one text of where I’m at, where I’m going, how many miles and time it will take for me to get there. Very useful for getting picked up. I send miles in addition to time, because time can can rapidly depending on traffic.

I’m hoping I can have the watch start the shortcut on the phone to turn off WiFi and Bluetooth l, then turn on airplane mode on the watch.

Also I have had no errors or problems in a very long time.

lolliver 497 comments · 10 Years

I use shortcuts regularly. I really only find them useful when I need to control several steps. For instance I have them set up for my Apple TV and homekit devices.

"Let's wtach TV" will turn on my TV, open the TV App, set my Hue lights to my 'TV' scene, close the blinds and open the remote app on my phone. I also have similar shortcuts set for movies, Netflix, hockey etc...

Hopefully this means I can set up the shortcut to open the rmote app on my watch rather than my phone.

dunks 1252 comments · 16 Years

Between being able to share faces via iMessage, the App Store and now this it sure seems like the big feature for Apple watch series 6 is that it will be able to operate complete independently of the iPhone.

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