Source: Apple Inc. Canonical content at https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/app-shortcuts. This file is a structured index of that content, snapshot 2025-02-02. Apple HIG text and imagery are © Apple Inc.; this repository provides organization and cross-referencing for AI agent consumption only.
App Shortcuts
Best practices
Offer App Shortcuts for your app’s most common and important tasks.
Add flexibility by letting people choose from a set of options.
Ask for clarification in response to a request that’s missing optional information.
Keep voice interactions simple.
Make App Shortcuts discoverable in your app.
Responding to App Shortcuts
Snippets are great for custom views that display static information or dialog options, like showing the weather at a person’s location or confirming an order. For developer guidance, see
ShowsSnippetView.Live Activities offer continuous access to information that’s likely to remain relevant and change over a period of time, and are great for timers and countdowns that appear until an event is complete. For developer guidance, see
LiveActivityIntent.
Provide enough detail for interaction on audio-only devices.
Editorial guidelines
Provide brief, memorable activation phrases and natural variants.
When referring to App Shortcuts or the Shortcuts app, always use title case and make sure that Shortcuts is plural.
When referring to individual shortcuts (not App Shortcuts or the Shortcuts app), use lowercase.
Platform considerations
iOS, iPadOS
Order shortcuts based on importance.
Offer an App Shortcut that starts a Live Activity.
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For the complete guidance, including worked examples and illustrations, see the canonical page: https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/app-shortcuts