New automation features are coming to macOS in Shortcutsbut not for every app Ars Technica

Enlarge / A few examples of "Shortcuts" that may be applied to Siri with iOS 12.

Apple

According to a report at 9to5mac citing humans acquainted with Apple’s plans, several iOS features will come to the Mac in macOS 10.15.

First and fundamental among these is Shortcuts, the automation utility that Apple constructed out of its acquisition of Workflow. The app, assist for which was brought in iOS 12, permits iPhone and iPad users to define steps for his or her devices to carry out once they deliver certain person-definable Siri voice instructions, tap consumer-created domestic display screen icons, and so forth.

Shortcuts is tightly incorporated with Siri, and it become positioned by Apple as a manner to make Siri tons more powerful than it's been formerly. Third-birthday celebration app builders could broaden their very own Shortcuts and accompanying Siri instructions that would be accessed across the running system.

According to the file, Shortcuts could be supported within the subsequent model of macOS, however as with iOS, it can require users to download an utility now not included with the OS with the aid of default on the way to create custom Shortcuts.

Further, the record shows that Shortcuts will paintings most effective with Marzipan apps. Marzipan is Apple’s ongoing challenge to make improvement of apps that work throughout both iOS and macOS simpler. Last yr’s primary macOS launch, 10.14 Mojave, covered some Apple-made apps the use of Marzipan like Apple News and Stocks, but it has now not been made widely to be had to third-birthday celebration builders yet.

Below: Images and examples from Shortcuts in our iOS 12 review.

• When you first open Shortcuts, you're greeted with an empty list of your created Shortcuts and the option to both create one or navigate to the gallery to discover pre-made ones.
  Samuel Axon
• This is the gallery. It seems a piece just like the App Store.
  Samuel Axon
• You can drill down in addition for advocated Shortcuts on positive elements of the use of your smartphone. Here: Music.
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• Going lower back to the primary screen, we can begin developing a Shortcut. We're presented "Help," or we are able to simply start trying to find actions and behaviors to feature.
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• This is just a small slice of the very long list of factors you may add on your Shortcut.
  Samuel Axon
• Here's a Shortcut in progress. The intention is to make my cellphone play "Hollywood" by Madonna once I'm riding on Hollywood Blvd. It's now not finished but; it's going to take a few doing and trial and errors for first-time users.
  Samuel Axon
• This is the settings panel on your Shortcut, where you can name it, add it to Siri, and greater.
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• You can personalize the icon for the Shortcut.
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• You can also share the Shortcut by means of numerous way.
  Samuel Axon

Another macOS app known as Automator has existed for a long time and performed a few similar capabilities to Shortcuts, and it’s unclear what will happen to Automator whilst Shortcuts arrives.

However, the fact that simplest Marzipan apps will paintings with macOS Shortcuts may additionally provide a clue. Apple is not going to take away Automator if Shortcuts can’t update it for numerous apps on customers’ systems. The result can be a truly perplexing duration wherein the apps exist facet through side, doing slightly various things for specific apps.

It’s in all likelihood Apple will encourage builders to make maximum destiny macOS apps Marzipan apps, so over time, the ecosystem may want to subsequently attain the point that it makes sense to drop Automator.

9to5Mac’s sources also say that Screen Time, another essential iOS 12 function, will arrive on macOS 10.15. Screen Time allows customers to look reviews approximately how a good deal time they’re spending on their gadgets, and in which apps. It additionally lets you define time limits and other restrictions for both your self or your children.

Currently, the Screen Time app for iOS collects data throughout all of your iOS gadgets together for your reviews. By adding macOS guide, Apple will deliver customers a greater complete picture of their behavior and usage of their computing gadgets. It’s possibly each the Screen Time and Shortcuts apps for macOS may be Marzipan apps.

Below: Images of Screen Time from our iOS 12 review.

• Screen Time has high actual property in the Settings app, close to notifications and do now not disturb.
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• It's off by way of default, so you'll first be requested to turn it on...
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• Apple explains to the user precisely what the feature does.
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• You'll be asked whether you're putting it up just for yourself, or for a kid to your circle of relatives.
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• Pick own family, and you may get greater clarification and a activate to feature a infant.
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• Choosing the family path will prompt you to go into the Apple ID and password for the kid you want to add.
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• Regardless of which route you took, as soon as Screen TIme is enabled, you may see this settings panel with the various capabilities and customizations you can make.
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• At the bottom, you may also discover a few greater settings like those.
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• Here we are digging deeper in the graphs.
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• There are even greater graphs.
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• Tap into Downtime, and you may be capable of set a time window during which only apps you have explicitly allowed could be reachable, throughout all your iCloud devices that guide Screen Time.
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• Going again to foremost settings menu and tapping App Limits brings you right here, where you can begin the procedure of setting up usage cut-off dates for sure classes of apps. App Limits are off via default...
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• You can select which app classes to restrict after enabling the feature.
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• Here, you put the time restrict and might make additional changes to which apps to restriction.
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• Another key function, "Always Allowed," can also be accessed from the main Screen Time settings menu. This is what you notice if you tap it—a list of apps which are exempt from Downtime.
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• The "Content & Privacy Restrictions" function of Screen Time basically acts as traditional parental controls; you can restrict which features a toddler can use or what content they could view.
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• Some greater settings within the pinnacle-degree Content & Privacy Restrictions menu.
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• Here, we're customizing content and privateness regulations for iTunes and App Store purchases.
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• These are the settings for content material like TV and song.
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• You also can set a unique passcode for Screen Time features.
  Samuel Axon

Finally, the report says that macOS 10.15 will additionally consist of a made over Settings panel for dealing with your Apple user ID and managing capabilities like Family Sharing and Messages features from iOS, like the confetti that appears when you congratulate someone.

macOS 10.15 can be revealed throughout Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in early June, with a public release to comply with someday within the fall of this year.

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//arstechnica.com/devices/2019/04/ioss-shortcuts-feature-will-come-to-macos-however-what-about-automator/
2019-04-19 19:30:00Z
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