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Some iOS users experiencing issues activating Shortcuts, here’s an interim fix

Some iOS users today are reporting that they’re having issues accessing Shortcuts they’ve created. The issue seems to be centered around activating a Shortcut with Siri. Here’s a temporary workaround as we wait for Apple to address the problem.

Users took to Twitter this afternoon to report that they are unable to access and properly run the Shortcuts they’ve created on their iOS devices. At this point it’s unclear just how widespread the problem is and when a fix might come from Apple.

Several of us at 9to5Mac tested Shortcuts this evening. We were able to run Shortcuts when using the dedicated Shortcuts app to do so. When asking Siri to run a Shortcut using your pre-set phrase, however, Siri responds as if it doesn’t have any knowledge of that Shortcut.

Reports on Twitter of the outage are sparse at this point, but one user says he has been seeing this issue since yesterday evening, suggesting it is not tied to today’s iOS update or update to the Shortcuts app.

The issue does not seem to affect Siri Shortcuts created via some third-party applications. For instance, if you use Siri Shortcuts to track packages via the Deliveries app, that seems to still be functional. Other third-party app Shortcuts, however, do not work.

Ideally, there is a server-side fix that Apple can make to Shortcuts to solve this problem, but in the interim we’ve discovered a workaround. If you go into the Shortcuts app and re-record your Siri phrase for a Shortcut, it will start working again.

While this worked for several of us here at 9to5Mac, it’s not a guaranteed fix as other users report mixed results.

To do this, follow these steps:

  1. Go to the Shortcuts app
  2. Tap on a Shortcut
  3. Tap the settings icon in the upper-right corner, just below the “Done” button
  4. Tap the “Siri Phrase” option
  5. Choose “Re-Record Phrase”

Of course, this isn’t a viable fix if you have an abundance of Shortcuts, but it is a way to at least make your most-used Shortcuts functional again in the interim. Are you experiencing issues with Shortcuts? Let us know down in the comments.


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Avatar for Chance Miller Chance Miller

Chance is an editor for the entire 9to5 network and covers the latest Apple news for 9to5Mac.

Tips, questions, typos to chance@9to5mac.com