What's New in Apple Intelligence

Siri Remotes Now Show Up in Find My

Matthew Cassinelli — Mon, 02 Nov 2026 16:03:03 GMT

From Juli Clover at MacRumors:

There has been an option to locate a lost ‌Siri‌ Remote with an iPhone since iOS 17, but remotes did not previously show up in the ‌Find My‌ app. Locating a remote had to be done with the Apple TV Remote widget in the Control Center, which made the option hard to find.
Supported ‌Siri‌ Remotes are now listed in the ‌Find My‌ app right alongside other devices, a more intuitive option for iOS and macOS users.

The story also suggests remotes without Precision Finding are supported too, just without the options to Find Nearby or Play Sound. I have Apple TVs at my home and office, so it’d still be useful to see where they’re located even without controls to find it up close.

Overall, this change makes sense – now Find My shows where all your accessories are located.

Plus, if you feel like controlling your Apple TV from your phone or iPad, check out my Apple TV Remote shortcuts.

Links from this issue:

More to explore

Check for iPhone Duo Availability with this Siri Shortcut

Matthew Cassinelli — Sun, 01 Nov 2026 16:03:06 GMT

If you’re looking to check for iPhone Duo availability at your local Apple Store, check out the dedicated shortcut available in the Apple Store app – or get it here from my Shortcuts Library.
Currently, Apple’s iPhone Duo has a delivery wait time until January 25 – three full months out. However, local Apple Stores are getting inventory on a rolling basis, meaning the best way to get an iPhone Duo is checking the Apple Store app regularly for new inventory.

Here’s how to set it up from your Apple Store app as well:

The Apple Store app is actually using the classic Siri Shortcuts functionality that’s now been replaced by App Intents. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it?

Read the full story on my website.

Links from this issue:

What’s New in Shortcuts for iOS 27.2

Matthew Cassinelli — Fri, 30 Oct 2026 15:03:14 GMT

Screenshot from Apple Support

Every major OS update since iOS 16, Apple has posted a changelog detailing what’s new in Shortcuts, covering new features, updated actions, and bug fixes:

In this issue, I’ll cover all the details for iOS 27.2 – evetything that’s new on the Apple Support page:

New in iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and visionOS 27.2
This update includes new automations, enhanced actions, and improvements to editing shortcuts.
New Automations
“When my iPhone is opened or closed” (iPhone Duo)
Updated Automations
Workout (“When I start a workout”) adds support for the Fitness app (iOS, iPadOS, watchOS)
App (“When Weather is opened or closed”) can now provide the name of the app that was closed (iOS, iPadOS, macOS)
Updated Actions
“Use Model” can now get up-to-date information using the web in additional languages*
Shortcut Editor
Window layout can now be configured using the “Show Actions” and “Show Describe a Shortcut” menu items (macOS)
Shortcut names and icons can now be edited directly from the library (iOS and iPadOS)

View the page on Apple Support.

Automations

iPhone Duo automations

New Automations
“When my iPhone is opened or closed” (iPhone Duo)

iPhone Duo supports Opened, Closed, and Opened or Closed automations, allowing for a huge range of new experiences – I covered these in my latest issue on the best automations for iPhone Duo, but here’s another version of Stephen Robles’ shortcut for tracking how many times you’ve opened the device:

Workout automations

Workout (“When I start a workout”) adds support for the Fitness app (iOS, iPadOS, watchOS)

The Workout automation added full support for all Fitness app types, whether they were started in-app or on a connected Apple Watch. Here’s a screenshot of the setup options in a new shortcut:

App automations

App (“When Weather is opened or closed”) can now provide the name of the app that was closed (iOS, iPadOS, macOS)

If you’ve set up an Automation for one or more Apps, you can retrieve the name of the app using the Select Variable button and choosing the App variable, as shown here:

Use Model

Updated Actions
“Use Model” can now get up-to-date information using the web in additional languages*

In iOS 27, one of the new additions to Shortcuts’ Apple Intelligence actions was an update to Use Model that added “Use Broad World Knowledge” as a parameter, letting your custom shortcuts look up information on the web in the same way Siri AI now can as well.

Here’s what it looks like on the Mac, with a helpful tooltip on hover:

Now, Apple has brought that to more countries/languages – here’s the disclosure from the Apple Support article explaining where this is supported:

*Apple Intelligence is available with Siri and device language set to Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, or Vietnamese. Some features may not be available in all regions or languages. Some devices may not be available in all regions.
Siri AI is available in beta in iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, and visionOS 27 and requires an Apple Intelligence–enabled device set to a supported language. Available in English, French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish to start. Siri AI will not be initially available in the EU on iOS, iPadOS, and watchOS. Siri AI is not available for users under 13.
Certain Apple Intelligence features that rely on server-side models are subject to daily usage limits, including but not limited to Siri AI, Intelligent Photo Editing Tools, Image Playground, and AFM 3 Cloud models in Shortcuts.
Daily limits may vary by feature, request complexity, system demand, system policies, and other factors. Expanded access to such features will be available for a fee in the future.
Use of these features is subject to the Apple Intelligence Terms and Conditions. Learn more at support.apple.com/148587.

Shortcut Editor

Window Layout

Window layout can now be configured using the “Show Actions” and “Show Describe a Shortcut” menu items (macOS)

One of the major changes in iOS 27 was the introduction of Describe a Shortcut, which became the default view for new shortcuts.

On iPhone and iPad, pressing Edit switches to the Actions view; from there, pressing the Apple Intelligence icon switches back to Describe a Shortcut. On the Mac, however, there was no equivalent keyboard commands for switching between the modes.

Now, that’s resolved in macOS 27.2 – here are the keyboard commands:

Control-Command-1 (⌃⌘1) to Show Describe a Shortcut
Control-Command-2 (⌃⌘2) to Show Actions

Here is the difference between the views:

Show Actions:

Show Describe a Shortcut:

Change Icon

Shortcut names and icons can now be edited directly from the library (iOS and iPadOS)

FINALLY!

I am super excited to see the Change Icon option come to iPhone and iPad to make it much easier to change the icons of your shortcuts away from the default. This has always been available on the Mac and made it significantly easier to update entire folders of shortcuts icons once Shortcuts for Mac was released – ever since then, I’ve sorely missed it on mobile.

I have specifically been asking for this from Apple for 3 years now, first submitting in 2023:

December 12, 2023 – FB13464365 (Enable changing icon from Shortcuts list view / Add “Change icon...” to contextual menu on iOS and iPadOS to match macOS)
June 13, 2025 – FB18030728 (Allow “Change Icon” for shortcuts from the Library view on iOS, rather than only inside shortcut detail view; allows for bulk icon changes)
November 10, 2025 – FB20975800 (Improve ability to change Icon on iPhone/iPad; not easy from All Shortcuts view, only Edit view – nobody changes icon because too buried
June 13, 2026 – FB23134678 (Too many taps to change icons on iOS; add the “Choose Icon” option to All Shortcuts context menu (for parity with MacOS)

Here is my final plea that seems to have resonated:

Many shortcuts users on iOS do not change the icons for their shortcuts because the choose icon menu is buried underneath the context menu in the detail view of a shortcut, and is not available in the all shortcuts context menu.
On macOS, you can simply right-click and choose an icon for a shortcut. On iOS, pressing and holding to activate the context menu does not include the same ability to choose an icon.
Instead, users have to know to open a shortcut, tap on the name, and then choose an icon.
If you see screenshots of iOS users’ shortcuts libraries, they almost always have the default shortcuts icon.
I believe this simple UX problem is the reason that iOS users do not change their icons for their shortcuts.

Let this be proof – Apple does respond to Feedback, and also it works better when your messaging is clearer. Just be patient – and, if you know anyone at Apple, ask them respectfully to forward it along to the right time.

Plus, go change your icons!

That’s all for this issue!

Make sure to check out my Shortcuts Library for my latest releases – I just published a set for ordering your iPhone Duo from the Apple Store:

Check out the Shortcuts Library

More to explore:

Siri AI moves to the Dynamic Island on the new MacBook Pro

Matthew Cassinelli — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 15:00:56 GMT

On Wednesday, Apple introduced the new MacBook Pro with Touch support on its fancy PROLED XDR Display, marking the first time a Mac has gotten the OLED displays we’re now familiar with on iPhone and iPad – not to mention Touch control.

Photo from Apple Newsroom

Here’s how Apple Newsroom describes the device (line breaks and emphasis added):

Apple today introduced the all-new MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display, featuring breakthrough tandem OLED technology that delivers game-changing front-of-screen performance.
Available in 14- and 16-inch models, MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display offers a visual experience unlike any other, transforming pro workflows with up to 2000 nits peak HDR and SDR brightness, an industry-leading 10,000,000:1 contrast ratio for exceptional detail, a 120Hz variable refresh rate, and a wider color gamut covering both P3 and Adobe RGB for brilliant colors.
The new MacBook Pro also introduces intuitive Touch capabilities on the Mac for the first time, opening up a whole new dimension for pros to interact with their content, from manipulating 3D models to playing musical instruments onscreen.
The Dynamic Island now comes to Mac, serving as the home for Spotlight,¹ Live Activities, and Siri AI.²
And with up to 24 hours of battery life in thinner and much lighter 3- and 4-pound designs, MacBook Pro is more portable than ever, empowering pros to take their work wherever inspiration strikes.³
Featuring M5 Pro and M5 Max, Apple’s most powerful chips ever built for a pro laptop, along with up to 128GB of unified memory and now up to 16TB of blazing-fast storage, the new MacBook Pro delivers speed and capability for the most demanding workflows.
An enhanced six-speaker sound system now provides 50 percent deeper bass and remarkable sound clarity for even more immersive audio. And Thunderbolt 5 and a wide array of connectivity, a 12MP Center Stage camera, studio-quality mics, and the power of macOS 27 with Apple Intelligence and Siri AI complete the MacBook Pro experience.²
It is available to pre-order starting today, October 28, with availability beginning Friday, November 6.

Demos are showing how UI elements are expanded for Touch support specifically, bringing a new paradigm to macOS in a familiar yet usable way.

One area where it’s great to see parity across platforms is the new Siri AI and Spotlight experience, which moves from the center of the screen up to the Dynamic Island experience – here’s @itspdfu with the details:

In case it’s not immediately obvious, the colloquially-known “notch” has been replaced with a Dyanmic Island cutout like the iPhone has had for a few years now. That means the new Siri AI experience springs out from the cutout, hiding it in the black of the Dynamic Island on the new OLED display – here’s an example of the AirDrop dialog merging into the Dynamic Island:

Photo from Apple Newsroom

Plus, the Live Activity experience you’d expect from apps on iPhone and iPad now lives in the Dynamic Island on the Mac, making it easier to see and quickly check the status of your ongoing activities:

Photo from Apple Newsroom

In many ways, this device is tuned specifically for Siri AI, with the always-improving updates the M-series chips designed specifically for use with AI, along with the OLED display technology that makes for a seamless agent experience in the OS.

Photo from Apple Newsroom

I’d love to see how the Siri experience is optimized for Touch, as well as how developers are adopting Siri AI in their Mac apps to provide a better assistant experience on the platform – I’ll have to consider this device in my next Mac upgrade.

Links from this issue

More to explore

Siri AI gets Memory

Matthew Cassinelli — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 00:02:00 GMT

“Remember who you are” –Mufasa (The Lion King, 1994)

On Monday, October 26, Apple released iOS 27.2 – along with iPhone Duo and Shortcuts updates, there were a handful of new Siri AI features that improve the experience – recall, more sources, Excluded Apps, granular text selection, and more languages.

MacStories’ Federico Viticci described it as “memory”:

Here’s MacStories’ coverage of the update:

Apple Releases iOS and iPadOS 27.2 with Apple Pencil Support for iPhone Duo and Smarter Siri

From John Voorhees (line breaks added):

One of the limitations of the initial beta release of Siri AI was its lack of access to past conversations. With iOS and iPadOS 27.2, Siri can recall past conversations (English only), which is great, especially if you use Siri a lot.
Siri has added new data sources too, like images attached in the Messages app, voicemail, and Calendar event attendees, along with better browsing history and Reading List results.
Siri AI has also added a centralized setting for excluding apps from its results, along with beta support for French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish.

Check out the story on MacStories.

I went looking for Apple’s sourcing on these updates and found this page About iOS 27 Updates – here’s the details on Siri AI from iOS 27.2:

iOS 27.2
This update provides enhancements to Siri AI with the ability to retain useful context from previous Siri interactions as well as draw from a wider range of personal context. It also introduces Suggestions in Messages that help you take quick actions in apps like Calendar and Reminders based on context from your conversation. This release includes additional features, bug fixes, and security updates for your iPhone.
Siri AI (All iPhone 16 models and later, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max)
Siri AI can recall your past conversations, so you can ask Siri about something it told you before, like the restaurants it recommended last week
Siri AI can draw from more sources to give you a great answer, including photos attached in Messages, Calendar event attendees, your voicemails, and better results from Safari history and Reading List
Excluded Apps lets you choose which apps Siri, Search, and suggestions can access, all from one setting
Granular text selection lets you select and copy just the part of a Siri response you need
Siri AI is available in more languages, with support for French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish. Siri AI is not available in the EU or mainland China
Other
Suggestions in Messages help you take action based on the context of your conversations, like adding a Calendar invite for a dinner
[Continued…]

Read about iOS 27

Here’s my breakdown of everything that’s new:

Siri AI

Recall past conversations

Siri AI can recall your past conversations, so you can ask Siri about something it told you before, like the restaurants it recommended last week

As referenced above, Siri now has a “memory” of sorts where previous conversations will add to the total context she can search over time – rather than previously, where Siri AI was unable to pull from past chats and couldn’t remember if you already discussed a topic.

Now, it’s especially useful to follow up in your Siri AI conversations and make any corrections or explain if you took one of her suggestions as a choice – it may inform a future session.

Draw from more sources

Siri AI can draw from more sources to give you a great answer, including photos attached in Messages, Calendar event attendees, your voicemails, and better results from Safari history and Reading List

Apple has expanded more of their App Entity definitions for apps like Messages, Calendar, Phone, and Safari with better Entity Queries that retrieve rich information from non-primary entities.

In plain English, they looked at all the secondary information available in their apps and made that searchable from Siri AI too; their first pass only made the main information available.

Excluded Apps

Excluded Apps lets you choose which apps Siri, Search, and suggestions can access, all from one setting

Available in Settings > Siri > Excluded Apps, Apple has a new feature to fully block multiple apps from Siri experiences at once. While you can still each individual option in each app’s settings, this gives you one place to cut off access fully – here’s what it looks like:

Granular text selection

Granular text selection lets you select and copy just the part of a Siri response you need

While fairly self-explanatory, this addition is useful for choosing a portion of Siri’s response instead of copying the entire block.

More languages

Siri AI is available in more languages, with support for French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish. Siri AI is not available in the EU or mainland China

Siri AI is now supported for French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish speakers – just not folks in France or Spain (or China).

Further down, Apple mentions the following for further language disclosures:

Some features may not be available in all regions or on all iPhone models. To learn more, please visit: https://www.apple.com/ios/feature-availability/

Suggestions in Messages

For developers intesreted in adding support for “Suggestions in Messages,” they can check out the documentation on Suggested Actions.

Suggested Actions is a framework that lets developers “offer quick actions next to messages in your messaging app, based on context you provide.” Here’s how Apple describes it:

Overview
When people send each other messages in your messaging app, they share information like dates, reminders, or other actionable content. To let people complete a message-related task in your messaging app with Suggested Actions, add a SuggestedActionsView below a message and provide the view with message content. To preserve user privacy, the framework analyzes the message content you provide on-device and doesn’t send it to Apple servers.
By default, the SuggestedActionsView doesn’t take up space or affect your layout. When you provide it with message content, Suggested Actions identifies the suggested actions that apply to the message, then shows the SuggestedActionsView inline, filled with actions a person can take. For example, Suggested Actions can detect and suggest actions such as:
Creating an event in Calendar from a proposed meeting time
Adding an entry in Reminders
Opening a location in Maps

Here’s what it looks like, from 9to5Mac’s story “iOS 27.2 adds new Messages feature that’s already a favorite”:

Neat!

Plus, if you want to prevent something from showing up here, just add it to Excluded Apps…

That’s all for this issue!

If you’re enjoying What’s New in Apple Intelligence, please share with someone who might enjoy it too:

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Here are the best Shortcuts Automations for iPhone Duo

Matthew Cassinelli — Tue, 27 Oct 2026 15:01:19 GMT

Photo via @viticci

The iPhone Duo has been out since Friday and we’ve seen massive waves of app updates, tons of experimentation from device owners, and folks like me who’re still trying to get their hands on one.

Alongside the excitement, a special Automation for when the device is opened or closed has set off a series of clever shortcuts being released, plus more Automations for mimicking the missing Action button or adding Color Filters to tweak the display saturation.

Enjoy:

iPhone Duo Automations

Automations when iPhone Duo is Open or Closed

New with the iPhone Duo, Apple has a custom “Open or Closed” automation specific to the device that lets you automate behavior depending on the setup. Here’s MacStories’ Federico Viticci with the first look:

After a day with the device, Federico shared an automation that mimics a behavior common to foldable phones – locking the device automatically when you close the displays:

Replacing the Action Button on iPhone Duo

Stetson Doggett also came up with a method for simulating an Action Button on the device as well – here are the full steps:

1. Create a folder in Shortcuts called Action Button. Move all of the shortcuts you want to trigger in here.

2. Create a new shortcut called Action Button

Setup:
> Get shortcuts from [Action Button Folder]
> Choose from [My Shortcuts]
> Run [Selected Item]

3. Add the new Action Button shortcut to your lock screen

> if you want the list view, set the shortcut to run Action Button
> if you want a grid of 6 actions (shown in the next post), set the shortcut to Show Folder

I prefer the list view, personally.

And his follow-up:

icloud.com/shortcuts/de23… ","username":"stetsondoggett","name":"Stetson Doggett","profile_image_url":"https://pbs.substack.com/profile_images/1828221582478614528/TAADsbyx_normal.jpg","date":"2026-10-24T14:24:35.000Z","photos":[{"img_url":"https://pbs.substack.com/media/HVZv4-0bYAAUc0k.jpg","link_url":"https://t.co/DrSaAF3ec2"}],"quoted_tweet":{},"reply_count":3,"retweet_count":0,"like_count":37,"impression_count":11433,"expanded_url":null,"video_url":null,"video_preview_media_key":null,"belowTheFold":true}" data-component-name="Twitter2ToDOM">

In the replies, a few people shared their workaround as well – one in Control Center:

@stetsondoggett I just added my folder of shortcuts into Control Center ","username":"MorriganCora","name":"MorriganCora","profile_image_url":"https://pbs.substack.com/profile_images/2114870269986889728/_yf8rf6Y_normal.jpg","date":"2026-10-24T17:52:59.000Z","photos":[{"img_url":"https://pbs.substack.com/media/HVaflrxasAADEg7.jpg","link_url":"https://t.co/DraUtITvOS"}],"quoted_tweet":{},"reply_count":0,"retweet_count":1,"like_count":8,"impression_count":3166,"expanded_url":null,"video_url":null,"video_preview_media_key":null,"belowTheFold":true}" data-component-name="Twitter2ToDOM">

…and another using Camera Control:

@stetsondoggett Also mapped the camera button as an action button.","username":"QChard","name":"Chad","profile_image_url":"https://pbs.substack.com/profile_images/2090784928283648000/GtSFIVoG_normal.jpg","date":"2026-10-24T21:07:35.000Z","photos":[],"quoted_tweet":{"full_text":"Just turned the Camera Control button on my iPhone Duo (that has no Action Button) into a one-press Cybertruck precondition button using a Shortcuts automation. No more digging through the Tesla app. #Apple #Tesla","username":"QChard","name":"Chad","profile_image_url":"https://pbs.substack.com/profile_images/2090784928283648000/GtSFIVoG_normal.jpg","photos":[{"img_url":"https://pbs.substack.com/media/HVZe6HyXIAA4h8b.jpg","link_url":"https://t.co/EuoDdJkkRe"}]},"reply_count":2,"retweet_count":1,"like_count":13,"impression_count":2878,"expanded_url":null,"video_url":null,"video_preview_media_key":null,"belowTheFold":true}" data-component-name="Twitter2ToDOM">

Color Filters for inner display saturation

Another great automation I saw was around using Color Filters to make the inner display slightly more saturated (against the built-in matte screen cover) by boosting the blue/yellow colors by 10%:

Stephen Robles’ coverage

Prolific Shortcuts YouTuber (and friend of the newsletter) Stephen Robles also shared his set of automations based on the iPhone Duo capabilities – in this video on X, he automatically opens his app Kan Do every time the device is opened:

Stephen also made a video about his own Lock Device automation for iPhone Duo:

…and updated in a day later to account for the presence of an app; if on the Home Screen, it’ll lock, otherwise do nothing (and not disrupt your current app session):

Stephen put the new Storage actions to good use as well with the new iPhone Duo automations, creating a version that can track how many times you’ve folded the screen and storing it as a value in Shortcuts itself – plus a second to check on the total number of folds:

Last but not least, Stephen also made a clever video about playing sounds automatically when your Duo is opened or closed – check it out:

Great work as usual Stephen!

Apple Store shortcuts

I also published an update to my Apple Store shortcuts folder for the new actions available in the Apple Store app:

Plus, I wrote a quick story about the actions and how I’m using their Check product availability shortcut with a nice visual snippet to see if there are any iPhone Duos in stock:

Read the full story, view the update post, check out the Apple Store folder, and browse the full Shortcuts Library.

That’s all for the issue – thanks for reading!

Shortcuts is S-Tier: The Definitive iPhone Action Button Ranking

Matthew Cassinelli — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 20:31:07 GMT

On Saturday, I saw the following post come across my feed ranking the iPhone action button options:

Here’s their ranking:

S: Flashlight, Silent Mode
A: Camera
B: Recognize Music (Shazam)
C: Focus
D: Translate, Accessibility
F: Magnifier, No Action
Larp: Voice Memo
Depends: Controls, Shortcut

My response, hitherto unelaborated upon, is that Shortcuts needs a new spot:

While I concede that “it depends” is technically accurate given that it fits depending on how you use it, removing it from the actual ranking skews all the results – both Controls and Shortcuts offer 50-150+ options each, making them clearly S-tier choices. Here Cody sums it up nicely:

@mattcassinelli Shortcuts - the most versatile and useful feature Apple could have added to the action button.","username":"CodyBontecou","name":"Cody Bontecou","profile_image_url":"https://pbs.substack.com/profile_images/2110457799104671744/mQxO_MJc_normal.jpg","date":"2026-10-19T01:30:59.000Z","photos":[],"quoted_tweet":{},"reply_count":0,"retweet_count":0,"like_count":1,"impression_count":29,"expanded_url":null,"video_url":null,"video_preview_media_key":null,"belowTheFold":false}" data-component-name="Twitter2ToDOM">

My problem with the original tier list is that de-ranking it meant the 3 million people viewing the post think Shortcuts is “maybe” valuable, rather than the #1 thing they should explore if they want more out of the Action button.

I also think many of the other choices were a fairly basic assessment in some places and not at all accurate in others – so I made my own ranking instead:

S: Shortcuts
- Shortcuts: Dynamic workflows with custom control flow, actions from your apps, and endless configurations. Choose from supported App Shortcuts (more on that in the next section) or create your own.
A: Controls
- Controls: Dynamic options from Control Center, available immediately. Choose from supported apps.
B: Voice Memo
- Voice Memo: While perhaps a larp, this is most accessible way to capture audio on iPhone. For people starting out with agents, probably easiest way to record conversations for transcription/processing later. This is a full product sold separately in things like Zoom recorders; for musicians, a perfect capture tool.
C: Flashlight
- Flashlight: Good use of dual functionality for button; press for On, press again for Off.
D: Recognize Music (Shazam), Magnifier
- Recognize Music: Fine use case, but also available in Control Center; if you need this so available, better to use Auto-Shazam in the app to capture everything (also available on Apple Watch now).
- Magnifier: Useful, but launches into app experience; this would be better served as a modifier while in the Camera app to switch to Magnifier when Action button is pressed.
F: Silent Mode, Camera, No Action
- Silent Mode: Default option, but unnecessary if available in Control Center; Apple made the Action button exist because they deemed this not necessary as the primary function for this space.
- Camera: Most iPhones have a dedicated Camera button now; swipe from Home Screen also activates Camera, so no need for many multiple access points
- No Action: Obviously a waste of an opportunity.
Larp: Translate, Focus
- Translate: in practice, Translate’s functionality is inferior to the Translate app experience (I tried setting it while I was in Spain this September and fell back to the app every time instead)
- Focus: Focus only works well for a single focus, which falls apart if you have more than one focus (it really only works for Do Not Disturb or Reduce Notifications).
Depends: Accessibility
- Accessibility: “Accessibility is something most people don't think they need until they do.”

I’d love to hear reactions on my ranking or your own rankings – subscribers can leave a comment with their own:

Personal Agents on the Action button

GrokBot

On Monday, SpaceX validated my S-tier ranking by releasing an update to GrokBot that enables Voice Mode directly from the button – a great example of how one single update can make or break your Action button experience by adding a good shortcut:

Here’s how to set it up:

SpaceX engineer Parker Conrad also clarified some of the functionality, in response to someone who sent off a request and wasn’t sure what to do next:

@DhalgrenMarquis @poteto Hey! You can either 1. say goodbye and let the bot hangup or 2. press the action button again to hangup. It should be to send commands / do tasks. Feel free to DM me your email and I can look into it","username":"parker__conrad","name":"Parker Conrad","profile_image_url":"https://pbs.substack.com/profile_images/2047560501828468736/jr4BqZd2_normal.jpg","date":"2026-10-19T20:52:19.000Z","photos":[],"quoted_tweet":{},"reply_count":3,"retweet_count":2,"like_count":40,"impression_count":3710,"expanded_url":null,"video_url":null,"video_preview_media_key":null,"belowTheFold":true}" data-component-name="Twitter2ToDOM">

Comments online further clarified how this update took the Shortcuts option from “it depends” to S-tier for many folks:

ChatGPT Dot

Earlier last week, ChatGPT also celebrated their own Action Button functionality alongside the release of their Dot update for their widget –

As covered by John Voorhees on MacStories, their implementation opens the ChatGPT app to your Dot in Call Mode – a similar setup, but taking you into the app instead of a seamless Live Activity experience:

Source: MacStories

Dominik Kundle from OpenAI also went a step further, setting his Camera Control button automatically open Magnifier, which then triggers a Shortcuts automation set to watch for Magnifier being opened and then switches to his ChatGPT dot instead:

The Rise of App Shortcuts

If you’re not familiar, all of this Action Button functionality is powered by the same API that makes personalized Siri AI possible – App Intents; more specifically, the App Shortcuts feature of App Intents.

In Shortcuts and Siri AI, a single “app intent” is a single action; this defines something a user might intend to do (intent = action). When a developer adds support for an action, it becomes available inside Shortcuts as part of your toolbox of potential tools. Originally, this meant building anything on top required a user to set up a custom shortcut to accomplish that task, sometimes/often with only one action step included – many of the shortcuts I’ve shared in my Shortcuts Library are App Shortcuts-like, designed for apps that have not yet supported it yet:

In order to make this easier on the community, Apple designed the App Shortcuts feature; rather than rely on Custom Shortcuts set up by the user, App Shortcuts are automatically generated for the user upon installing the app. The developer takes their full set of available tools, then defines the most relevant ones to pre-define to the system—any the user might want to have in Shortcuts, but without putting the burden on them.

App Shortcuts are also more dynamic than simply providing the core set of App Intents to the system. For example, an “Open Note” intent can present a list of notes, or be set to individual notes – with App Shortcuts, developers can build a dynamic experience that takes the Open Note action, provides every relevant note (say, those that are pinned), and automatically generates instances of Open Note for each relevant note. From one intent and one App Shortcut, you could have all your pinned notes generated as individual shortcuts, automatically available to request via Siri or search via Spotlight.

In the MacStories article, you can see a version of this with “Start chat in Project” as well as “Open your dot”:

For “Start Chat in Project,” you can see the author’s set of projects available under the action – if searching in Spotlight, the keyword “Amazon Deals” should show this project and a Start Chat button. For “Open your dot,” searching Messaging, Dictation, or Call should also show instances of this App Shortcut as a tappable result.

I’m thrilled to see more developer adoption of the Action button via App Shortcuts, especially from such competitive companies such as SpaceX and OpenAI – these kinds of pushes tend to create more competition, so I’d expect more updates from Anthropic or Meta for Claude and Muse, respectively, in the coming weeks.

I’d also love to see more from Apple themselves here – there’s plenty of good reason for the Siri app to be present here and offer App Intents actions for Shortcuts, App Shortcuts options for Action button, and, while they’re at it, a Siri widget too. Technically, Apple has Use Model and Visual Intelligence available, but the everyday user won’t think to select the Apple Intelligence actions for a Siri-like experience.

Using Apple Feedback, I filed FB23102370 (Add actions for the Siri app to Shortcuts) back in June, and just filed FB25264232 (Add App Shortcuts for Action button/Spotlight indexing for Siri actions/conversations) asking for this new functionality today. I will update in a future issue if either of these requests are addressed!

I plan to cover App Shortcuts for developers in detail in a future paid issue, so subscribe now to get that issue when it releases:

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More to explore

Stories

ChatGPT Dots Gain Widget and New Shortcuts Actions | MacStories

Documentation

Core sessions

Expanded sessions

Overview sessions

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 HomeView: The At-Home Test for Siri AI

Matthew Cassinelli — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 18:23:14 GMT

In this issue, I’ve curated a huge variety of articles and community reactions to the  HomeView announcements, plus my quick take at the end.

This is a long one, and works best with X open on the side.

Enjoy.

What’s Inside:

 HomeView Press Release

Apple has introduced the HomeView, a smart display built with Siri AI. Here are the details from the Apple Newsroom announcement (line breaks added):

Apple today introduced Apple HomeView, designed to be central to the home and personal to everyone in it. With a stunning 7-inch Liquid Retina display, HomeView brings entertainment, connection, and smart home management together in one place, from playing music and making FaceTime calls to home monitoring and hands-free automations with voice control — all designed with privacy and security at the core.
HomeView recognizes users by their faces, adapting so they can access their personal content in Messages, FaceTime, Calendar, Reminders, and Find My. HomeView features Siri AI, an entirely new version of Siri that’s profoundly more capable and conversational, with broad world knowledge that powers richer music discovery and onscreen awareness. When paired with an Apple Intelligence-enabled device, it can also draw on a user’s personal context, such as their Calendar, Messages, and relevant information across their apps, to provide more helpful, personalized responses.
Designed to fit in any space, HomeView can be placed on a tabletop as the center of the home or wall-mounted to fit in spaces like the entryway or hallway.
Pre-orders start today [Tuesday, October 13], with availability beginning November 13.

I’m excited to see the long-rumored “HomePad” come to market, providing a curated experience with core apps available and a heavy reliance on Siri AI.

Coming in at $299 with an aluminum speaker base or wall-mounted with additional Power Mounts (adding $59.95 for a USB-C Wall Connector, $79.95 for AC Wired, or $129.95 for PoE Wired), the HomeView looks like a solid smart home investment for adding an Apple-quality screen and access to your app experiences via Siri.

Check out the release, then let’s dive in to Apple’s videos.

Read the announcement

 HomeView videos

Apple launched the Homeview with both a quick product video and an extended scene with a family – one simple, and one somewhat chaotic.

Newly-appointed Apple CEO John Ternus shared an 11-second version announcing the product:

Chief Marketing Officer Greg Joswiak (Joz) shared the full 1-minute product video in to start his thread announcing the various releases (including Apple TV, HomePod mini, and Apple Home Collection announcements):

Most of the internet, however, focused on the second video, which showed a tongue-in-cheek video of a chaotic family morning set to fast-paced music where the HomeView helps the family manage their day over breakfast:

In the video, the siblings question each other & confirm with Siri, the parents juggle cooking & planning responsibilities & communicating with grandparents, and the family watches the doorbell camera as one daughter gets picked up by a new boyfriend.

I enjoyed the cheeky nature of the video and how it’s fairly representative of busy morning at home with kids, plus how the device can help. However, many found it at odds with Apple’s typical product videos and too intense, like an episode of The Bear:

In case you missed all the details shown due the fast pace, here’s what they actually did with Siri AI as well as Apple’s on-screen messaging – timestamped throughout the video:

“Hey Siri, find the French toast recipe that Mom sent”/ “Built with Siri AI”
Shared a recipe / buttons for Ingredients and Start Cooking
“Siri, is French toast French?”
“Recognizes up to 6 people”
View your Calendar
Hands-free FaceTime from grandparents
“Has anyone seen my keys?” / “Siri, ping my keys”
Sending Messages
Facial Recognition/ “Privacy for everyone”
Swipe from Face / choose from widgets / Control your smart home
Doorbell chime / Front door live view
Playing Music / “Room-filling sound”
“See you tonight…” / “Hey Siri, what’s on the calendar tonight?”
“Designed for life at home”

One funny take I saw was re-editing the video with more “realistic” wait times for Siri’s responses. I am seeing quicker responses in general on the latest developer betas, so I don’t suspect this’ll be a problem, but it’s funny nonetheless – helps to tamper one’s expectations a bit:

Apple employee posts

On X, various Apple employees shared interesting tidbits about the device – Carl Schoeller’s insight into the design process for the LED is super fascinating:

Lilian Rincon, VP of AI, Worldwide Product Marketing at Apple, shared a look at the woven Apple logo shown at the press hands-on event in New York:

The Apple logo was featured in the press announcements sent out a week prior, which featured a video of the designers stitching the logo:

Apple engineers also celebrated the release, which is always a hard-fought victory of cross-collaboration within a larger organization:

Details You Might Have Missed

More details about HomeView came out throughout the release day, with yet another video detailing the full release of products for the day:

Apple also shared a prepared demo of the handoff, recipe, and timer features:

Snippets like the music handoff feature from iPhone to HomeView are promising as well:

iMac G4 vibes

Longtime Apple fans may also recognize the core design of the HomeView as a callback to the iMac G4 – at Workflow, founder Ari Weinstein had a iMac G4 where we viewed performance stats:

In this comparison photo, Noah Herman shows the screen, mechanism, and base of the iMac G4 next to the HomeView:

Many folks also noticed that the HomeView video somewhat hid the cable via a hole in the center of their dining room table, something more typical of desks or corporate tables:

Todd Dailey went as far as drilling a hole with a grommet drill bit directly in his countertop, making his own DIY HomeView – results may vary:

Plus, if you didn’t notice (or don’t have an Apple Vision Pro), the HomeView screen itself resembles the look of widgets in visionOS:

Humor

An Apple product launch wouldn’t be complete without some good memes, starting with the true HomePad concept:

This recreation of the Pixar lamp also made me laugh, for the sheer creativity:

More important reporting from the field confirms compatibility with the Polishing Cloth:

We have yet to recieve confirmation on Flava Flav’s take, however:

And for anyone who says HomeView looks like a large Apple Watch, here’s whatever this is:

Criticisms

I saw various valid criticisms lobbied against the HomeView and particularly the Siri AI story at present – while I’m a massive fan of the potential of App Intents, the developer API powering Siri AI experiences, many developers have not or cannot take advantage of it today:

I have an entire paid issue coming on the Interactive Snippets experiences that developers can provide with Siri AI, but the public sentiment around Siri hasn’t advanced as much as the product feasibly allows:

The problem Apple is facing today is that, while Siri has advanced within its own timeline, the bar has been raised with AI agents across the board – particularly with personal agents in the last few months:

We are also living in a paradigm shift where anyone can develop apps and have signifcantly more control over their software, and it’s hard to see how this world fits into what seems like limited access for developers on HomeView:

I replied directly to this with context around the current opportunities, but Apple hasn’t made the story super clear for developers:

@drewcoffman How does this not enable creators to have a high-quality hardware display that they can freely build for?\n\nSiri AI allows for rich interactions with your apps without opening them via Interactive Snippets.\n\nYou can build with the same set of primitives across their platforms and…","username":"mattcassinelli","name":"Matthew Cassinelli","profile_image_url":"https://pbs.substack.com/profile_images/885893486024642561/umxeMoby_normal.jpg","date":"2026-10-13T18:39:50.000Z","photos":[],"quoted_tweet":{},"reply_count":2,"retweet_count":0,"like_count":3,"impression_count":475,"expanded_url":null,"video_url":null,"video_preview_media_key":null,"belowTheFold":true}" data-component-name="Twitter2ToDOM">

At launch, it wasn’t immediately clear how developerse can add support:

@Apple, how do we build stuff for this? 👀","username":"SwiftyAlex","name":"alex","profile_image_url":"https://pbs.substack.com/profile_images/2020622504033722368/FFG863VU_normal.jpg","date":"2026-10-13T12:58:38.000Z","photos":[],"quoted_tweet":{"full_text":"The HomeView costs $299 and looks amazing","username":"aaronp613","name":"Aaron","profile_image_url":"https://pbs.substack.com/profile_images/1837168376386371584/AJZZayD4_normal.jpg"},"reply_count":12,"retweet_count":0,"like_count":37,"impression_count":5170,"expanded_url":null,"video_url":null,"video_preview_media_key":null,"belowTheFold":true}" data-component-name="Twitter2ToDOM">

There are levels within App Intents, both in widgets and Interactive Snippets with Siri AI – but aren’t always easy to adopt:

@SwiftyAlex @Apple Interactive widgets and Siri AI. Both of which are kind of a pain to build for ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯","username":"drbarnard","name":"David Barnard","profile_image_url":"https://pbs.substack.com/profile_images/2054743776191545345/go_vW1Kp_normal.jpg","date":"2026-10-13T15:26:48.000Z","photos":[],"quoted_tweet":{},"reply_count":1,"retweet_count":0,"like_count":4,"impression_count":337,"expanded_url":null,"video_url":null,"video_preview_media_key":null,"belowTheFold":true}" data-component-name="Twitter2ToDOM">

Apps can also develop proper app experiences using CarPlay entitlements, which both makes sense but throws another wrench into things when trying to figure out how to develop for HomeView:

Details around the CarPlay experiences were released later on launch day, which I also plan to cover in an additional paid issue:

developer.apple.com/support/terms/… ","username":"kylemacomber","name":"Kyle Macomber","profile_image_url":"https://pbs.substack.com/profile_images/1276993037445390336/_FcriEw6_normal.jpg","date":"2026-10-14T02:32:53.000Z","photos":[{"img_url":"https://pbs.substack.com/media/HUjsx8NbcAExXNz.png","link_url":"https://t.co/bPw8xAfVJg"}],"quoted_tweet":{},"reply_count":2,"retweet_count":2,"like_count":30,"impression_count":2456,"expanded_url":null,"video_url":null,"video_preview_media_key":null,"belowTheFold":true}" data-component-name="Twitter2ToDOM">

Instead of yet another App Store, Apple has a more curated path for fuller app experiences and a broader path for any app with Siri AI – powered by the apps on your iPhone:

Stepping back, this means all your Siri interactions are still powered by the full context of what’s available on your phone, which itself makes for a rich smart home experience designed for the screen:

Hot Takes

HomeView reception seems largely positive among press and reviewers from a total package perspective, balancing price and a strong story:

HomeView’s $299 target is just within affordability for a family Christmas present, a personal splurge, or a larger smart home system investment.

Many products have sought this target over the last few years, with tools like Skylight being particularly popular for families – this is a real market looking for real product solutions, and most everyone has a kitchen or spot where this might be useful:

Meta employees also reflected on their timing to the market with the Portal:

Some see this as a blurring-of-lines for Apple’s product strategy, which is fair – it’s not a problem to me to see more devices beyond the key lineup, however:

MKBHD just wishes it came with white bezels:

Event Reactions

Creators at the press event also gave us glimpses at the vibe Apple was trying to establish – I admit that I’d totally buy this doormat:

@Apple Welcome Home event! ","username":"AndruEdwards","name":"Andru Edwards","profile_image_url":"https://pbs.substack.com/profile_images/1486787960418672640/n3Y8n4j2_normal.jpg","date":"2026-10-13T12:14:46.000Z","photos":[{"img_url":"https://pbs.substack.com/media/HUgorhsWMAAN9x6.jpg","link_url":"https://t.co/y5ZPNGWzcC"}],"quoted_tweet":{},"reply_count":5,"retweet_count":15,"like_count":281,"impression_count":15183,"expanded_url":null,"video_url":null,"video_preview_media_key":null,"belowTheFold":true}" data-component-name="Twitter2ToDOM">

Apple’s knit logo was also featured heavily in photos:

MKBHD had to troll Apple with an Android photo – notice the difference between this and iJustine’s above? Judge for yourself:

Press got a look at the HomeView early, which looks smaller than one might think – easier to fit in more places throughout the home:

While all the ads showed HomeView in the center of a table or island, somewhere along the countertup might be a more realistic setup for many people:

The wall mounted-version was also on display, which acts more like a home control unit for an entryway:

Prices for the “Power Mount” add to the total, which I’ve seen as a common complaint – one might think removing the speaker base could make these features included:

The Recipes feature for HomeView will also be a welcome addition – I’ll definitely use this rather than set my iPad keyboard case on the countertop where it could get dirty:

Analyst Carolina Milanesi made a few demo videos covering facial recongition and the Apple Watch-like features of the Home View faces:

@Apple ","username":"caro_milanesi","name":"Carolina Milanesi","profile_image_url":"https://pbs.substack.com/profile_images/1957553787771768832/SAiyzmKf_normal.jpg","date":"2026-10-13T19:30:00.000Z","photos":[{"img_url":"https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eM_2!,w_1028,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best,fl_progressive:steep/l_play_button_usfui2,w_88,e_colorize:0/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F__ss-rehost__tw-video-preview-13_2110085505165430785.jpg","link_url":"https://t.co/LcJ6F6yBYX"}],"quoted_tweet":{},"reply_count":2,"retweet_count":3,"like_count":23,"impression_count":4148,"expanded_url":null,"video_url":"https://video.twimg.com/amplify_video/2110085505165430785/vid/avc1/720x1280/Q-JTbOpzPe_hy-R_.mp4","video_preview_media_key":"13_2110085505165430785","belowTheFold":true}" data-component-name="Twitter2ToDOM">

@Apple, and it borrows its interface from Apple Watch, from swappable faces to widgets that work like complications. A familiar design makes a new device easier to bring into the home. ","username":"caro_milanesi","name":"Carolina Milanesi","profile_image_url":"https://pbs.substack.com/profile_images/1957553787771768832/SAiyzmKf_normal.jpg","date":"2026-10-13T18:59:51.000Z","photos":[{"img_url":"https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!m67U!,w_1028,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best,fl_progressive:steep/l_play_button_usfui2,w_88,e_colorize:0/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F__ss-rehost__tw-video-preview-13_2110083023467155456.jpg","link_url":"https://t.co/gfiVsuUZdx"}],"quoted_tweet":{},"reply_count":3,"retweet_count":10,"like_count":82,"impression_count":8178,"expanded_url":null,"video_url":"https://video.twimg.com/amplify_video/2110083023467155456/vid/avc1/720x1280/erQLgGgPnCcJX4Nl.mp4","video_preview_media_key":"13_2110083023467155456","belowTheFold":true}" data-component-name="Twitter2ToDOM">

YouTube videos

After the event, folks made their videos in the hands-on area and produced a set of reaction videos below – make sure to check out Katarina Mogus’ video interviewing Cecilia Dantas from Apple’s Product Marketing team:

My Quick Take

As a long-time fan of the Google Nest Hub, I’ve been waiting for the HomeView for the better part of a decade. I reviewed the original HomePod in 2018, I’ve been writing about Siri APIs since 2022, and helping developers directly with their integrations since 2024.

In my household, coordinating these basics between people is still the main point of friction, technologically – we all have our own systems, but share a common overlap of core system experiences. Rather than duplicating across to the Google hub, we each just use our own and that device became a glorified photo frame/timer.

With the HomeView, we can each see our own setups as needed, without a centralized sync, and pull up our own experiences depending on who’s looking:

I also have had a better time with everyday Siri AI experiences than it seems some of my internet counterparts have – she’s much better at discovering quick answers online, I rarely have failures, and I’m naturally more attuned to using Siri AI experiences from my apps since I’m working on them in my day-to-day work.

That also means I’m fully aware just how few apps have supported Siri AI (or are even able to thanks to the limited set of Siri app schema domains), and I fully understand how the general public is not yet sold on Siri AI.

Just like I wrote in my original HomePod review, the magical part about smart hardware is that it can be updated. To me, Apple has constantly proven their hardware expertise and I have no doubt the core device experience itself is highly satisfactory – I didn’t see a single person questioning the screen, speakers, or mics.

As we’re seeing on the developer side, there are more app experiences to be released with the CarPlay-style setups and more Siri AI experiences to be realized by App Store developers investing in App Intents. Just like other Apple devices, the HomeView can be entirely transformed by getting just the right app for you – the value of the vast App Store ecosystem cannot be understated here.

We now have an Apple-quality smart display available in any home that wants one – and it’s easier than ever to develop apps with agentic software to use on Apple platforms. This is the perfect time for this product to arrive, and I can’t wait to see what I can do with mine.

I am personally going to advocate and explain in detail how to take advantage of Siri AI & App Intents opportunities by the time this device is out in mid-November to ensure better adoption, starting with a deep dive into the Interactive Snippets experience in an upcoming subscriber post.

Subscribe now

What’s your take on the  HomeView? Are you getting one? Will Siri AI or CarPlay apps be enough?

Let me know in the subscriber chat:

If you’ve read this far, thank you for your time. I always appreciate your readership.

Enjoy your day – see you next time!

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Welcome to “What's New in Apple Intelligence”

Matthew Cassinelli — Tue, 01 Jul 2025 04:30:08 GMT

In an effort to simply get started, this is Issue 1 of “What’s New in Apple Intelligence,” the continuation of “What’s New in Shortcuts.”

All-In On The Betas

Starting off , this last Monday is hot here in Portland, with a high of 97° – that certainly didn’t help my beta devices dealing with Shortcuts Sync.

Over the weekend, I had to go nuclear and delete all my shortcuts from my devices—after backing them up, of course—and starting to add only the most-necessary back. I’ve already had two weeks of sync issues, which I basically can’t avoid since there’s a file format change in Shortcuts that could cause issues if half your devices aren’t on the betas, and I can’t afford to lose any more time this summer.

Plus, I’ve long needed an overhaul – my library of over 6,000 grew way too quickly, and my strategy of providing my own Shortcuts Gallery to the public simply doesn’t scale inside this app. Way too many were also simple URLs into apps that didn’t have Shortcuts support, and I got too obsessed with providing them myself instead – no longer.

So I am trashing most of them, sharing the exports with my membership as an optional archival download, and starting over – I’ll always have my exports to pull from.

The new Use Model action, which lets you tap into Apple Intelligence’s Foundation Models directly, also changes the game – I want to truly rethinsk how I’m using this app.

Use Model: What’s Today?

I caused some confusion being overly cheeky about a failure with the new “Use Model” action in Shortcuts, .

Using the new Spotlight for Mac experience, I’d asked it “What’s today?” as a simple test of the On-Device model, curious if the design was smart enough to simply get the system time rather than performing an actual request to the model.

In the process, a Private Cloud Compute was made instead—either a feature or a bug—and it returned October 25, 2023. Given that MacRumors reported, in their testing, the cutoff was sometime in October 2023 (and that it’s the ChatGPT 4o cutoff), I tweeted “So, uh, I just found the Apple Intelligence cutoff date.”

Naturally, multiple people informed me that’s not how LLMs work and not to use Foundation Models for world knowledge – very much true, and basically the exact limitation I was testing.

So, not only did I accidentally made a bunch of people think Apple Intelligence and the Use Model is entirely out of date by two years, but I also made it look like I don’t know what I’m doing. 🙃

For what it’s worth, asking the ChatGPT Extension does get it correct as well – you can get up-to-date world knowledge easily in the Use Model action. Otherwise, Private Cloud Compute is simply better at analyzing your inputs than the On-Device model, and can handle more complex tasks like processing images.

Links from the Weekend

Alyx caffeine tracker (iOS 26-only)
Jordan Morgan (who has shared an App Intents field guide) posted about his upcoming iOS 26 caffeine tracker app, which is described as such: “Alyx helps you log caffeine, visualize its impacts, and see how it affects your sleep.” Sounds like someone’s been playing with the Foundation Models… (via @jordanmorgan).

AI Coding: Mirage or Magic?
Cameron Cooke, developer of the XcodeBuildMCP, posted an excellent reflection on The AI Coding Revolution: Mirage or Magic? In the piece, Cameron talks about his role shifting to managing AI rather than working on his own projects, plus how optimizing for downtime meant he never got any himself. Interesting read now that the immediate novelty has worn off a bit. (via @camsoft2000)
Get your tickets to the Swift Bharat conference in India
Swift Bharat is a new conference located in Bengalaru, India and hosted by my friend Mustafa Yusuf. Mustafa is a wonderfully sharp developer (he makes Karo and Tasks, two innovative task managers) with an incredible work ethic and indie spirit who is always willing to help – it makes a ton of sense he’d bring together folks for India’s first International Apple Developer conference. Get your ticket: swiftbharat.org. (via @mufasaYC)
Long Press for Domain Extensions
For some reason, in all my years I’d never discovered this tap-and-hold gesture on the period key to show the .com, .net, and .eu selector.
I assume international users get more mileage out of this, but sometimes it’s simply surprising to come across a feature so prominent, especially as a power user of Apple platforms. (via @avstorm)

That’s it for this issue! See you later, nerds.