Share Shortcuts and Private Sharing Settings for Shortcuts on the Mac, iPad, and iPhone

Dan Wassink 0:01
In this video, we’re going to look at how we can share our shortcuts. Maybe you want to share a shortcut with a friend or a family member, as well as how we can set up our shortcuts app to receive shortcuts from friends or family members. By default, you cannot receive shortcuts when someone wants to share it with you. So we have to make sure that we turn that on that you can receive shortcuts. Let’s see how we do this.

We’re going to look at this on the Mac, iPad and iPhone. Let’s first look at this on the Mac. So I’m looking at my Mac here, I’m in the shortcuts app. And let’s say I wanted to share this schedule event shortcut here with someone I want to share it with my wife, Beth, or maybe with my sister. Well, in order to share, what we have to do is we have to edit it, so I double click on it. And then what we do is we go over to the share icon here in the upper right hand corner. And when I click on it, what I’m able to do is share this shortcut, it’s pretty much all there is to share in a shortcut. Now when it shares it, what it does is it shares it through the gallery, I’m going to close this, basically what it does is it uploads it to Apple’s gallery here. And then the other person who is receiving it is able to download it. So they do need to have an internet connection, it doesn’t actually put it in the gallery to where other people can search it. But this is how it transfers it, it just transfers it up there temporarily, and then the other person can receive it. So you do need to have an internet connection in order to share shortcuts.

Now the next thing that you want to do is also set up the shortcuts app to receive shortcuts. By default, the shortcuts app will not receive shortcuts from untrusted people. So basically, the only way that you can receive shortcuts is through the gallery here as an example, you’re not going to be able to receive it from your friend or your family member. How do we set it up to where we can receive shortcuts from people we trust? Well, we just have to go to our shortcuts preferences. So I go up to shortcuts here. And then we go over to our Preferences. Under preferences, you’re going to see a new window here. And what we need to do is make sure we go to general, and under General, you’re going to see private sharing, we need to make sure that this is turned on. When this is turned on, people will be able to share their shortcuts with you.

Again, all they have to do is just go and edit their shortcut, and then tap on the Share icon. They can text it to you, they can AirDrop it to you being that you have this turned on you will be able to receive it. Let’s take a look at this on the iPad and iPhone. It basically works the same way. Let’s go to the iPad first. So I’m looking at my iPad here. And what I would like to do is share this post to Instagram shortcut, I have to edit it. How do I do that? Well on the iPad and iPhone, we tap on the three dots here. Now I just go up to the share icon here and when I click on it, I select how I want to share it, I can share it via messages mail, I can use AirDrop however I want to share it I just select here. Same thing with the iPhone if I go over to my iPhone here, and let’s say I wanted to share calculate tip, what I need to do is make sure that I tap on the three dots here, I have to edit the shortcut. And then down at the bottom here it’s down on the bottom would the iPhone I tap on the Share icon and I can go and share it. Now same thing with the iPad and iPhone, what we need to do is make sure that we can receive shortcuts from untrusted people. Right now, if Beth were to share a shortcut with me, I would not be able to receive it on my iPad or iPhone. So what I need to do is make sure that I can receive shortcuts from people I trust. How do we do that? Well, instead of going to our preferences, that’s what we did on the Mac, what we need to do is go to our settings app. So I’m going to go to my iPad here. And then we go over to our settings app. And then what we do is we swipe up until we find shortcuts there is settings for shortcuts here, I tap on it. And then you’re going to see private sharing, we just need to make sure that this is turned on. Same thing with the iPhone, I just go over to my settings app.

And then I swipe up until I find shortcuts. You’re gonna see shortcuts down here, just like with the iPad. And then I just go over to private sharing, and I make sure that this is turned on. Now I’ll be able to receive shortcuts from people I know. So that’s how we share shortcuts on the Mac, iPad and iPhone. Basically we just have to edit the shortcut and then tap on the share button. From there you’re going to be able to send it to someone via messages AirDrop you could even email it to someone you You do need to have an internet connection because it does transfer it through the gallery. It doesn’t keep it in there permanently. No one is going to be able to find your shortcut. You’re not uploading it to a public domain, but it basically just uses the gallery as a transfer mechanism. To receive shortcuts from people you know, what you need to do is make sure that you turn private sharing on you do this on the Mac through the shortcuts preferences on the iPad and iPhone, you go to the Settings app and then go to shortcuts. So that’s how we share shortcuts on the Mac, iPad and iPhone.