Navigate the action list in Shortcuts
Actions are the building blocks of a shortcut. As you add actions to your custom shortcut, you can view information about each action, sort the list of available actions by category or by search term, and create favorite actions for future use.
As you build a shortcut, the Shortcuts app predicts what actions you may want to use next. For example, if the last action is a Contacts action, the app suggests actions such as Call or FaceTime. In a shortcut that ends with a Get Current Song action, the list suggests actions such as Add to Playlist or Get Details of Music.
Note: Suggested actions disappear from the list when you tap 
.
In iOS 12, apps can expose their own shortcuts. These shortcuts are available as actions in the Siri Suggestions action category. See View actions suggested by Siri.
View information about an action
In the Shortcuts app Library
, tap 
on a shortcut.In the shortcut editor, tap
to display a list of action categories.Tap an action category in the list, then tap
for a specific action.A brief description of the action appears, including the type of content that can be used as input (if any) and the resulting output. To learn more about inputs and outputs, see How do shortcuts work?
Tip: Once an action is placed in a shortcut, you can tap the action’s name or icon to display the action’s description.
Search the list of actions
In the Shortcuts app, do one of the following in the shortcut editor:
On iPhone: Tap
at the bottom of the screen.On iPad: Tap
at the top of the left sidebar.On larger iPhone models, such as iPhone XS Max or iPhone 8 Plus, the action list appears in the left sidebar when you rotate iPhone to landscape orientation.
Enter a term in the search field.
The list is sorted to show actions that contain that search term. Try searching for get, find, or add to explore a variety of actions across multiple categories. You can also search for specific topics like music or events, or for apps and services you use.
View all actions in a specific category
In the Shortcuts app, do one of the following in the shortcut editor:
On iPhone: Tap
at the bottom of the screen.Tip: You can also swipe up to display the action list.
On iPad: Tap
at the top of the left sidebar.On larger iPhone models, such as iPhone XS Max or iPhone 8 Plus, the action list appears in the left sidebar when you rotate iPhone to landscape orientation.
A list of action categories appears.
Tap a category name (Music or Web, for example).
All actions related to the category you chose appear in the list, organized by subcategory.
View actions suggested by Siri
Siri Suggestions appear in the action list and are based on how you use your device.
In the Shortcuts app, do one of the following in the shortcut editor:
On an iPhone: Tap
at the bottom of the screen.Tip: You can also swipe up to display the action list.
On an iPad: Tap
in the upper-left corner of the sidebar.On larger iPhone models, such as iPhone XS Max or iPhone 8 Plus, the action list appears in the left sidebar when you rotate iPhone to landscape orientation.
Tap Siri Suggestions.
Siri-suggested actions appear in the list.
Tap
to display a description of an action.
For information on adding shortcuts to Siri, see Use suggested shortcuts and Use Siri to run shortcuts with your voice.
Mark an action as a favorite
In the Shortcuts app, do one of the following:
In the shortcut editor: Tap the name of the action you want to mark as favorite.
In the action list: Tap the info button on the action you want to mark as favorite.
Tap
.The action is marked as “Favorited” and added to your Favorites list.
View favorite actions
In the Shortcuts app, do one of the following in the shortcut editor:
On an iPhone: Tap
at the bottom of the screen.Tip: You can also swipe up to display the action list.
On an iPad: Tap
in the upper-left corner of the sidebar.On larger iPhone models, such as iPhone XS Max or iPhone 8 Plus, the action list appears in the left sidebar when you rotate iPhone to landscape orientation.
Tap Favorites.
Actions that you previously marked as favorites appear in the list.
