Apple Shortcuts is the best way to use your iPhone

An iPhone showing a setup screen for a new Shortcut on the Shortcuts app.

Dave Gershgorn/NYT Wirecutter via Apple Shortcuts

Apple Shortcuts allows you to run features from your apps on a specific schedule or set convenient commands on your phone. It’s been around for a while — but now you can simply describe what you want to happen, and the app (usually) does it.

“It saves me time and mindless screen tapping every day,” writes tech expert Dave Gershgorn. For example, you can set up a shortcut to text your mom “Good morning” every day at 9 a.m. You can also take actions when you open a specific app or create a button on your home screen that initiates a call to a specific contact.

The most helpful shortcuts — and how to set them up→

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Plus: How to free up space on your phone

Illustration of a storage bar broken into red, orange, yellow, and green segments against a light background. One individual sweeps colored debris into a trash can while another pushes back a green block.

Dana Davis/NYT Wirecutter

It only takes 10 to 15 minutes a month to delete extraneous photos, remove unnecessary downloads, and clear your browser’s cache — all of which can help you avoid those dreaded “storage full” notifications.

7 expert-approved tips for Androids and iPhones→

What’s new at Wirecutter

21 little luxuries that make great gifts

Including an ebony wood comb, fancy hand lotion, and more→

A collage showing, clockwise from left to right, a gold bracelet on a person's wrist, an open package of a green Soft Services Buffing Bar, and a box of colorful macarons, all on pink and light red backgrounds.

The best bunk beds

After six months of research, these are the beds our experts and kid testers loved the most→

A kid on the top bunk passing a book to a kid on the bottom bunk of the Oeuf Perch Twin Bunk Bed.

A jacket that packs down into its own pocket

Plus, more travel essentials that won’t bulk up your suitcase→

Three different products mentioned in this guide displayed in front of illustrative blue backgrounds and frames.

This bean bag is pricey — and practically perfect

It’s large enough to feel luxurious but not so big that it overpowers→

Two different bean bags displayed in a room with a lamp, a side table and plant.

Your daily deal: Buttery-soft underwear

Natori Bliss French Cut Brief on top of a blue background

Michael Hession/NYT Wirecutter

This underwear’s lightweight, super comfortable cotton won’t bunch or roll under clothes. Plus, it’s so silky, smooth, and stretchy, one tester said it “almost melts into my skin.”

A pack of two is $11 off today→

One last thing: 6 iPhone settings every parent should know

Philip Michaels/NYT Wirecutter via Apple

The latest iOS update lets parents manage everything from which websites kids can visit, to who they text or FaceTime, and more. Plus, these settings are now easier to use and work better than before.

How parents can limit screen time→

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