iOS 12 has arrived, and, on schedule, a new Ulysses version for iPad and iPhone! Ulysses now supports Siri shortcuts. Here is what you can do with it.

Do you keep a notebook or a diary in Ulysses, where you jot down ideas and reflections on a regular basis? Or is there a book project you keep coming back to? If you find yourself doing the same thing over and again in Ulysses, Siri shortcuts are for you. In Ulysses for iPad and iPhone, you can now add voice commands to selected recurring actions.

How it works: Head to the library or the sheet list and swipe left on a group or sheet, respectively. Now tap the  icon, select “Share…” and choose one of the following options:

  • “View Group from Siri” to open this group,
  • “New Sheet from Siri” to create a new sheet in this group,
  • “View Sheet from Siri” to open this sheet.

So, if you’re the diarist from our example, swipe left on your Diary group and select the action “New Sheet from Siri”. Now you can record a custom voice command, e.g. “Write Diary”, “Reflect on the Day” – whatever makes sense to you, and is easy to recall, will work.

In the future, curl up on the sofa with a cup of tea and your iPad or iPhone, then say the magic words: “Hey Siri, write diary!” Dutiful Siri will open Ulysses, head to the Diary group and create a new sheet, ready to receive your reflections. Well, you’ll still need to write them down yourself ;-)

Siri will also learn from your behavior and make suggestions based on your most used actions.

As of today, the new version of Ulysses for iOS is available on the App Store. Have fun!