Shortcuts: iOS 16.2 and macOS 13.1 enable actions in the Books app
Shortcuts to won several shares with the latest updates for iOS, iPadOS and macOS. Versions 16.2 and 13.1 have indeed enabled new actions for the Books application. What is not new in theory, I evoked them this article published last June, but Apple removed them during the summer betas. They’re back with these updates, allowing you to automate your books.
The program includes as many as eleven new actions dedicated to the Books application:
- Play the current audiobook : starts background playback for the last open audiobook;
- Play an audiobook : starts playback in the background of the audio book selected in the parameter;
- Change the layout of the book : change the layout and theme for an open book in the app;
- Change navigation between pages : selects the navigation mode, by page or continuously, for the current book;
- Change the layout in Books : activates the display of the tab or sidebar in the application;
- Open collection : opens one of the collections selected as a parameter in the Books application;
- Open the book : opens in Books one of the books of your library, by selecting it in the parameter;
- Open the current book : opens the last open book in Books;
- Search in books : Searches for content in the Books app, in your library, and in the store.
- Turn the page : Activates the next or previous page of the book being read.
Using these actions, you will be able to open the book and change its settings according to the needs of the book. If you use the app to book computer manuals like those we offer and novels, for example, you can use shortcuts to activate a particular theme and switch from scroll mode (more suitable for the former) to page mode (more comfortable for the latter) as needed. And as always, these new actions can participate in more complex automations if you need them.
On the iOS 16 side, the update improves wallpaper management, which has become more complex with the all-new lock screen that remains reserved for the iPhone for now. Shortcuts adds two dedicated actions with unusual names: Get the wallpaper allows you to retrieve the current background or all those you have defined. Switch between wallpapers allows you to activate another lock screen, by choosing from a list of all those you have defined. The latter will be particularly useful for personal automations, if you don’t want to use focus modes for that purpose.
Action Set a background image it has also been revised to take into account the new lock screens of iOS 16. It now allows you to select the screen you want to modify, which will allow you to change the background image without changing the rest, especially keeping the widgets configured.
Other novelties have also been reported: Get battery status can now also show if the device is charging or connected to a charger, Find samples of the Health app can retrieve sleep stage information while Set a parking spot because the vehicle now accepts a different position than the current one. This page lists the full list of new features and Apple updates it after each release of a new version of iOS or macOS.
