There are so many features built into iOS that it’s pretty much impossible to know every single thing your iPhone is capable of. Over the years I’ve definitely learned a few great ones, like the secret button on the back that you can create with Back Tap, which is one of my favourites, along with the trick that allows you to hold a call.
I’m always pleasantly surprised when I discover a new one – and that’s exactly what happened to me this week when I learned a Siri Shortcut that is just brilliant.
Now I have to be honest, Siri Shortcuts have always seemed just a bit more of a faff to setup than the extra clicks they might save, but when I discovered this particular Shortcut trick – and it worked – I’ve decided I might actually be a convert.
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Apple iPhone 14 Pro
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The trick I discovered allows me to speed dial a contact by adding an icon to my Home Screen. It might seem a little basic but it takes me back to my pre-iPhone days when I pressed held 2 on my Nokia 3210 to call my favourite contact. But, it also reduces multiple clicks, makes things genuinely faster and – wait for it – provides an actual useful shortcut.
How to speed dial someone on iPhone
The process to create the Siri Shortcut that will give you a little icon on your Home Screen with the name of the person and a picture of them if you want, ultimately allowing for one-tap access to a call with them, is very simple.
- Open Siri Shortcuts
- Tap on the “+” in the top right corner
- Tap on Add Action
- Select the contact you want to set up a speed dial for, or press the “+” in the right of the “Call” section to add a contact if they haven’t appeared in the list
- Tap on the Share icon at the bottom of your screen (square with arrow coming out from it)
- Tap on Add to Home Screen from the list
- Tap on the Home Screen Name and Icon to edit the name of your Shortcut and image that will appear on your Home Screen
- Tap on Add in the top right
- Tap on Done
- Your speed dial icon will now appear on your home screen
You could set up a speed dial for your boss for example and then set your iPhone into Work Focus, customising your Home Screen so that the icon appears in a prominent position when you have Work Focus set, for example. Or you could also use it to set up a shortcut to speed dial your partner or best friend and place the shortcut at the bottom of your screen so it’s always on your Home Screen, whatever Focus is set and whatever Home Screen you’re on.
Either way, once setup, this Siri Shortcut means one tap to call that person rather than at least two, if not a few more, depending on how often you call someone and I love it.