Apple to get Screen Time and Siri Shortcuts to the Mac: Report

The closer we are getting to Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference that is scheduled for June, the more the number of reports about the company’s plans are surfacing online. At WWDC 2019, Apple is expected to unveil the next major versions of its iOS, macOS and announce other software updates.

And now, a report has emerged on 9to5Mac which throws light on Apple’s plans for WWDC 2019 in detail. It has been reported that Apple plans to get the Siri Shortcuts feature and a Shortcuts app to the Mac with macOS 10.15. The shortcuts will enable users to create some custom Siri commands that will make certain apps perform the function of their choice. What’s more, these actions can also be linked with one another, so each shortcut can work for multiple apps. This makes the feature a much-loved tool for power users.

And now, these capabilities are coming to the Mac with the latest update. However, the report also added that Shortcuts would only work for ‘Marzipan’ apps. For those unaware, Marzipan apps are the applications that have been ported by Apple from iOS to the Mac including Home, Apple News, and Voice Memos.

It has also been reported that Apple has more plans for WWDC 2019 and it is being said that this year, developers would be able to bring their iPhone and iPad apps to the Mac computers too. We should mention that a number of those have support for Siri Shortcuts on iOS and it only makes sense to replicate this functionality on laptops and desktops.

In addition to this, 9to5Mac also says that Screen Time, which is a feature on iOS that shows how much time you have spent on your device every day and exactly which apps do you use the most, will also make its debut on macOS 10.15. Users will be able to set limits for app usage with Screen Time and in case they spend more time on a particular app, they would have to enter their passcode to continue their usage.

The report also said that the Cupertino based technology giant is redesigning its Apple ID and that the company is getting the iMessage’s visual effects to the Mac.

Apple’s WWDC 2019 conference will reportedly be scheduled from June 3 to June 7 this year. A prior report that surfaced online said that that developer conference would be held at the the McEnery Convention Centre in San Jose, California.