Control Volume and Music with iOS 12 Shortcuts

Apple’s Shortcuts app in iOS 12 fully supports actions to control both media playback volume and music tracks. Users can build custom shortcuts that adjust device volume to specific levels, toggle playback, skip tracks, and launch specific songs, albums, or playlists directly through automated commands or Siri phrases.

Controlling Playback Volume

In iOS 12 Shortcuts, managing audio output is handled using the dedicated Set Volume action.

• Volume Adjustment: The action features a slider that lets you define an exact percentage from 0% to 100%.
• Automation Use Cases: You can create shortcuts that automatically lower the volume for bedtime, set it to a moderate level for podcasts, or maximize it when connecting to a car stereo or external speaker.

Controlling Music Tracks

iOS 12 includes a robust set of actions tailored to media playback, particularly integrated with the native Apple Music app.

• Transport Controls: You can use actions such as Play/Pause, Skip Forward, and Skip Back to control whichever audio track is currently playing.
• Selecting Content: Actions like Play Music allow you to trigger specific songs, full albums, or curated playlists.
• Library Querying: The Find Music action enables you to filter your music library by genre, artist, or rating and immediately play the results.
• Track Information: The Get Current Song action retrieves metadata (such as title, artist, or artwork) from the track currently playing, which can then be passed into other actions.

Third-Party App Limitations

While system volume and generic play/pause commands work across most audio apps, track-specific selection in iOS 12 is primarily restricted to the native Apple Music ecosystem. Third-party platforms, such as Spotify, rely on generic system transport commands unless developers provide specific Siri Shortcuts integration.