iOS 12 Shortcuts Can Now Help You Fix Your Finances and Drive Your Tesla

Apple’s new scripting app, Shortcuts, has already made photo editing, shopping, and watching YouTube easier than ever. But the pre-made shortcuts were also a little rudimentary.

But after some experimentation, the band of programming whizzes and scripting specialists that make up the Shortcuts subreddit have already begun to transcend basic iPhone and App commands with Shortcuts that can power other devices, even cars.

Indeed, developers have already laid out a vision for turning your iPhone into a universal remote of sorts, allowing users to interact with third-party apps and gadgets with the the tap of a button.

iOS 12 Shortcuts Controls a Tesla Model 3

Remote S for Tesla is an iOS app that lets drivers of the electric vehicle remotely control and get information about their vehicle. It also claims to issue commands “faster than the Tesla app.” It was created by Rego Apps and supports Shortcuts, which means users can now summon their Tesla out of the garage and pop the trunk without having to open the app.

Remote S also supports the Apple Watch, allowing users to activate the app with voice command issued to the smartwatch. One caveat to this extremely James Bond-like tech? You’ll have to pay $10 for the Remote S app and try your hand at Shortcuts.

iOS 12 Shortcuts Can Manage Your Finances

There are an innumerable personal finance apps that claim to help you manage how much you’re spending, but now Siri can do it for you. Redditor Adij0628 posted a demonstration of how with a simple tap, their iPhone will prompt them to enter the cost of a purchase to log it into a spreadsheet.

“There are lot of services which offers financial view, but I wanted something which I can customize as per my needs,” they wrote in a comment. “When you have a database possibilities are endless.”

This cuts out the middleman of budgeting apps like Mint or You Need a Budget by automatically personal financial data into a spreadsheet in DropBox (which many personal finance experts say is better than using automation, anyway). Need to make some quick calculations or see how much money you have left in your budget for the month? It’ll all be tabulated just how you like it.