In iOS 16.4 and macOS 13.3, "Commands" received new actions and scripts

Released on Monday, iOS 16.4, iPadOS 16.4, macOS 13.3 and watchOS 9.4 received a number of new features, which the Life Hacker told in a separate article. And the editors of MacRumors noticed that the "Teams" application has been updated with new features. In particular, now 17 new actions and scripts can be used in automation scenarios at once:

• "Configure VPN" — allows you to enable or disable VPN on the device, or change the VPN connection setting on request. Works on iOS and macOS.
• "Configure receiving by AirDrop" — do not receive content by AurDrop, allow only for contacts or allow everyone for 10 minutes. Works on iOS and macOS.
• "Set up Stage Manager" — allows you to enable, disable or configure the "Stage Manager" on iPad and Mac.
• "Configure the "Announce Notifications" function" — enables or disables the function on iOS and watchOS.
• "Configure the "Mute unknown" function" — enables or disables the function on iOS.
• "Adjust Night Shift" and "Adjust True Tone" — change the screen settings on iOS and macOS.
• "Configure the Always On Screen function" — enables or disables Always On on compatible iPhones.
• "Find applications" — searches for programs installed on macOS according to the specified parameters.
• "Find displays" — searches and filters available monitors for Mac.
• "Find books" — searches your library for books or PDF by the specified parameters (title, author, genre, date of purchase or format).
• "Announce by intercom" — allows you to send a message up to 60 seconds long, including media files and text (it will be voiced by Siri). Works on iOS and watchOS.
• "Turn off", "Lock screen" — available on iOS and macOS.
• "Sleep Mode", "Reboot", "Put the display to sleep mode — available on macOS.

How to set up automatic VPN activation on iPhone

It is important to understand that the list does not contain commands as such, but only actions that can be used in your scripts. For example, here's how to make your smartphone always turn on any VPN when launching the Twitter app:

1. In the Automation section of the application, click Create Automation for Yourself.

2. Select "Application" and find the program in the search for which you need a VPN to use. In our case, it's Twitter.

3. Select "Open" from the bottom to get a logical chain: "When the Twitter app is open." Click "Next".

4. On the next screen, in the search bar, find "Configure VPN" and click on this item.

5. In the action editor, click on "VPN" and select the desired application.

6. After making sure that the action chain looks like "Connect to VPN (VPN name)", click "Next".

7. Uncheck the boxes next to "Ask about launch" and "Notify about launch". Click Done.

Now, every time you launch the Twitter app, the VPN you selected will automatically turn on. Automatic shutdown can also be configured. To do this, create a similar command, only in step 3 select "When the Twitter application is closed", and in 7 — "Disconnect from VPN (VPN name)".