Capture a sticky note with Siri and a Shortcut

How to do it

1. Create a Shortcut

   Open Apple Shortcuts and add a new shortcut. Find Sticky Widgets actions and choose New Note.

2. Supply a name and initial text

   Set the Name and Initial text fields. For a voice-capture workflow, use Shortcuts’ text-input actions to pass the captured words into Initial text.

3. Name the Shortcut clearly

   Give it a name you can say and distinguish from other shortcuts. For example, name your own shortcut ‘Capture a sticky thought.’

4. Test by hand, then with Siri

   Run the Shortcut from Shortcuts first and confirm the note appears in Sticky Widgets. Then invoke Siri with the shortcut’s name and check the result again.

A named Shortcut makes the request explicit

Siri recognition can vary with language, settings, and other apps. A Shortcut you name and test is a more concrete workflow than expecting any natural-language request to choose the right app automatically.

The example name belongs to the Shortcut you create; it is not a universal built-in phrase. Use a different distinctive name if Siri confuses it with another request.

Choose creation or update deliberately

New Note creates another note. Update Note changes the text of an existing selected note. If you want to keep one Home Screen widget pointing at a stable note, an update workflow may fit better than making a new note every time.

For adding one more entry to an existing checklist, choose Add Item to List. That action targets a selected note and item text, which avoids replacing the entire note’s content.

Display the captured note separately

Creating a note by voice does not automatically place a new widget on your Home Screen. Add a widget and select the intended note, or update a note that an existing widget already displays.

Review dictated text before using it for important information. Device permissions and whether the phone is locked can affect what a voice-driven workflow can do.

Common questions