Don't know what an iOS shortcut is? Neither did I! Experienced iOS users may already be familiar with this utility but for the uninitiated, here is the official Apple explanation:
> A shortcut is a quick way to get one or more tasks done with your apps. The Shortcuts app lets you create your own shortcuts with multiple steps. For example, build a “Surf Time” shortcut that grabs the surf report, gives an ETA to the beach, and launches your surf music playlist.
Basically it is a visual scripting language that lets a user build an automation in a guided fashion. The automation can be [shared with anyone](https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/94aa272af5ff4d2c8fe5e13a946f89a9) but if it is a user creation, you'll have to jump through a few hoops to make an untrusted automation work on your device.
3. A Gemini API Key from [Google AI Studio](https://makersuite.google.com)
!!! note
A Gemini API Key is not required for importing URLs from Safari or your Camera, however you will not be able to take a photo of a recipe and import it without a Gemini key.
Google AI Studio is currently only available in [certain countries and languages](https://ai.google.dev/available_regions). Most notably it is not currently available in Europe.
### Setup
On the Apple device you wish to add the shortcut to, click on [this link](https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/94aa272af5ff4d2c8fe5e13a946f89a9) to begin the setup of the shortcut.
If you have a domain that you use (e.g. `https://mealie.example.com`), put that here. If you just run local, then you need to put in your Mealie instance IP and the port you use (e.g. the default is `9925`).
You may wish to [add the shortcut to your home screen](https://support.apple.com/guide/shortcuts/add-a-shortcut-to-the-home-screen-apd735880972/ios) for easier access.
- Share a website from Safari with Mealie to import via URL.
- Share a recipe photo from photos to perform OCR and import a physical recipe.
- Trigger the shortcut and take a photo of a physical recipe to import.
- Trigger the shortcut to select a photo from your Photos app to import.
- Trigger the shortcut to take a picture of a URL (like on the bottom of a printed recipe) to import.
## Troubleshooting
Sometimes Gemini will not be able to parse a recipe, and you will get an error. Users have found success with a combination of the following:
1. #### Try Again
Sometimes Gemini returns the wrong information which causes the import to fail. Often, trying again will be successful.
2. #### Photo Quality
Make sure there is no large glare or shadow over the picture, and you have all the text in frame.
3. #### Edit the Photo
Users have found success by cropping the picture to just the recipe card, adding a "mono" filter, and cranking up the exposure before importing.
## History
User [brasilikum](https://github.com/brasilikum) opened an issue on the main repo about how they had created an [iOS shortcut](https://github.com/mealie-recipes/mealie/issues/103) for interested users.
This original method broke after the transition to version 1.X and an issue was raised on [Github](https://github.com/mealie-recipes/mealie/issues/2092) GitHub user [Zippyy](https://github.com/zippyy) has helped to create a working shortcut for version 1.X.
When OCR was removed from Mealie, GitHub user [hunterjm](https://github.com/zippyy) created a new shortcut that uses Apple's built-in OCR and Google Gemini to enhance and replace that functionality.
