iOS Shortcuts and Siri: Control eyeSpeed Hands-Free

You are merging onto the highway with both hands on the wheel and want eyeSpeed’s Live Activity running. With Shortcuts integration, you can say “Hey Siri, start speedometer in eyeSpeed” and keep your eyes on the road.

That is why I built Shortcuts support into eyeSpeed. In a car, voice control is the right way to interact with your phone.

What Are App Intents?

iOS Shortcuts lets apps expose actions to Siri and automation rules. eyeSpeed uses Apple’s App Intents framework so its main controls are available hands-free.

Once eyeSpeed is installed, those actions appear in Shortcuts automatically. You can call them with Siri, include them in custom shortcuts, or run them through automations.

eyeSpeed’s 10 App Intents

Here is what you can control via Shortcuts and Siri:

Live Activity Controls

• Start Live Activity: “Hey Siri, start speedometer in eyeSpeed”
• Stop Live Activity: “Hey Siri, stop speedometer in eyeSpeed”
• Set timeout: Choose whether the Live Activity runs indefinitely or ends after 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, or 2 hours

These are the most useful daily commands.

Display and Unit Controls

• Set speed unit: Switch between MPH and KPH by voice
• Set unit lock: Prevent accidental unit changes while driving
• Set kilometer label: Choose “KPH” or “km/h”
• Set status bar visibility: Show or hide the iOS status bar
• Set rotation lock: Lock or unlock screen rotation
• Set orientation: Choose portrait or landscape when rotation lock is enabled

These intents are useful for imported cars, different phone mounts, and drivers who want the app set up the same way every time.

Information Retrieval

• Get current speed: Ask Siri “What’s my speed in eyeSpeed” and hear the answer read aloud

That is the fully hands-free option when you do not want to look at the screen.

Building Custom Shortcuts

Beyond voice commands, you can combine the intents into shortcuts that match how you drive.

“Start Driving” Shortcut

Create a shortcut that starts Live Activity, sets your preferred unit, applies a timeout, and enables rotation lock.

“Track Day Mode” Shortcut

Create a shortcut that starts Live Activity, locks units, and leaves timeout off for longer sessions.

“International Travel” Shortcut

Create a shortcut that switches to KPH or km/h and locks the setting before you drive in a different country.

Automation Recipes

iOS Shortcuts also supports automations that trigger on conditions. A few useful examples:

• CarPlay connection: Start Live Activity when your iPhone connects to CarPlay
• Driving Focus: Start Live Activity and set a timeout when Driving Focus turns on
• Location-based trigger: Start Live Activity when you leave home
• Time-based trigger: Launch your preferred setup before a regular commute

Privacy in Shortcuts

Every shortcut and Siri command executes locally on your device. When you say “Hey Siri, start speedometer in eyeSpeed,” the command is processed locally, the intent runs locally, and the Live Activity starts locally.

That matches the rest of eyeSpeed’s architecture. You get automation and voice control without adding data collection.

Getting Started

To start using Shortcuts with eyeSpeed:

1. Use Siri directly with one of the voice commands above.
2. Open the Shortcuts app and find eyeSpeed’s actions.
3. Build a custom shortcut or automation around your own driving routine.

Driving It Home

Shortcuts integration turns eyeSpeed into a driving tool that adapts to real use. You can start monitoring speed by voice, build setups for imports or track days, and automate the app around CarPlay or Driving Focus.

And because it is built on eyeSpeed’s privacy-first architecture, every voice command, shortcut, and automation stays local to your device.