'Hey Siri, I'm getting pulled over': iPhone owners use new shortcuts app in iOS 12 to automatically record cops

A savvy iPhone user has developed an ingenious way to use the new Shortcuts app in iOS 12. 

The Shortcuts app, which was launched at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference back in June, lets users build their own multi-step routines for Siri to run across a variety of apps. 

Now, Reddit user Robert Petersen has developed a shortcut called Police which enables users to discreetly record interactions with cops.

iPhone owners can now take advantage of the Shortcuts app with the release of Apple's latest mobile operating system, iOS 12, a few weeks ago. 

After installing the Police shortcut, users simply say 'Hey Siri, I'm getting pulled over,' and it will trigger the shortcut. 

It pauses the music a user might be playing, turns down the brightness on your device and enables 'do not disturb mode.' 

From there, it sends a text message to a pre-selected recipient. 

An example text message reads: 'I'm getting pulled over. My current location is ___.'

It appears that the recipient can click on the user's Current Location, likely triggering a Maps app. The text message also includes the user's latitude and longitude. 

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iPhone owners can now take advantage of the Shortcuts app with the release of Apple's latest mobile operating system, iOS 12, a few weeks ago. The Shortcut is called 'Police'

The phone will then begin recording using its front-facing camera. 

Once users stop recording, the iPhone will text or email the video to a recipient and save it to Dropbox or iCloud Drive. 

Petersen noted in a Reddit thread that the shortcut can be customized. He also explained that it could possibly be modified to initiate a live streaming service. 

However, it's unclear if the Shortcuts app supports live streaming services.  

'It seemed to me that if you're getting pulled over it couldn't hurt to have a recording of the incident,' Petersen told Business Insider. 

'The police these days in many places have body cams, so this could be the civilian equivalent.'

Since its launch last month, the Police shortcut has become the third most popular post on a subreddit for iPhone Shortcuts, Business Insider noted. 

Users have suggested other applications for the shortcut beyond just interactions with the police, such as dealing with a stalker or any kind of confrontation.  

'That's one of the great things about Shortcuts: Anyone can edit a shortcut someone else has made to suit their specific needs,' Petersen told Business Insider.

WHAT IS NEW IN APPLE'S iOS 12?

Once Apple users upgrade to iOS 12 they will see a host of changes to how their device works. 

It will power the iPhone and iPad and packs a slew of new features aimed at improving your device's performance, as well as fun augmented reality tools. 

Here's what's new in iOS 12:

Augmented reality

Apple has released the next version of its augmented reality platform for developers, called ARKit 2. 

ARKit, which was first launched in 2017, now has improved face tracking, 3D, object detection and a more persistent experience.

Multi-user virtual environments are also featured in the ARKit 2, so that more than one person can see the same perspective in real time.  

Photos 

Apple's Photos app has seen a significant upgrade in order to allow the feature to become smarter. 

In iOS 12, the Photos app will now display search suggestions when a user is looking for a specific picture, based on things that appear in the photo, including cars, dogs and flowers.

There's also a new 'For You' tab, that shows memories, as well as sharing suggestions.

It suggests that you share photos with a friend if they appear in a photo and then prompts the friend to share photos with you if you appear in their photos.

Siri 

Apple has rolled out a new feature in iOS12 called Shortcuts, which adds 'quick actions' for any app.

For example, a user can change their settings so that if they say 'I lost my keys', it will prompt Siri to pull up the Tile app and show you where your keys are.

Another new tool is called Suggestions, where Siri prompts the user to take certain actions in iOS, such as order their favorite coffee that they drink every morning.

Apps  

The Stock app has received a major upgrade and now lets users tap on certain stocks to get detailed information.

It'll also show relevant news headlines under the stock, which users can click on to see the full article. 

Apple has also revealed a new and improved Books app, renaming it Apple Books from iBooks.

There's a new preview screen that shows users where they last left off in an eBook, as well as a new store that 'makes browsing through eBooks and audiobooks better than ever'. 

Screen Time 

Apple ha snow formally launched a suite of tools aimed at helping people curb their smartphone addiction.

Users can view and control how they spend their time on apps, set time limits and more.

It also comes with new parental controls that let parents view how their child is spending their time in apps and set time limits.

New Do Not Disturb features limit what notifications users see on their lock screen at night and in the morning. 

Notifications  

Users can now 'fine tune' their notifications and change the settings so that specific notifications only show up in the notifications centre and turn other notifications off altogether. 

Siri will also suggest that users turn off some notifications if the user hasn't opened the app in a while.

A new grouped notifications tool categorises app notifications by apps and topics.

Users can swipe on a group of notifications and choose to view them later, removing them from the lock screen.

Better performance

Apple said iOS 12 will significantly improve how apps load and other performance features on iOS devices. 

In iOS 12, apps will load up to 40 per cent faster, the keyboard will come up 50 per cent faster and sliding open to the camera will be 70 per cent faster, even on older devices like the iPhone 5S.