Build a simple AI habit tracker with Siri on your iPhone

Open the Shortcuts app

Look for the Shortcuts icon on your Home Screen (a blue circle with a white shortcut symbol). If you don’t see it, swipe down from the middle of the screen and type “Shortcuts” in Spotlight. Tap the icon to open the app. You’ll know it worked when the Shortcuts library opens in front of you.

Create a new shortcut

Tap the + (plus) button in the top-right corner. A blank shortcut editor appears with “Untitled Shortcut” at the top. Below it you’ll see a search bar that says “Type a name or choose an action.”

Name your shortcut

Tap “Untitled Shortcut” at the top and type a clear name like Daily Water Check. This name will appear in Siri and in the Shortcuts widget, so keep it short and memorable. You’ll know it worked when the title bar changes to “Daily Water Check”.

Add the first action

In the search bar, type Ask for Input and tap the matching action that appears. A card appears with the label “Ask for Input” and a default prompt “What do you want to ask?”.

Set the input type

Below the prompt, tap the dropdown that says “Text” and change it to Number. This tells Shortcuts to expect a number instead of free text. You’ll know it worked when the card now shows a number field and the prompt reads “How many glasses of water did you drink today?”

Add the Apple Intelligence check

Tap the + button again, search for If, and choose If from the Logic section. A new card labelled “If” appears with an empty condition. Tap “Condition” and pick Scripting → Text → Contains.

This condition will trigger only when the number is zero.

Add the gentle nudge

Tap the + inside the “If” block, search for Show Notification and tap it. A card appears with “Show Notification” and a default message. Replace the text with:

Add the positive nudge

Tap the + below the “If” block (outside it) and add another Show Notification. This time set the message to:

Test the shortcut

Tap the play ▶️ button at the bottom. A pop-up asks “How many glasses…”. Enter 0 and tap Done. If everything is set up correctly, you’ll see the first notification immediately. You’ll know it worked when you receive a notification titled “Time to hydrate!”.

Add it to Siri

Go back to the shortcut list, tap the … (three dots) on “Daily Water Check”, then tap Add to Siri. A red recording button appears. Say out loud:

When Siri confirms “Got it,” the shortcut is voice-ready.

Schedule it (optional)

Open the Clock app, tap Bedtime (or Alarm), then Add Alarm. Set a daily time (e.g., 7:00 PM), tap Sound, and choose None. Under Repeat, pick Daily. In the Actions section tap Add Action → Shortcuts → Daily Water Check. Save the alarm. You’ll know it worked when the alarm rings and Siri opens the shortcut automatically.