Quick Capture is built on the idea that the moment you meet someone is the worst moment to fiddle with an app. So betterpal gives you ways to capture that don't involve finding and opening it: a system text box that appears over whatever you're doing, saves silently in the background, and gets out of the way. The new pal lands as an unprocessed entry, ready for the normal review flow whenever you next open the app.
The easiest way to set everything up is inside the app: Extras → Quick Capture & Widgets is a guided setup screen that walks through each binding, with one-tap jumps into the right spot in Settings.
Action Button & Back Tap
One press → a text box over the current app (or the Lock Screen) → type "Sarah tall, met at the gym" → done. betterpal never comes to the foreground; the capture is saved in the background and drained into the app the next time you open it.
- In betterpal, open Extras → Quick Capture & Widgets and follow the capture setup — it prepares the shortcut for you. (You can also build it by hand in the Shortcuts app: an Ask for Text action feeding betterpal's Add Pal action.)
- Bind it to a trigger:
- Action Button (iPhone 15 Pro and later): Settings → Action Button → swipe to Shortcut → pick the capture shortcut.
- Back Tap (any recent iPhone): Settings → Accessibility → Touch → Back Tap → choose Double or Triple Tap → pick the capture shortcut.
- Press it from anywhere — another app, the Home Screen, even the Lock Screen — type, and you're done.
A few details worth knowing:
- Silent by design. There's no confirmation banner and no app launch — the point is zero interruption. Your captures queue up safely, even if you fire off several in a row.
- Review later. Captures appear at the top of your Pals list as unprocessed entries, exactly like ones typed into the in-app entry bar.
- Lock Screen caveat: the capture box works from the Lock Screen, but iOS may ask for Face ID or your passcode before the save commits. That's an Apple policy, not a betterpal setting.
- Requires iOS 16 or later.
Siri
Voice, end to end — no hands, no screen:
- "Hey Siri, add to betterpal"
- "Hey Siri, add a pal to betterpal"
- "Hey Siri, new pal in betterpal"
- "Hey Siri, remember someone in betterpal"
Siri asks what you want to remember, you say it, and the capture is saved in the background like any other quick entry. The phrases are registered automatically when betterpal is installed — there's nothing to set up, and the same action also shows up in Spotlight and the Shortcuts app.
Dictation
Prefer pressing a button and talking? Two options:
- The capture text box supports the standard keyboard mic — tap it and dictate instead of typing.
- For a fully hands-off press → speak → saved flow, build the shortcut with a Dictate Text action in place of Ask for Text. Press your Action Button, say the sentence, and it saves without the keyboard appearing at all.
Home Screen & Lock Screen widgets
Three widgets put betterpal a tap from your Home Screen. Add them the usual way: long-press the Home Screen → Edit → Add Widget → search for betterpal. All three follow your light or dark appearance automatically.
- Voice Capture — the betterpal smiley with a mic badge. Tap it and the app opens already recording: talk, and your words land in the entry box.
- Quick Add — the smiley with a + badge. One tap opens the app straight into the quick-entry box, keyboard up, ready to type.
- Your Pals — a glanceable list of your people in your preferred sort (recent, A–Z, birthdays…). Each row opens that pal's card directly, and the + chip in the widget's header jumps straight to adding someone new. It comes in small, medium, and large sizes.
On your Lock Screen, too (iOS 16+). Add them from Settings → Wallpaper → Customize → the widget row under the clock. Quick Add and Voice Capture appear as circular buttons, and Your Pals as a rectangular top-pals glance — so you can capture someone or check your people without unlocking.
Which one should I use?
| You're… | Reach for |
|---|---|
| Mid-conversation, phone in your pocket a second ago | Action Button / Back Tap |
| Walking, driving, hands full | Siri, or Action Button + Dictate Text |
| On your Home Screen anyway | Quick Add or Voice Capture widget |
| Happy to open the app | The regular quick-entry bar |
They all end in the same place: an unprocessed entry at the top of your list, parsed into name, tags, and details when you review it.
Common questions
I pressed the Action Button and nothing seemed to happen — did it save?
If the text box appeared and you hit done, yes. Silent saving is intentional: there's no confirmation. Open betterpal and the capture will be at the top of your Pals list as an unprocessed entry.
Can I capture a note about someone who's already in betterpal?
Yes — capture works for notes too. When you review the entry, attach it to the existing person instead of creating a new one; it lands on their card as a timestamped note.
Does the capture box work from the Lock Screen?
Yes, though iOS may require Face ID or your passcode before the save commits. If you capture from the Lock Screen often, that unlock is the whole interaction.
Why don't I see the Add Pal action in Shortcuts?
Make sure betterpal is updated to 1.5 and has been opened at least once since updating — iOS registers app actions on launch. It appears under betterpal in the Shortcuts app's action picker.