Set up Getwello with Apple Shortcuts and Siri

This guide builds an Apple Shortcut that calls the Getwello API and reads back the latest check-in. Add it to Siri for voice access, to your Home screen for one-tap, and to your Apple Watch for a wrist-friendly version.

What you need

• An iPhone, iPad or Mac on a recent OS (iOS 17+ recommended).
• A Getwello API key from Settings → Developer API.
• About 20 minutes for the first shortcut. Subsequent ones take 5.

Step 1: Mint a Getwello API key

Open Settings → Developer API as a Coordinator. Create a key called “Apple Shortcuts”. Copy the gw_live_ token to your clipboard.

Step 2: Open Shortcuts and build the first action

1. Open the Shortcuts app on your iPhone or Mac.
2. Tap + to create a new shortcut. Name it “Mum status”.
3. Add the action Get Contents of URL.
4. URL: https://getwello.co.uk/api/v1/circles.
5. Tap Show More. Method: GET.
6. Add a Header: Key = Authorization, Value = Bearer gw_live_your_key_here.

Step 3: Parse the response

1. Add Get Dictionary Value. Set “Get value for” to circles.
2. Add another Get Item From List, getting item 1 (or whichever Circle you want).
3. Add another Get Dictionary Value to extract id.
4. You now have the Circle ID. Save it to a variable called “Circle ID”.

Step 4: Fetch the latest check-in

1. Add another Get Contents of URL.
2. URL: https://getwello.co.uk/api/v1/circles/[Circle ID]/check-ins?limit=1. Tap and drop the “Circle ID” variable into the URL.
3. Same Authorization header as Step 2.
4. Parse the response to extract status, mood and for_local_date.

Step 5: Speak the result

Add a Text action that says e.g. “Mum checked in at [date], mood [mood].” Then add Speak Text. Optional: set Wait Until Finished = Off so Siri reads it back without you having to wait.

Step 6: Add it everywhere you want it

1. Long-press the shortcut in your library.
2. Add to Siri , pick a phrase like “Mum status”.
3. Add to Home Screen , gives you a tappable icon.
4. Settings → Show on Apple Watch , appears on the watch.

Test

From any screen, say “Hey Siri, Mum status.” Siri runs the shortcut, fetches the data, reads back the result. Total time: about 2-3 seconds.

Want the prebuilt version?

We are publishing an importable iCloud Shortcut link so you do not have to build it yourself. The URL will appear here as soon as it is live. In the meantime, the build above takes about 20 minutes.

Personal Automations (automatic morning check)

In the Shortcuts app, go to Automation → Create Personal Automation → Time of Day. Set a time (e.g. 09:00). Run the shortcut. Add a check: if status is not “well”, send a notification. Now you get a quiet morning ping only if Mum has not checked in yet.

Troubleshooting

Siri reads back “Unauthorized”: the Bearer token is wrong. Make sure you included the word “Bearer” and a space before the token.

Shortcut hangs: network issue or the API is slow. Add a timeout in Get Contents of URL settings.

Speak Text reads JSON: the parsing step did not extract a single string. Re-check that Get Dictionary Value is pointed at the right key.