iOS 27.2 beta: App Shortcut phrase fails, but a named personal shortcut runs the same intent

I'm investigating a Siri invocation failure with an explicitly declared App Shortcut phrase. The same underlying App Intent works when run directly in Shortcuts and when invoked by the name of a saved personal shortcut.

Environment:

  • iPhone 17 Pro Max, iOS 27.2 beta (24B5099f), clean restore without a backup.
  • iPhone and Siri languages: Italian. Standard Siri, no Siri AI.
  • Xcode 27.2 (27B5028f), iphoneos 27.2 SDK.
  • Italian App Shortcut phrase and app metadata.
  • PetroCheck 1.3 (637), already open during the failing invocation.

The published phrase is “Trova carburanti vicini con PetroCheck”, declared using \(.applicationName). This is a phrase-based App Shortcut; the intent does not adopt an App Schema.

What I observe:

  1. Saying the App Shortcut phrase produces a generic Siri error: “mi dispiace, ma si è verificato un errore”.
  2. Running the action directly in Shortcuts succeeds and records execution in the app's intent journal.
  3. Saving a personal shortcut named “Diagnostica Petro” with just that action, then saying “Esegui Diagnostica Petro”, also succeeds and records execution.
  4. Returning only a minimal Text snippet from the original intent does not resolve the phrase invocation failure.

For two captured failing phrase invocations, the device logs show BackgroundShortcutRunner failing to resolve the workflow reference:

-[WFWorkflowDatabaseRunDescriptor(Conversion) workflowReferenceWithDatabase:error:]
Couldn't find shortcut with descriptor: <private>

reason: unable to resolve workflow reference from descriptor

The first of these attempts has no new entry at the recorded start of perform(). The descriptor itself is redacted, so I cannot identify which reference Siri selected.

A subsequent attempt also contains these assistantd messages shortly before the descriptor error:

Found no AppShortcutTargets!
Could not cast to VoiceCommand task to create AppShortcut invocation
AppShortcuts enablement result=false

I am including these as observations, without interpreting them as proof of a disabled setting. Calling updateAppShortcutParameters() at launch did not resolve the failure.

I checked the compiled device bundle's App Intents metadata: the action is discoverable, its fuel parameter is optional, and the declared shortcut points to the correct intent. The Italian training metadata contains the phrase and the application name PetroCheck. This verifies the compiled metadata, not the device's registration database.

I then built a separate app, “Prova Petro”, with a different bundle identifier, a fresh phrase, one intent with no parameters, and a dialog-only result. It has no location, networking, snippet or dependencies from the original app. The Siri phrase fails in this app too. I have not yet captured its intent diary or host logs, so I cannot claim that the minimal app fails at exactly the same stage.

These are the core declarations from the compiled minimal project; the sample's journal calls are omitted here:

import AppIntents

struct RoutingProbeIntent: AppIntent {
    static let title: LocalizedStringResource = "Verifica collegamento Siri"
    static let supportedModes: IntentModes = [.background]

    func perform() async throws -> some IntentResult & ProvidesDialog {
        return .result(dialog: "Il comando Siri ha raggiunto Prova Petro.")
    }
}

struct ProbeShortcuts: AppShortcutsProvider {
    static var appShortcuts: [AppShortcut] {
        AppShortcut(
            intent: RoutingProbeIntent(),
            phrases: ["Verifica Siri con \(.applicationName)"],
            shortTitle: "Verifica collegamento Siri",
            systemImageName: "checkmark.circle"
        )
    }
}

The minimal app's display name is Prova Petro, and the spoken phrase is “Verifica Siri con Prova Petro”. Its App.init() calls ProbeShortcuts.updateAppShortcutParameters(). The extracted metadata confirms one shortcut, zero parameters, dialog-only output, and the Italian application name and phrase.

Has anyone reproduced this difference between an App Shortcut phrase and a named personal shortcut on iOS 27.2 beta, particularly with Italian phrases? Feedback Assistant: FB25077916. The complete minimal Xcode project and scoped diagnostics are attached to the report.

Is there anything missing from this setup, or a supported way to diagnose the unresolved shortcut reference? Comparisons with other OS builds, languages or devices would be useful. I have not yet established a regression against a stable OS release.

iOS 27.2 beta: App Shortcut phrase fails, but a named personal shortcut runs the same intent
 
 
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