"Essential Spaces" alternative for iOS ;-)

A minimalist memory system inspired by Nothing OS

This is a manual for setting up something like “Essential Spaces” — minimal, fast, and offline — on iOS. No extra apps. Just iOS, Notes, and either the Action Button (iPhone 15 Pro and up) or AssistiveTouch.

🎬 Demo

✨ What Is It?

Essential Spaces is a way to instantly capture thoughts, ideas, or context snapshots with a timestamp, directly into your Notes app.

Triggering a shortcut does the following:

• Takes a screenshot
• Extracts text from it (OCR)
• Saves the current date/time
• Asks for an optional comment (prompt)
• Logs everything into a Spaces folder in Notes

You can also choose:

• Dictation instead of typing
• Audio notes (custom variant)

This becomes a minimalist, offline “thought capture system” — like a memory log or thought inbox.

🛠 What You’ll Need

• iPhone with iOS 16 or newer
• Shortcuts app (built-in)
• Notes app
• Optionally: Action Button (iPhone 15 Pro) or AssistiveTouch

📝 Setup Guide

1. Create the Notes Folder

Open Notes → tap Folders → tap New Folder → name it:

Spaces

Make sure it’s a regular folder (not smart or shared).

2. Install the Shortcuts

• EssentialSpace Text (for screenshots + comment): Download Shortcut

Optional:

• EssentialSpace Speech2Text (use voice input): Download Shortcut

• EssentialSpace Audio Note (use voice record): Download Shortcut

After installing:

• Trigger action for test, and “add” testing note -> confirm permissions for shortcuts.
• You can customize the folder name or other steps inside if desired.
• You can customize “open note after create” or “not open after create” in shortcut edit on step Create Note -> more options

3. Set Up a Trigger

Option A: iPhone 15 Pro (Action Button)

1. Go to Settings → Action Button
2. Under “Press and Hold”, select Shortcut
3. Choose EssentialSpace Text (or Speech2Text)

Now holding the side button will launch the shortcut!

Option B: All iPhones (AssistiveTouch / BackTap)

1. Go to Settings → Accessibility → Touch → AssistiveTouch → Turn ON
2. Tap Single tap
   • Tap an icon to replace → choose Shortcut → pick your EssentialSpace shortcut
3. Optional: Set a Custom Gesture or Back Tap (Settings → Accessibility → Touch → Back Tap)

✅ Testing Time

Trigger previously configured action / floating icon / backtap or assitive touch.

✌️Enjoy Essential Spaces

This is your minimalist operating system for thoughts, observations, context snapshots, or even emotional journaling.