Fax From an iPhone Shortcut — Share Sheet to Email-to-Fax or the API
Apple's Shortcuts app can act on a document from the share sheet and either send an email or make a web request, so you can build a Fax this on your iPhone or iPad without any app from us — and there is no Send FAX Mail Shortcuts extension in an app store. The simplest shortcut mails the document to your email-to-fax alias; a more capable one posts it to our REST API and reads back the fax id. Both start from the share sheet on a PDF or scan.
Plan requirement
The email-to-fax shortcut works on any paid plan when the operator has enabled the inbound-email domain. The Get-Contents-of-URL shortcut that posts to /v1/faxes uses our REST API, which is part of the Business ($79.99/mo) and Enterprise ($169.99/mo) plans. Store the bearer key in a secure note or a text field the shortcut reads, and lock your device.
How it works
You create a shortcut that accepts a document from the share sheet — a scan from the Files or Notes app, or a PDF you received. For the mail route, the shortcut asks for the destination number, then uses the Send Email action addressed to your alias with the document attached; iOS sends it and our inbound handler dials. For the API route, the shortcut base64-encodes the file and uses Get Contents of URL to POST it to /v1/faxes with your key in the header, then parses the fax id from the JSON response and shows it in a notification. Either shortcut can live in the share sheet so any document is one tap from a fax.
What you can do
- ✓Add a Fax this action to the iOS share sheet for any PDF or scan
- ✓Mail the document to your email-to-fax alias with a no-request shortcut
- ✓Or POST it to /v1/faxes with the Get Contents of URL action
- ✓Prompt for the destination number each run, or hard-code a frequent one
- ✓Show the returned fax id in a notification straight from the shortcut
- ✓Trigger the whole thing hands-free with a Siri phrase
Setup steps
- 1Decide between the mail route (any paid plan) and the API route (Business or Enterprise)
- 2For the API route, create a key at /dashboard/developers and store it in the shortcut
- 3Build a shortcut that accepts a document from the share sheet
- 4Add either a Send Email action to your alias, or a Get Contents of URL POST to /v1/faxes
- 5Add an Ask for Input step to capture the destination number
- 6Show the fax id (API route) or confirm the mail was sent, and add it to the share sheet
Example
Get Contents of URL
URL: https://www.sendfaxmail.com/v1/faxes
Method: POST
Headers: Authorization = Bearer sfm_live_xxxxxxxx
Request Body (JSON):
to = (Ask Each Time)
document = { content: Base64 Encode (Shortcut Input),
content_type: application/pdf }iOS Shortcuts Fax — FAQ
No. We do not ship a Shortcuts action or an app-store extension, and we would not imply we do. You build the shortcut yourself from Apple's standard actions — Send Email or Get Contents of URL — pointed at your alias or our REST API. The shortcut is yours, running on your device.
Choose the mail route if you want the least setup and are on any paid plan: it just emails your alias with the document attached. Choose the API route if you are on Business or Enterprise and want the fax id back in a notification and no dependency on the operator's inbound-email configuration.
Scan it first with the Files or Notes app to make a PDF, then run the shortcut from that PDF's share sheet. The shortcut takes the scan as its input and forwards it, so a physical page becomes a fax without a fax machine — the scan quality is what the recipient receives.
Keep the key in the shortcut only if your device is locked with Face ID or a passcode, and scope it to faxes:send so a leaked key cannot read your history. Anyone with your unlocked phone could run the shortcut, so rotate the key at /dashboard/developers if the device is lost.
Build with the iOS Shortcuts Fax
API access and webhooks are included on the Business and Enterprise plans. Create a key at /dashboard/developers and start sending.
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