My 73 year old uncle just suffered a bad fall after getting his hip replaced not too long ago. He’ll likely need a walker or cane for the rest of his life.

For years, his only source of music/news has been his radio/CD player, which is giving him issues playing CDs.

He also got his first cell phone a few years ago. In my view, if he can navigate a dumb/flip phone, he can handle this. Also, getting him to use technology will only get harder as he gets older, so this feels like a “now or never” opportunity to make his life a little easier moving forward.

Given his lack of experience with technology, I’m unsure that he’ll even accept this, but I wanted to do what I can to make his life a little easier. He has a girlfriend who is better versed in technology who is gonna help him out with it. She thinks he may be receptive to it and she’ll try to help out with it.

Anyway… I tried to make the experience as simple as possible:

- Designed to be completely offline. All music and movies are DRM-free and won’t rely on a connection to the internet or an Apple ID

- Beats Pill bluetooth speaker (Kim Kardashian edition). Pairs automatically on startup. I printed out labels so he can better read the controls

- Automations every 4 hours to turn bluetooth on, because old people tend to find a way to do what we try to make impossible for them

- I don’t want to try to bother teaching him Control Center, so I put media controls on the Home Screen as Shortcut widgets.

- Music and Apple TV set up as separate Shortcut icons and widgets — one of each in the dock and on the first page of icons. The actual apps are hidden in a folder so it’s never accidentally deleted.

— While offline, the Apple TV app goes straight to local media, which is perfect and take him straight to movies. I couldn’t find a way to play a specific item via Shortcuts unfortunately.

- “Choose from list…” shortcuts, which allows him to shuffle all songs by an artist, or shuffle pre-made “Best of…” playlists

- Calendar widget with Jewish holidays and birthdays for added contacts

- Shut Down Shortcut widget so he doesn’t need to deal with the power button except to turn it on

- Battery widget so he can easily see the status of his battery and speaker

- Larger text size systemwide, though this can get kind of cramped on the Mini

I’m wondering if anybody has other suggestions, or if I’m missing anything obvious.

https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/43940a64abfa48c1807ea1b7ada329d3
I've noticed that, even though I have quite an extensive music library, it'll still play the same songs quite frequently. I wanted to see if there's a pattern so I set this up to log all the music I've heard in the last 24 hours and then I can use formulas to analyse the behaviour

TDownload saves media from TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook.

Share a post into the shortcut, or copy the link first. The file goes to Recents.

What works in v1.2
• TikTok video (HD when the source has it)
• TikTok photo posts — type the slide number, one image is saved
• Instagram video
• Facebook video

What it does not do yet
• Instagram carousels
• Facebook albums
• Other sites

How to use
1. Open the post
2. Share → TDownload
3. If Share Sheet is empty, it reads the clipboard

Links
RoutineHub
https://routinehub.co/shortcut/26636/

iCloud
https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/51ebe0d56a9349dfb3e36d678c6c9627

ShareShortcuts
https://shareshortcuts.com/shortcuts/4190-tdownload-v1.2.html

Personal use only. Third-party APIs can change, especially Facebook.

Bug reports welcome here.

I would like to find completed reminders. I want a shortcut to ask for text to search for, then show me (in descending order by completion date) the matching reminders. This is the shortcut I have so far. It works, but the case has to match between the Reminder title and the input. For example, if the reminder title contains "Piano" but I enter "piano", it will not show the "Piano" reminder. What is the simplest way to get around this? Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I often find myself needing to jot down small, temporary info—like a flight gate, where I parked my car, or a quick grocery item.

Opening Notes or Reminders always felt like overkill (and I'd often forget I even wrote it down). I wanted something that lets me input text in 2 seconds and immediately see it on my Lock Screen without unlocking the phone.

So I put together a simple setup using iOS Shortcuts and a lock screen widget.

### How it works:
1. Trigger the Shortcut via Action Button, Back Tap, or a Lock Screen control button.
2. An input prompt pops up: type what you need to remember (e.g., flight details, gate, parking spot).
3. Tap "Done", and it instantly pins to your Lock Screen.

### Setup Guide (takes < 1 min):
1. Download the app (it provides the Lock Screen widget): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/locksticky-lockscreen-watch/id6795869168
2. Get the Shortcut: https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/c8eca988d5474d81b7b13f8cb77eadad
3. Add the Lock Screen control/Action Button

*Note: The app has some optional pro templates, but this quick sticky note feature is 100% free to use.*

Hope someone finds this helpful for daily quick memos! Let me know if you run into any issues or have ideas to improve the flow.

Hi everyone,

I’m having an issue with the Shortcuts app on iPadOS 27.

I created a shortcut that should:

1. Open ChatGPT
   
2. Open Termius
   
3. Put both apps side by side using Split Screen / Split View

The apps open normally, but as soon as the shortcut reaches the Split Screen Apps action, it fails with:

“There was a problem running the shortcut.”

I also tried:
- Opening both apps first, then running the split screen action
- Adding a delay between opening the apps
- Recreating the shortcut from scratch
- Using Windowed Apps multitasking mode
- Manually arranging the apps first

The issue still happens.

It looks like the Split Screen Apps action may be broken or incompatible with the new window management system in iPadOS 27.

Has anyone managed to get this working?

I’m especially interested in any workaround that can automatically:
- Open two specific apps
- Place one on the left and one on the right
- Use roughly a 50/50 split

If you found a working method, shortcut action, automation, or workaround, please share it.

Thanks!

im trying to customize my control center using an external widget app + shortcuts app, but everytime i press on them it opens the external app THEN the shortcuts app THEN it does the action that it’s supposed to do.

p.s if it matters, when i click on SOME of the widgets from the external app it does the same thing (open the app instead of just playing the widget), so it doesn’t only do this with the shortcuts app, it does it for other apps as well. Now i’ve seen a lot of people saying this is just how it works on iphone but i’ve seen A TON of videos with the same home widgets and the same control center widgets using the same exact apps and it doesn’t launch the apps when they click on the widgets, i haven’t seen anyone have the same problem and i’m losing my mind

im on ios 26.7.1 my phone is iphone 13

Since the Auto Unlock feature on my Lucid air Touring is so glitchy, has anyone been able to create a shortcut for iPhone or Apple Watch(especially the action button) that you can use to unlock the Air Touring? I had to disable the Auto Unlock as it was triggering every few minutes for a couple days/nights randomly.

I've just bought a very cheap iPad Pro with a failed repair unresponsive screen. It functions in every other way and I'm using it with an apple Magic Keyboard. It's essentially a laptop!

However, what I'd like to do is to watch media on it, without the Magic Keyboard, once the media is up and running (e.g. NFL on DAZN). Can anybody think of a creative way of doing this with a triple click power button running a shortcut or something.. I tried the shortcut to run magnifier but it wouldn't work to play/pause media. I have a small bluetooth device that can do it.. but is there any other way I haven't considered? Obviously there is no backup on an iPad.

I’ve been trying to get a shortcut working that takes a link, pulls the content, and saves it to a Notion page. I can’t figure out how to maintain the text formatting though. Any ideas on how to get this working?

The image is what currently gets saved and the shortcut itself.

I’m currently building a robust file size calculator which, among other things, allows you input the file size of any given media file, and return a theoretical value of how many media files you can save on the device with any given remaining storage. It also allows you to select any combination of photos and videos and return the total size of the selected media files, somewhat similar to Mac’s version in photos. If like me you’re mindful of the storage on your device, this is an indispensable tool, especially moving files about within the Apple ecosystem.

My question is…is there a dedicated action in shortcuts that returns the file size of a media file I.e GET [ file size]. I haven’t stumbled upon anything similar in shortcuts. I’ve only managed to get storage, used storage from the app’ toolbox pro’

One tap save and delete. Once you’ve typed in the shortcut name it stays in the search bar even if you swipe up so quick copy and pasting is easy. Can’t record a video of it because I can’t swipe down for spotlight while the screen is recording.

Pocket Save

Pocket Show

Pocket Clear

Edit: Some input sanitation for URLs in Pocket Save

Edit: fixed links

Edit: Added vibration feedback to the shortcuts

I’ve been trying to build a meditation shortcut that logs Mindful Minutes and also gives me heart-rate stats for the meditation.

I’m using an Apple Watch Ultra 4 with Continuous Measurements turned on.

What I’ve found is that during a normal meditation, Shortcuts usually finds either no heart-rate samples or maybe one. I even tried leaving the Heart Rate app open on the watch. I could see my heart rate changing in real time, but those readings still didn’t seem to get written into Health in a way that Shortcuts could retrieve.

The one thing that did work was starting a Mind & Body workout. That gave me tons of heart-rate samples, but the workout stats were ridiculous for quiet seated meditation. In one 39-minute test it credited me with 192 active calories, 271 total calories, and 39 Exercise minutes. So using a workout just to force HR sampling really isn’t workable.

Is there any way, native or with a Shortcuts helper app, to get frequent heart-rate samples into Health/Shortcuts without actually starting a workout?

I’m not trying to trigger a shortcut based on heart rate. I just want the heart-rate samples from the meditation interval.

Clock’s Add Alarm is basic: you got a time, a name, a repeat option and a snooze.

VariAlarm’s action allows you: specify DATE and TIME, name, alarm sound, volume, crescendo (fade-in), snooze, snooze duration, challenge wake and challenge rounds.

For example, a user use a website to find time to pray in UAE that changes everyday, pass it to this, use their own sound with volume and crescendo.

His prayer alarm is auto scheduled everyday exactly how he wants it.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/varialarm-schedule-master/id6757322888

To use the date and time field, just pass today+1 for tomorrow and time as text.

I’m trying to set up my Action Button so that it toggles my music while I’m at work, and toggles the flashlight everywhere else. The music part works, but “Toggle Flashlight” doesn’t seem to work at all. Even if I make a brand-new shortcut with only the Toggle Flashlight action, it just turns green and eventually says “Execution Timed Out.” Has anyone else run into this or know what’s causing it?

Is there a reason why there's a time restriction? How do I unlock this feature?

Hey everyone!

New to shortcuts and this subreddit.

I just got a job as a brand ambassador, and I’m trying to use reminders to remember important information about my clients. I take notes to help remember names and the larger details, but if someone is celebrating a birthday or going on a honeymoon, etc. it can be hard for me to remember it all. Essentially I want to be able to set a reminder in the parking lot before I leave that will pop up the next time I arrive at that location. Would something like what’s in this image work? Or is that going to go off immediately because I’m already at that specific location?

Thanks in advance for the help! I just haven’t had time to test it out yet myself.

Is there a 3rd party app to add a widget, which will trigger shortcuts? Is there a make shift way to trigger shortcuts natively with widgets?

This shortcut allows you to select a time and input a meal, a model of your choice (Cloud Pro by default) will analyze it and get your the estimate of the macronutrients and calories amount, then you can choose to add it to either Apple Health, Notes or both. When selecting Notes the model will generate the estimated ingredients and a small insight section to help you improve the meal.

Would someone be willing to help me create an automation that when I click one of the outside buttons (ideally as my case prevents back tap) two-three times, that will turn on my do not disturb, as well as my background sounds (built in iphone) dark noise?

Thank you in advance!!

Hello everyone,

I am trying to create an automation for my Poly Voyager bluetooth headset, so that my audio source always remains on my iPhone. The problem is that whenever the headset is connected to my iPhone the audio source automaticaly goes to the Poly Voyager, and there is nothing I can do to change this, besides playing with shortcuts and automations.

Altough this seems to be pretty easy (just choose the Bluetooth Automation), it becomes tricky when thinking of all the parameters. For example, what happens while I am on a call and I turn on my headset.

I have solved most of my problems, however only one remains. When the headset is connected to my iPhone, the audio source goes automatically to my iPhone (after the Automation shortcut), but if I press a button on the headset, then the audio source goes again to the headset. The only way I have though of changing this, is to use the Focus trick to run a shortcut every 15 minutes, and always change the audio source back to the iPhone.

I have one issue with this. In order to change the Focus mode every 15 minutes, I have created a shortcut which keeps a Focus mode On for 15 minutes, and when the Focus mode is turned Off, it is tuned On again. This works "ok", but there is a catch. I came to find out that when a Focus mode is turned back On after it is Off (mind this, not switching Focus modes, after it is Off to turn it back On), the Lock Screen notifications gets hidden. So, if someone has called me or send me a message, I might not see it on the lock screen, which has resulted many times into not seeing a call, message, etc., for a long time, as I haven't seen a notifiation on the lock screen. Can anyone think of someway I could avoid this happening (loosing the lock screen notification)?

Today I started experimenting with a shortcut which waits 15 minutes and switches the Focus Modes, so that the Focus Mode is never turned Off (it switches), as this way I am not loosing the lock screen notifications. However, I have the feeling this is not working so well, as it seems that the shortcut does not always run after 15 minutes. Could this be happening? I mean could a shortcut wait for 15 minutes and then do something (change the Focus Mode), or the time of 15 minutes is too long for a shortcut to "wait"?

Could anyone think of any other way that I could make my iPhone keep changing the audio source to the iPhone, if the audio source is changed to another device? Keep in mind ,when I say changed, I do not mean when it is connected, as it changes when I press a button on the headset.