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Shortcuts and automation

Shortcuts and automations

Most people call this running your own sequences of actions.

Shortcuts run sequences of actions, and automations run them on a trigger such as a time, an alarm, arriving somewhere or tapping an NFC tag.

Available

This setting is present on your iPhone.

  • We have this path on file but have not yet confirmed it against an official source.

Where to find it - iOS 18 and later

  1. Settings
  2. Apps
  3. Shortcuts

What it does

Shortcuts settings control whether untrusted shortcuts can be installed and whether a shortcut can run without asking. Automations can be set to run automatically or to ask first.

Shortcuts can be attached to the Action button, Back Tap, Control Centre or a Home Screen icon.

What changes

When it is on

Shortcuts and automations run as configured.

When it is off

Nothing runs automatically.

Should you turn it on?

Good reasons to turn it on

  • Automate repetitive sequences.
  • Trigger Low Power Mode or a Focus on a schedule.
  • Give the Action button or Back Tap a custom job.

Good reasons to turn it off

  • A shared shortcut from the internet can do a great deal.
  • Automations that run without asking can surprise you.

Battery

Depends how you use it

Privacy

Depends how you use it

Performance

No real change

Cellular data

No real change

Storage

No real change

Out of the box: Untrusted shortcuts blocked until you allow them.

Worth reading first

Where this setting used to live

Apple moves settings between releases. This is every location we have on file.

  1. iOS 18 and later

    Settings > Apps > Shortcuts

  2. iOS 13 to iOS 17

    Settings > Shortcuts

Questions people actually ask

Can a shortcut from the internet be dangerous?
Yes. A shortcut can read data and send it elsewhere. Read the actions before running one you did not write.

If it is not working

  • Allow Running Scripts and untrusted shortcuts only for shortcuts you have read.
  • Ask Before Running is worth keeping on for anything destructive.
  • NFC triggers need a model with the background tag reading hardware.

Related settings