screen time, explained
iPhone automations in Shortcuts: how to create, pause and delete them
A personal automation is a shortcut that runs when something happens instead of when you tap it: at a time of day, when you arrive somewhere, when you open an app. You set them up in the Shortcuts app, in the Automation tab. Each automation belongs to one device and doesn't sync to your others. The steps are for iOS 26; the last section covers iOS 27.
How to create an automation#
- Open Shortcuts and tap Automation at the bottom.
- The first time, tap New Automation. Once you have one, tap the + button in the upper-right corner instead. Depending on your setup, Shortcuts may first ask you to tap Create Personal Automation.
- Pick a trigger from the Personal Automation list, for example Time of Day, Alarm, Arrive or App.
- Set its options, such as the time and whether it repeats daily, weekly or monthly.
- Below the options, choose Run After Confirmation or Run Immediately, then tap Next.
- Choose what runs: one of your shortcuts, a single action such as Open App, or a new blank shortcut. If an editor opens, tap the checkmark to save.
Run Immediately or Run After Confirmation#
Run After Confirmation is the default. When the trigger fires, a notification asks first, and nothing runs until you say yes. Run Immediately runs it without asking, and a Notify When Run switch appears below it. That switch is off by default. Apple notes that not every trigger can run without asking. On iOS 16 and earlier, the same choice was a switch called Ask Before Running.
How to turn off or delete an automation#
To delete one, open Shortcuts, tap Automation, swipe left on the automation and tap Delete.
To pause one without losing it, tap the automation, tap the Automation setting at the top and choose Don’t Run, then tap Done. The list then shows it as disabled, and choosing Run Immediately or Run After Confirmation turns it back on.
Three automations for less phone time#
The first is a Focus at bedtime. Create a Time of Day automation for the time you want to wind down, set it to Run Immediately, and add the Set Focus action to turn on Do Not Disturb or another Focus. A Focus can also schedule itself in Settings → Focus, so the automation helps most when you want another trigger, such as stopping your alarm.
The second puts a book in front of you. Create a Time of Day automation for 10 pm, leave it on Run After Confirmation, and add Open App with your reading app. At ten, a notification asks whether to run it. Say yes and the app opens. Nothing is locked.
The third keeps your screen time record current.
Worked example: the two automations finit uses#
This is the part we build, so judge accordingly. finit keeps your Screen Time history for years, well past the four weeks your iPhone keeps. It gets the numbers through a shortcut called Finit Import, which uses Apple's Get App & Website Activity action, and its guided setup walks you through two automations that run it:
- Time of Day, 0:30, daily, Run Immediately, running Finit Import. Every night it brings in the finished day, even with the phone locked.
- App, finit, Is Opened, Run Immediately, running Finit Import. Whenever you open finit, today so far comes in first.
Notify When Run stays off for both, so neither shows a notification. For fresher numbers during the day, our support page describes one more: App, your most used apps, Is Closed, Run Immediately, running Finit Import.
On iOS 27#
Apple moved automations into the shortcut itself in iOS 27. If your Shortcuts app shows no New Automation screen, this is why. An automation is now a trigger you add to a shortcut: open the shortcut and add a trigger, for example a time of day, every day. One shortcut can have several triggers, joined by "or". Tapping + in the Automation tab opens a blank shortcut editor. In our testing, new triggers run without asking by default, so there is no Run Immediately step. To stop an automation, open the shortcut and remove its trigger. Apple's guide has the current steps, including a privacy option for shortcuts that should run while the iPhone is locked.
For finit on iOS 27, the same two triggers, 0:30 every day and opening finit, go on the Finit Import shortcut itself.
The short answers#
How do I create an automation on iPhone?
Open the Shortcuts app and tap Automation, then New Automation or the plus button. Pick a trigger such as Time of Day, choose Run Immediately or Run After Confirmation, tap Next and choose what should run.
How do I delete an automation on iPhone?
In the Shortcuts app, tap Automation, swipe left on the automation and tap Delete. On iOS 27, open the shortcut and remove its trigger instead.
How do I turn off an automation without deleting it?
Tap the automation, tap the Automation setting at the top, choose Don’t Run and tap Done. Choose Run Immediately or Run After Confirmation later to turn it back on.
What does Run Immediately mean in Shortcuts?
The automation runs as soon as its trigger fires, without asking. With Run After Confirmation, a notification asks first and the automation only runs if you confirm.
Two automations, set up once, keep a record of every day. See why that record matters.
