IOS 17.4.1 shortcuts stop at first command

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Level 1

15 points

IOS 17.4.1 shortcuts stop at first command

I have an iPhone 12 with IOS 17.4.1. I have lot of shortcuts, both written by me and got from others. Since the upgrade to 17.4.1, shortcuts stop working randomly. I have detailed what happens

everything works as written
After a day or few hours or a couple of days (random time) the shortcuts will not respond at all
I open the Shortcut app, run "Edit" and press the play to check
The shortcut always stops at the 1st action
I restart the phone and it goes back to normal (1) then repeat

I have re-installed the shortcuts app numerous times, including turning off iCloud on phone then erasing all shortcuts, re-installing app and then getting shortcuts back through iCloud. Nothing works apart from re-start

This happens only on iPhone, not iPad (11" iPad Pro with 17.4.1)

The privacy permissions and settings for the app must be ok as when the shortcuts run, there is no issues with any of the actions

any help to sort this will be highly appreciated as re-starting every time, specially when there is a time constraint is really irritating

thanks

Posted on Apr 29, 2024 11:25 PM

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Answer 1

Alancito

Level 7

27,466 points

May 4, 2024 2:20 AM in response to prasadvraman

prasadvraman ~ I experience the same problem. It seems to happen most when several apps are open and there's little free RAM. To avoid getting into that state, create a shortcut to clear Safari's history & data and run it before a long Shortcuts session:

• URL action:

prefs:root=SAFARI&path=CLEAR_HISTORY_AND_DATA

• Open URL action.

...When that shortcut runs and the Settings panel appears, choose 'All history' and 'Close All Tabs'.

Also manually close all apps, particularly Shortcuts app:

Close an app on your iPhone - Apple Support

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Answer 2

Alancito

Level 7

27,466 points

May 4, 2024 8:12 AM in response to prasadvraman

prasadvraman wrote: "...would it be ok to create an automation for this and run it every morning?"

Yes, but be aware that, when your automation runs, it will require you to tap the red 'Clear History' button — so it wouldn't be completely automatic.

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Answer 3

Apr 29, 2024 11:28 PM in response to prasadvraman

prasadvraman wrote:

Since the upgrade to 17.4.1, shortcuts stop working randomly. I

Please dive-in deeper.

It's not always the iOS update's fault! Many things can cause phone problems. If you tell people you think it's an iOS update, it might make it harder to fix or find a solution for the real issue.

Remember, the right question often leads to the solution!

iOS updates aim to enhance user experience, boost security, and fix bugs rather than disrupt core features. The majority of the issues after updates might stem from underlying, unmentioned factors. Updates won't typically alter personal data but may refine settings or features. Backup before major updates for safety. Review Apple's update details and backup advice for a smooth process.

Kindly consider checking your settings and addressing any device issues before attributing the issue to external factors. This could be a pure coincidence that the iOS update affected the iPhone functions.

Before initiating a standard iOS update, it's advisable to create a backup. Have you completed this step? If yes, proceed with the restoration from the backup.

See what each update does: About iOS 17 Updates, About iOS 16 Updates, About iOS 15 Updates, About iOS 14 Updates, About iOS 13 Updates, About iOS 12 Updates, and so on...

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Answer 4

prasadvraman Author

Level 1

15 points

Apr 30, 2024 12:23 AM in response to SravanKrA

This is a standard menu shortcut when it works

These are the notifications when there is an issue

this is the error message I get one I run the shortcut in the app

the error is always on the first action

There was an issue in shortcuts for "finding notes" in 17.3. The forums said this would be solved in 17.4. Hence the upgrade.

The first time the issue happened was the day after I upgraded to 17.4.1. This was around the 1st week of April. I carried out the steps as outlined and restarting was the only solution. It has happened regularly. I do not know the pattern in the last month, however, it happened yesterday at lunchtime. It happened late in the evening yesterday. before that would have been on Saturday at night. It happened this morning. I can be certain that at the time these happened, I was doing different things with the phone. Not the same activity

So, let us assume that 17.4.1 is not the cause, I still have this issue with the shortcuts. I have reset phone to factory settings and restored from older backups, I have backups of my phone before each upgrade.

so assuming that 17.4.1 is not the cause, would there be any other things I could try to help me with this shortcuts issue?

thanks

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Answer 5

Apr 29, 2024 11:31 PM in response to prasadvraman

prasadvraman wrote:

2. After a day or few hours or a couple of days (random time) the shortcuts will not respond at all

Nothing happens randomly on an iPhone. There is always a pattern which you will have to look for.

Merely stating a problem without examples, screenshots, commands, etc will not fetch an immediate correct answer

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Answer 6

prasadvraman Author

Level 1

15 points

Apr 30, 2024 8:43 PM in response to prasadvraman

Just an update on this. This issue with screenshots happened in the morning and reoccurred in the evening. For shortcuts that have more than one action, it freezes on the first action.

However it works on shortcuts that have just 1 action. Like : "open App"

thanks

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Answer 7

prasadvraman Author

Level 1

15 points

May 5, 2024 12:10 AM in response to Alancito

thanks. Yes I realised that. But that's ok as it gives me a little control on if I want to clear history or not. I just got the automator remind me as I have memory issues. Also, since I have been doing this, I have not had that issue yet. It's been 48 hours now. Many thanks for this

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Answer 8

prasadvraman Author

Level 1

15 points

May 4, 2024 2:55 AM in response to Alancito

thank you so much. I'll try this out. As I don't use safari on the phone a lot, would it be ok to create an automation for this and run it every morning?

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