Making Personal Automations Run When iPhone Locked

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Level 1

5 points

Making Personal Automations Run When iPhone Locked

Hello,

I am really stumped. I set up a shortcut that I run when I go to bed that logs the time when I go to bed and asks me when I want to get up, then sets an alarm for that. And then a corresponding personal automation for whenever an alarm goes off that records my sleep time in the health app, toggles that alarm off, and then runs things in the home app that my HomePods go and do.

it all works great in testing but not in reality because it won't run the personal automation until I unlock the phone. How do I solve this problem? If it's a design decision, that seems truly bizarre. What would be the point of having it do things when an alarm went off if it has to be in your hand and open in order to do them?

in a related matter, this workflow ends up leaving me with a new (turned off) alarm every day. There doesn't seem to be a short cut to actually delete them.

Please help!

-Shawn

iPhone 13 mini

Posted on Apr 17, 2023 1:47 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

Delano Jennings

Level 1

11 points

Nov 20, 2023 8:28 AM in response to Mac2TheFuture

I have 4-5 automations for text messages at specific times. Some will send message while phone is locked but some won’t.

what’s the reason for that? Settings are all the same except time/message/contact & all set to run immediately

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Answer 2

Aug 13, 2023 7:52 PM in response to watergeek

Just seeing if anyone has any insight as to why some of the automation categories do not allow you to disable the confirmation. Specifically, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

I get the security/privacy reasons behind all of the other categories listed below. But what am I missing about Wi-Fi and Bluetooth?

What I'm specifically looking to do is have my VPN turn on when I connect to my work WiFi without my phone making a noise every time I walk in and out of the building. Automations are helpful if they are truly automated.

From: Enable or disable a personal automation in Shortcuts on iPhone or iPad - Apple Support

The following automations cannot be run automatically:

Arrive
Leave
Before I Commute
Email
Message
Wi-Fi
Bluetooth

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Answer 3

Apr 17, 2023 1:57 AM in response to watergeek

When you run an automation in the Shortcuts app on your iPhone, it may require approval from the user before it can be executed. This is a security feature that is designed to prevent unauthorized access to your device or sensitive data.

In particular, when an automation involves accessing or modifying sensitive data, such as your contacts, location, or camera, health data, Home App the Shortcuts app will prompt you for approval before allowing the automation to proceed. This helps to ensure that you are aware of what the automation is doing and have the opportunity to approve or deny access to your data.

Additionally, if an automation is triggered by a shortcut that has the "Ask Before Running" option enabled, you will be prompted to confirm that you want to run the automation before it is executed. This can help prevent accidental or unintended actions from being performed by the automation.

Overall, the approval process for running an automation is an important security feature that helps to ensure that your data and device are protected from unauthorized access or misuse.

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Making Personal Automations Run When iPhone Locked

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