How to Use Lock Screen Shortcuts

For some time now, scripting has been a way on the Mac to automate certain workflows. Thanks to Apple’s application Shortcuts, workflows can meanwhile also be automated on your iPhone or iPad and then executed at the touch of a button. If you have a few commonly used shortcuts, there is a very handy iOS 16 utility to give you access to them on your iPhone’s lock screen: LockFlow.

LockFlow allows you to import your existing shortcuts to choose some for use on the lock screen. Alternatively, you can manually add a shortcut by typing the exact name of the shortcut in the application. While the instructions refer to locking the iPhone to edit the lock screen, this can also (and in my mind, more easily) done in iOS’ Settings > Wallpaper:

1. Tap the Customize button beneath the lock screen.
2. Tap the widget section beneath the time to show the Add Widgets pop-up menu.
3. Scroll to LockFlow and tap it.
4. Choose the size of button you want to use.
5. Tap the widget to choose a shortcut to run. Note that you must have imported shortcuts into LockFlow for this to work.
6. Press Done when finished.

Now lock your iPhone and awaken it to check your customized lock screen with your shortcuts.

Remember, LockFlow requires iOS 16 or later and is only available on the iPhone. We anticipate it will be available on iPadOS 16 in the future as well, but of course we don’t know. Also, if you have secured your iPhone with a pin or biometrically, you have to unlock it first before the shortcut can be executed.

If you still need inspiration for shortcuts for DEVONthink To Go, you can, e.g., have a look at this article, where we present a shortcut for quickly taking and storing multiple photos. And as a nod to our friend Kourosh Dini, here’s his recent blog post about using LockFlow to journal in DEVONthink To Go. Check it out!