Personal Automation

Automation is not limited to the HomeKit app on my Apple iPhone or iPad, and I can use Personal Automation to trigger many different actions on my iPhone or iPad. For example, I have an automation that can recognise a low battery on my iPad and turn on the power outlet to charge it.

The main difference between a Shortcut and Personal Automation is that a change in a condition on the device will trigger action rather than pushing a button to initiate a Shortcut. There are many different triggers available, including triggers for different times of the day, when I arrive or leave home, when an email or message appears, or when a particular app opens. I can also trigger automation by using an NFC tag.

One of my favourites is the automation that automatically casts YouTube to the television when the YouTube app is opened. It is straightforward but very effective.

You are limited to what trigger feature is offered in the Shortcuts app, but it is a good starting point as a platform for personal automation tasks. Unlike Shortcuts, Personal Automations are specific to the device they are created on and don't sync across Apple devices as the HomeKit Automations do. If you are an Apple fan and haven't configured these Personal Automations before, you should try.