Use Automation to Prevent Alarms From Going Off When You Don’t Need Them
I use the alarm feature in the Clock app on my iPhone to remember when to feed my cat. I find that she bothers me less if she thinks the alarm clock is in charge of mealtimes and not me (sounds stupid, but it works). However, when I leave the house, this alarm is mostly just a nuisance. That’s why I set my alarm to only go off when I’m home.
This is useful not only for cat lovers. Perhaps you don’t want your regular morning alarm to go off while you’re on vacation, for example, or maybe you have alarms that are useful at work that you don’t want to hear at home. The thing is, you can set alarms to only go off when you’re in a specific location using the iPhone’s built-in shortcuts feature—here’s how to do it.
First, set your alarms and name them.
The first step should be obvious: set a couple of alarms if you haven’t already. Go to the Clock app, tap the Alarms tab, and click the plus sign in the top right corner. Pay attention to the Label field – the next steps will be much easier if you accurately label the different alarms. For example, I named them after the food my cat gets at certain times.
Second, set up shortcuts to turn these alarms on and off.
Next, we need to set up a few shortcuts: one to turn off the alarm when you leave the house, and another to turn the alarm back on when you return.
Open the Shortcuts app on your iPhone, then create a new shortcut—I recommend calling the first one “Road Home.” Tap Add Action and find the Clock app by tapping Toggle Alarm . Make sure the shortcut points to your specific alarm and that it is set to turn on the alarm. Add as many alarms as you want and save the shortcut by tapping Done .
Now make another shortcut, this time called “Leave the House.” Repeat the process, ensuring that the same alarms are configured for re-enablement.
You should now have two new shortcuts: one to turn the alarm on when you get home, and one to turn it off when you leave the house. Now we need to configure them to start automatically.
Third: automate things
Tap the Automation tab in the Shortcuts app—you’ll find it at the bottom of the screen. Click the plus button in the top right corner and select the Arrival option. Enter your home address as your location. I also recommend using the Run Immediately option – otherwise the shortcut will only run if you look at your phone when you get home.
You’ll be asked which shortcut to launch when you get home – look for the one you named Get Home . Now you have set up an automation that will turn on the alarm when you return home. Now we need to make a second automation, this time turning off alarms when you leave the house.
Click the plus button to create a new automation – this time we’re going to use the Quit option. Use your home address as the location as before, and I again recommend using the Run Now option. This time, set up automation for launching the “Leaving Home” shortcut.
Everything should now be set up! Try this: Next time you leave the house, open the Clock app and make sure your alarms are turned off, then check to see if they’re on when you get home. I’ve been using this for almost a year now and I love it – I hope you find it helpful.