I Took My iPhone Lock Screen to the Next Level With These Shortcuts

There are so many things that you can do to make your iPhone's lock screen and home screen truly yours. Swapping out the default Camera and Flashlight shortcuts with something else is just one of them.

One frustration you might have with how your lock screen looks is settling for the two default actions: Flashlight and quick access to the Camera app. The good news is that you can now replace these actions with something that might be more useful for you.

To replace these default widgets, long-press your lock screen. Click on "Customize" and tap "Lock Screen."

Now, you can click on the "-" (minus) sign on the flashlight and camera icons to remove them.

Click on the "+" (plus) signs that appear, and search for your preferred control from a list of connectivity, clock, display, and other controls.

Press "Done" in the upper right corner to exit editing mode.

The Camera app shortcut is redundant since you can use a left swipe gesture on your lock screen to access the camera app at any time. If you get into the habit of doing this whenever you want to take a quick photo, you won't necessarily lose any functionality by replacing its icon. The Flashlight can be controlled via Control Center, where you can also adjust its brightness and (on some iPhones) beam intensity.

While you can only add two of these controls on either side of your lock screen, you can also choose to add up to three widgets that open your preferred apps, right under the time and date display.

Add Shortcuts to Your Lock Screen

Apart from controls related to display and connectivity, an alternative is to directly add a shortcut of your liking, straight from the Shortcuts app. Until iOS 18, you could only add shortcuts to your home screen by bookmarking them.

To add a shortcut of your choice, go back to the editing mode for your lock screen and click on either of the empty corner slots, after you remove the flashlight and camera icons. From the menu shown, search for the Shortcuts app icon.

Tap on "Shortcut," then click "Choose" from the next menu that pops up. Search for the shortcut action you want to add and tap on it. Now, click "Done" to exit editing mode.

Another way to customize your lock screen is by going to Settings > Wallpaper and selecting "Customize" on the minimized version of your lock screen. I have found this useful when I am unable to choose between shortcuts right from the lock screen, which I found to be a slight issue that acts up rarely.

To add a new shortcut to your list of options, go to the Shortcuts app, and on the "Shortcuts" tab tap the "+" (plus) sign. Now search for an action and customize the variables for the action, then save it. You can now add it to your lock screen, vastly expanding the number of features you can access from there.

My favorite shortcut to add to my lock screen is "Start Pomodoro," which is a quick way to start a custom timer. You can choose how many minutes the timer has to run for, which automatically triggers a Focus Mode until it goes off.

Another shortcut I like to add is "Send Message," which lets you send a custom message with any contact (or contacts) you choose. When adding this shortcut through the app, make sure to specify the recipients and custom message, if needed. The shortcut automatically takes you to your message history with the contact you chose, giving you quick access.

The fun part is that your options are unlimited. You can even add third-party app icons to your lock screen and Control Center.

Change Shortcut Icons

You might have noticed that when adding shortcuts to your lock screen, the default icon for each action is the Shortcuts app icon. This can be confusing if you want to add two shortcuts, or want to routinely switch up which shortcut is on your lock screen.

To fix this, open the Shortcuts app and navigate to the shortcut you want to add. Click on the three dots next to the shortcut, then tap the drop-down menu. Here, tap on "Choose Icon" to customize the icon display.

You can choose from different symbols and colors, or stick to the app icons that some app-specific shortcuts (like Journal shortcuts) come with.

Alternatively, Remove the Shortcuts Altogether

If you're looking for a clean look and are avoiding lock screen widgets, you might want to consider removing these two controls altogether. You can do this by tapping and holding the lock screen, then choosing "Customize" followed by "Lock Screen."

Now tap the "-" minus buttons next to the Flashlight and Camera app shortcuts (or whatever you've replaced them with) followed by the "Done" button at the top of the screen. Remember that you can always access the iPhone Camera app by swiping to the left anyway, so you don't necessarily need a dedicated button in order to do this.

Shorcuts is a powerful app that lets you create custom workflows and build useful automations to make getting things done easier. Get started with the Shortcuts app by adding pre-made workflows from the gallery.