Permissions, Permissions, Permissions!
A made-up privacy screenshot asking for permissions to run an iOS Shortcut
(To be sung in your head to the tune of “Tradition” from Fiddler on the Roof.)
I love Apple Shortcuts.
Ever since Apple transformed Workflow into the Shortcuts app in iOS 12, I’ve been hooked. What started as a few simple automations has grown into a full-blown obsession. I’m no Matthew Cassinelli—the Shortcut sage with thousands of custom workflows—but I do have over 500 of my own. Some people collect stamps. I collect Shortcuts.
Some of mine are delightfully simple, like my “Washing Reminder,” which uses just a few actions. Others are more complex—like my “Rise and Shine” routine that sets Focus modes based on whether it’s a weekday or the weekend. Over time, I’ve layered more logic, more branching, more integrations. And along with that complexity has come… frustration.
Because if there’s one thing I constantly forget?
Permissions.
More than once, I’ve built a Shortcut, tested it, and walked away confident. Only later—much later—I’ll notice it silently failed. Why? Because it tried to do something it didn’t yet have permission for. The irony is painful: I asked it to do something, and then I forgot to approve the very thing I asked it to do.
Sometimes I’m lucky enough to catch it live—watching the screen when the permissions prompt pops up:
“Allow this shortcut to run another shortcut?”
“Allow this shortcut to delete a reminder?”
It’s always a little absurd. I’m the one who built it. I know exactly what it’s supposed to do. But Apple, wants to make sure I really mean it.
And to be fair—they’re right to be cautious. Shortcuts are powerful. One wrong move and you could delete your entire photo library or wipe all your reminders. I’d rather Apple err on the side of caution than be careless.
But still…
Couldn’t we improve this? Maybe a single permission dashboard? Or even a “trust this shortcut entirely” toggle for power users? (Looking at you, WWDC 2025.)
Until then, I’ve realized that perhaps I need to improve my process. Beard.fm’s YouTube channel has made running and granting permissions part of the ritual.
One last tip:
It took me years to discover the advanced settings tucked inside each Shortcut—things like “Allow deleting without confirmation” or “Allow large data deletions.” If you haven’t found those yet, dig in. And thank the amazing Reddit Shortcuts community for shining a light on them.