Faster iOS 14 Shortcuts: Speed Up Your Automations

This guide shows you how to make your iOS 14 Shortcuts run noticeably faster, from reducing the time it takes to launch a shortcut to optimizing the actions themselves. You’ll learn the specific settings and design choices that eliminate lag, so your automations feel instant. No jailbreak or special tools are needed—just a few minutes of tweaking within the Shortcuts app itself.

What You’ll Need

An iPhone or iPad running iOS 14 (or later, though the steps are tuned for iOS 14).
The Shortcuts app (pre-installed on iOS 14).
At least one existing shortcut you want to speed up (or a new one you’re building).

Step-by-Step

Enable “Use Quick Actions” in Settings. Go to Settings > Shortcuts and toggle on Use Quick Actions. This lets you run a shortcut directly from the Home Screen or Lock Screen without opening the Shortcuts app first, cutting out a full app launch.
Turn off “Show When Run” for every action that doesn’t need user input. Open your shortcut, tap each action, and look for the Show When Run toggle. Turn it off for actions like setting a variable, getting clipboard contents, or calculating a value. Each time this is on, iOS pauses to display an overlay, adding a second or more of delay.
Replace “Ask Each Time” with a fixed value or a dictionary lookup. If an action has a parameter set to Ask Each Time, the shortcut will wait for your input. Instead, hard-code the value if it’s always the same, or use a Dictionary action to pick from a list based on a variable. This removes the prompt entirely.
Use “Get Current Focus” or “Get Battery Level” instead of “Ask” for context. If your shortcut needs to know the time, location, or device state, use the built-in Get Current actions (like Get Current Focus, Get Current Location, or Get Battery Level) rather than asking the user. These are instant and don’t require any interaction.
Combine multiple actions into one using “Text” or “Dictionary”. For example, instead of three separate Get Variable actions, use a single Text action with placeholders like Hello, {Name}!. This reduces the number of actions the engine has to process.
Remove unnecessary “Wait” actions. If you added a Wait action for a previous version, delete it. Even a 1-second wait adds up. If you need a delay for a network request, consider using Get Contents of URL with a timeout instead.
Move heavy actions to the end. Actions like Get Contents of URL or Convert Image can take a few seconds. If you don’t need their output until later, keep them as late as possible so the user sees the first result (like a notification) immediately.
Use “Run Shortcut” to chain smaller shortcuts. Instead of one giant shortcut, break it into two or three smaller ones. The first one does the quick part (like showing a menu), and then calls the second one. This way, the initial response is faster because the first shortcut is tiny.
Turn off “Show in Share Sheet” if you don’t use it. Go to the shortcut’s settings (the slider icon) and disable Show in Share Sheet. This reduces the load on the system every time you open a share sheet, which can make the Shortcuts app feel snappier overall.
Restart your device after making changes. iOS caches shortcut data. A quick restart clears the cache and ensures your changes take full effect, especially if you’ve edited several shortcuts.

Common Mistakes

Leaving “Show When Run” on for actions that don’t need it. This is the #1 cause of slow shortcuts. Every overlay adds a delay.
Using “Ask Each Time” for a value that’s always the same. You’re forcing a manual step every run.
Adding too many actions in a single shortcut. Even if each action is fast, 50 actions will take longer than 5. Break it up.
Forgetting to turn off “Show in Share Sheet” for shortcuts you never share. This adds overhead to every share sheet you open.
Not updating to the latest iOS 14.x version. Apple fixed several performance bugs in later 14.x releases. Check Settings > General > Software Update.

Tips

Use “Text” actions to build strings instead of multiple “Append to Variable” actions. It’s faster and cleaner.
For network requests, set a timeout of 2-3 seconds. If the server is slow, the shortcut won’t hang for 60 seconds.
Test your shortcut with “Run” from the editor. This shows you exactly where the delay is. Watch the highlight as it moves through actions.
If you have a shortcut that runs on a schedule (like a morning routine), make sure it’s not also set to run when you open the app. Duplicate runs waste time.
Consider using “Get Current Date” with a formatted date instead of asking the user for the time. It’s instant.

Troubleshooting

Shortcut still slow after turning off “Show When Run”? Check for any action that has a gear icon with a red badge—that indicates a setting that might be asking for input. Also, look for Get Contents of URL actions; they can be slow. Try replacing with a cached version if possible.

Shortcut doesn’t run at all after changes? You might have broken a variable reference. Go back to the last action that worked and check the variable name. Also, ensure you didn’t accidentally delete a required action.

Shortcut runs but the result is wrong? If you hard-coded a value, double-check it. If you used a dictionary, make sure the key matches exactly (case-sensitive).

Shortcuts app itself is laggy? Force-quit the Shortcuts app (swipe up from the bottom and swipe the app card away), then reopen it. If that doesn’t help, restart your device.

Automation (personal or home) doesn’t trigger quickly? In iOS 14, automations can have a delay. Make sure you have Ask Before Running turned off for the automation, and that the shortcut it runs is optimized as above.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does turning off “Show When Run” affect the functionality?

No. It only hides the visual confirmation. The action still runs in the background. The only exception is if an action requires user input (like a text prompt)—that will still show regardless.

Can I make a shortcut run without opening the Shortcuts app?

Yes. Add the shortcut to your Home Screen (via the share sheet or the shortcut’s settings) and tap the icon. Or use the Back Tap feature (Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Back Tap) to trigger a shortcut from the back of your iPhone.

Why does my shortcut wait 2-3 seconds before starting?

That’s often the time it takes for the Shortcuts engine to initialize. This is normal, but you can reduce it by keeping your shortcuts small and by using the Home Screen icon instead of running from the app.

Is it better to use “Run Shortcut” or copy the actions?

Using Run Shortcut is better for performance because it allows the engine to optimize the called shortcut separately. Copying actions into a single shortcut makes it longer and slower.

Will these tips work on iOS 15 or later?

Mostly yes. The core principles (turning off overlays, reducing actions, avoiding prompts) apply to all versions. Some menu names may differ slightly, but the concepts are the same.

My shortcut uses “Get Contents of URL” and it’s always slow. What can I do?

Try to reduce the amount of data you request (e.g., use a smaller API endpoint). Also, set a timeout of 2-3 seconds. If the server is slow, the shortcut will fail gracefully rather than hang.

General steps for current mainstream versions; menus can differ by device and version. See the disclaimer or report an error.

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