On-screen text
FREE IPHONE AUTOMATION
My son texted
me marco, and
my phone gave
itself away.
It lit up and started singing from exactly where
I thought I lost it. Here is the automation that does it,
built with you tap by tap.
the family os.
Swipe
→
WHAT IT DOES
the family os.
Text one word, and your
lost phone answers.
1 Watches for a text with your
secret word
2 Turns the flashlight on so you can
spot it
3 Cranks the volume, even if you left it
on silent
4 Plays a song so it sings back
to you
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NEW TO SHORTCUTS?
the family os.
Start with this one.
This is an automation, not a regular shortcut, which
means your phone runs it on its own. It is the perfect
first build: short, useful, and hard to mess up. Follow
along, I go slow.
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STEP 1 • OPEN THE APP
the family os.
Open the Shortcuts app.
Swipe down on your home screen, type Shortcuts, and tap the app with
the two purple squares. It is already on your iPhone and free.
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STEP 2 • NEW AUTOMATION
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Tap Automation, then the plus.
Along the bottom, tap Automation, then the plus in the top corner for a
new one. This is what lets your phone run on its own.
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STEP 3 • PICK THE TRIGGER
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From the list, choose Message.
Scroll to Message and tap it. That is the one that makes your phone
watch for a text.
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STEP 4 • LEAVE THE SENDER
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Keep Sender on Any Sender.
Leave it as Any Sender so it works no matter whose phone texts you the
word. Then tap Message Contains.
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STEP 5 • PICK YOUR WORD
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Type the word that sets it off.
I use marco. Pick a word you would never text by accident. Skip names
and everyday words like ok or hey, or it fires on its own. A nonsense
phrase like olly-oxen-free is safest. Tap Done.
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STEP 6 • DO NOT SKIP THIS
the family os.
Choose Run Immediately.
Not Run After Confirmation. Confirmation makes your lost phone wait for
you to tap a notification, which defeats the point. Run Immediately fires
the second the text lands. Tap Next.
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STEP 7 • BUILD THE ACTIONS
the family os.
Now add four actions, in order.
This blank screen is your shortcut. Use the Search Actions bar at the
bottom to find each one. The next four slides add them one at a time.
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ACTION 1 • FLASHLIGHT
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Search flashlight, set it On.
Type flashlight and add Set Flashlight, left on On. That is what lights it up
under a couch cushion or in a dark room.
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ACTION 2 • MEDIA VOLUME
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Search volume, set Media to 100%.
Type volume and add Set Media Volume. It lands at 50%, so tap it and
change it to 100%.
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ACTION 3 • THE KEY ONE
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Add it again, switch to Ringtone.
Add the same Set Volume step, set to 100%, then tap the blue word
Media and change it to Ringtone. You need both, or a silenced phone
stays quiet.
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ACTION 4 • PLAY MUSIC
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Add Play Music, pick a song.
Search Play Music and choose a song you have downloaded. That is your
phone singing back to you. Download one first if your library is empty.
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STEP 8 • SAVE AND TEST IT
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Tap Done, then try it for real.
Your four actions should match this. Now test it: text your magic word
to your own number from any other device, a partner's phone or an iPad.
Watch it light up and sing.
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A FEW THINGS PEOPLE ASK
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Before you go.
How does it stop?
Unlock your phone and the song ends on its own. Want a hard off switch?
Make a second automation with a different word that runs Stop Playing.
Android or Apple Watch?
iPhone only, and it needs iPhone 15 or newer. You cannot start it from a
Watch, but any other phone or person can text the word for you.
No songs to choose?
Back out, open Music, download one song, then come back and add Play
Music again.
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YOU BUILT AN AUTOMATION
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Now your phone
answers you.
That is your first real automation, done. The link in my
bio has all my free iPhone shortcuts. Follow along to
build your household into a system.
the family os.
Link in
bio
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