iOS 27 Lock Screen tips: automations, notes and widgets after the update

What changed in iOS 27: automations live inside the shortcut

Up to iOS 26, Shortcuts had a separate Automation tab. You created an automation there (for example, “when DailyWall is closed”), chose Run Immediately and picked the shortcut to run.

In iOS 27 that tab is gone. The trigger is now part of the shortcut itself. In the shortcut editor, the action list has an Automation category with triggers such as App (opened or closed) and Time of Day. A shortcut with a trigger runs on its own once the trigger is switched on; whether it may run without asking while your iPhone is locked is controlled in the shortcut’s details, under Privacy, by Allow Running When Locked.

Nothing about the Lock Screen itself has to change for this. What changes is where you go to keep a wallpaper automation running.

8 iOS 27 Lock Screen tips

Tick the steps as you go

1. Open the real editor. Touch and hold a shortcut and choose Edit. If a screen appears asking you to describe a change, tap Edit again in the top-right corner to reach the classic editor with the trigger at the top.
2. Look for “Automation is turned off”. Shortcuts shared with you, including ready-made ones from apps, arrive with their trigger switched off. Tap the small arrow next to the trigger (for example next to Closed) and turn the Automation switch on.
3. Check Allow Running When Locked. Tap ⓘ for the shortcut’s details and look under Privacy. A wallpaper automation needs to run while the phone is locked or in your pocket.
4. Use one shortcut with two triggers. A shortcut can carry more than one trigger. Instead of a second automation for a morning refresh, add a Time of Day trigger (for example 00:05, every day) to the same shortcut.
5. Don’t look for Run Immediately. That option belonged to the old Automation tab. In iOS 27 the question is whether the trigger is on and whether the shortcut may run when locked.
6. Keep one Lock Screen per context. Touch and hold the Lock Screen, tap Focus at the bottom of a Lock Screen and link it to a Focus mode, so work and weekend each get their own widgets and wallpaper.
7. Leave the top third calm. The clock and widget row sit there. Put notes, photos and stickers in the middle so the time stays readable.
8. Use widgets for counts, the wallpaper for content. Lock Screen widgets are small and single-tint: great for “3 left today”, too small for the list itself.

Updating a notes or to-do wallpaper on iOS 27

Apps that change your Lock Screen wallpaper (as opposed to showing a widget) rely on a Shortcuts automation, because iOS doesn’t let apps set the wallpaper on their own. So every one of them needed new setup steps for iOS 27.

In DailyWall the Lock Screen setup asks which iOS you have and shows the matching steps, with real Shortcuts screenshots for that version. On iOS 27 the ready-made DailyWall shortcut already contains the “when DailyWall is closed” trigger; after you add it, you touch and hold it, tap Edit, tap Edit again, tap the arrow next to Closed and switch Automation on. The optional morning refresh is a second trigger on the same shortcut.

The full walkthrough, for both iOS 26 and iOS 27, is in our guide to putting notes on your iPhone Lock Screen.

Troubleshooting checklist

Tick the steps as you go

1. The wallpaper didn’t change after I edited a note: the trigger fires when you leave the app. Swipe home once after editing.
2. Nothing runs at all: open the shortcut and look for “Automation is turned off” at the top. Switch it on next to the trigger.
3. It asks for confirmation every time: check Allow Running When Locked in the shortcut’s details (ⓘ → Privacy).
4. The morning refresh doesn’t happen: make sure the Time of Day trigger is on the same shortcut and set to repeat daily.
5. Still stuck: in DailyWall, open the Lock Screen page and run the setup again; it detects your iOS version.

Lock Screen basics worth revisiting after an update

A big update is a good moment to tidy the Lock Screen. Three things worth checking: your controls at the bottom (you can replace the flashlight or camera with something you use more, such as a new-note control), your widget row (rectangular widgets show the most), and whether you still want several Lock Screens linked to Focus modes.

If you mainly want text on the Lock Screen, compare the options in our notes widget guide and the to-do list on the Lock Screen guide. If you’re choosing an app, our comparison of Lock Screen notes apps notes which ones already explain the iOS 27 way.