For iPhone users and automation enthusiasts, Siri Shortcuts have long been a powerful tool. With the release of iOS 13 and later updates, Apple opened the floodgates to a richer automation experience by allowing users to trigger custom routines based on location, time, NFC tags, and more. However, in recent releases, users discovered that Siri Shortcut Automations were not performing as expected—especially automations that are supposed to run in the background without user input. This caused immense frustration across the iOS community.
TLDR:
Many iOS users noticed Siri shortcut automations stopped running in the background due to a permissions issue tied to new privacy enhancements. These automations began to require manual confirmation, breaking “true automation.” A recent permissions stack repair within iOS helped restore the intended background execution. The fix was hidden in system updates and started affecting users positively with iOS 16.4 and above.
Understanding Siri Shortcut Automations
Siri Shortcuts allow users to execute single actions or a sequence of tasks through Siri voice commands or automatically through predefined automations. These automations include things like:
- Turning on Do Not Disturb when arriving at work
- Setting a playlist to begin when connected to CarPlay
- Running a daily routine at a specific time
Initially, these automations could function without any interaction from the user. But inexplicably, many iOS users began to notice their automations—especially those relying on background execution—were not running without requiring confirmation or input.
Background Automations Hit a Wall
The shift began primarily with iOS 14 onwards, as Apple became stricter with privacy protocols. Automation triggers that were once seamless now prompted users with notifications requiring confirmation. This undermined the purpose of automation and turned smart routines into semi-manual tasks.
Some of the common triggers affected included:
- Time of day
- Location arrival or departure
- Wi-Fi connection changes
- Battery level thresholds
Users on Reddit and Apple forums began reporting this issue with consistent frustration. Power users who depended on automations to dim lights, manage sound profiles, or send customized messages found themselves stopped cold by these new restrictions.
The Root of the Problem: Permissions Stack Misconfiguration
Digging deeper, it became evident that the issue stemmed from Apple’s internal permissions stack. This stack is responsible for determining what system services and apps are allowed to do without explicit user approval. With each iteration of iOS focused more on user privacy, it appears that Apple inadvertently weakened the automation capabilities through background permission changes.
Several developers and white-hat testers conducted tests and found that automations were flagged for confirmation due to a mismatch between the Shortcut’s permissions and the device’s privacy policies. Effectively, a broken handshake.
Some of the technical triggers included:
- Shortcuts attempting to access protected resources like location or contacts in the background
- Missing trust flags on unsigned custom shortcuts
- New system daemons blocking automated processes due to risk assessment
Ironically, this happened even though users explicitly configured the automations and clearly intended for them to be performed silently.
The Fix: Permissions Stack Repair
In iOS 16.4, Apple silently bundled a permissions stack repair in its under-the-hood security updates. While it wasn’t detailed in release notes, many users began reporting that automations they had written off as “broken” suddenly returned to life—running in the background without user confirmation.
After further community analysis, the fix appeared to consist of the following improvements:
- Permissions Re-authentication Dialog: For problematic shortcuts, users were re-prompted for access permissions once, which restored background functionality for the future.
- Simplification of Shortcut Trust Flags: iOS appears to have relaxed strict flagging on user-created shortcuts if they remain within the confines of privacy boundaries.
- Privileged Automation Triggers: Some system-level triggers like battery state or charger connection are now processed by trusted daemons, allowing faster and background-safe execution of routines.
Another small but important change seems to be the introduction of a sandbox layer where system actions initiated by the Shortcuts app don’t trigger privacy defenses if the user has interacted with them once.
What Users Can Do Today
Those still facing issues should take the following steps to repair automation behavior:
- Update to the latest version of iOS to ensure patches are present.
- Recreate any failing shortcuts as new routines to clear potential legacy permission misflags.
- Explicitly grant permissions to all actions used in shortcuts—from location, microphone, and contacts to calendar.
- Check “Allow Running without Asking” is toggled on for the automation.
Additionally, restarting the device, force quitting the Shortcuts app, or toggling automation off and on can help refresh background permissions.
iOS Automation Developers: What Changed?
For developers building around iOS automation, Apple’s repair of the permissions stack means they can again rely on automations performing in background mode. Complex workflows using APIs, HomeKit integration, and scripting actions now function with minimal user disruption, so long as confidentiality boundaries are respected.
Third-party apps using the Shortcuts API have reported improved reliability as well, particularly when using system integrations like reminders, health data, or calendar events.
Conclusion
The incident served as a reminder of the delicate balance between privacy enforcement and user convenience. While Apple’s drive toward a more secure environment is universally applauded, it introduced disruption to a beloved user feature. Thankfully, Apple’s quiet repair effort helped restore trust in Siri Shortcut Automations and proved that careful attention to background permissions can enhance both security and usability.
FAQ
- Why did Siri Shortcut Automations stop working in the background?
Automations stopped due to tightened privacy protocols and conflicts within the permissions stack, especially in iOS updates post version 14. - Has Apple officially acknowledged the issue?
Not formally in most release notes, but silent fixes were implemented with iOS 16.4+ and discussed widely in community documentation. - What iOS version includes the fix?
Versions starting from iOS 16.4 and onward have shown signs of resolving the issue through internal permission patching. - Do I have to recreate all my automations?
Not necessarily, but recreating or reauthorizing permissions for faulty automations can help restore functionality. - Can third-party apps execute actions via shortcuts now?
Yes, provided the app uses the Shortcuts API correctly and all required permissions are granted by the user.
