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Use two personal automations in the Shortcuts app: one with the App trigger set to Is Opened, and another set to Is Closed. The first runs the actions for entering your two-app workflow; the second runs the actions for leaving or resetting it. If the workflow depends on two apps staying together, pair them in Split View first. Opening either app in a paired layout can then open the other as well.
What do open and close automations do on iPhone Duo?
A personal automation is an event-driven workflow in Shortcuts. Unlike a shortcut that you tap yourself, it starts when a selected event occurs. For this setup, the event is opening, switching to, closing, or switching away from a particular app.
You create one automation for entering the workflow and a second automation for leaving it. Each automation can contain multiple actions, including actions that involve more than one app. The automations are independent of the Split View pairing feature: Shortcuts reacts to the app event, while iPhone Duo controls whether two apps share the screen.
What is the difference between the two triggers?
| Automation | Trigger setting | When it runs | Typical purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open automation | App → Is Opened | When you open or switch to the selected app | Start the two-app workflow, prepare context, or run entry actions |
| Close automation | App → Is Closed | When you close or switch from the selected app | Leave the workflow, reset context, or run cleanup actions |
The wording matters. Is Closed is documented as firing when you close or switch from the selected app; it is not limited to a force-quit event. If you want a reliable entry and exit pattern, create both automations rather than trying to make one trigger cover both directions.
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What do you need before creating the automations?
- An iPhone Duo with the Shortcuts app available.
- The app that should start the workflow, selected from the App trigger’s app list.
- A clear list of actions for entering the workflow and a separate list for leaving or resetting it.
- If the workflow relies on two apps being visible together, a Split View arrangement with those apps paired.
Shortcuts can combine actions from multiple apps in one workflow, so the trigger app does not have to be the only app affected. Keep the event and the actions conceptually separate: the App trigger decides when the automation starts, while the actions decide what happens next.
How do I create the automation that runs when an app opens?
Build the entry automation in the Shortcuts app, choose the App event, and set it to Is Opened. Apple’s personal-automation sequence lets you add several actions, test the result, and save it with Done.
- Open Shortcuts. On iPhone Duo, open the Shortcuts app and tap Automation.
- Start a personal automation. If you have not created one before, the control may be labeled Create Personal Automation. In versions that already contain automations, look for the control with a plus symbol to create another one.
- Select the App trigger. Choose App, then tap the control to choose an app from the list. Select the app that should begin the workflow.
- Choose the opening condition. Select Is Opened. This condition covers opening the selected app or switching to it.
- Continue to the action editor. Tap Next to reach the action portion of the automation.
- Add the entry actions. Add the actions that should run when the workflow begins. These may involve the selected app, the second app, or a sequence that spans both apps.
- Test the automation. Use the available test control before saving. Check both the trigger event and the visible result in the apps involved.
- Save it. Tap Done. The open automation now responds to the App → Is Opened event for the app you selected.
Use a name that describes the direction, such as “Enter two-app workspace,” so it is easy to distinguish from the close automation when you return to the Automation list.
How do I create the automation that runs when an app closes?
Create a second personal automation for the same app and choose Is Closed. Its actions should undo, leave, or reset whatever the opening automation established.
- Return to Shortcuts → Automation.
- Use Create Personal Automation or the plus control, depending on the version shown on your iPhone Duo.
- Choose App and select the same app used by the opening automation, unless your workflow intentionally uses a different app as its exit signal.
- Select Is Closed. Apple describes this as triggering when you close or switch from the selected app.
- Tap Next, then add the actions for leaving the workflow or resetting its state.
- Test the sequence by closing the app or switching away from it, and verify that the intended reset or exit actions occur.
- Tap Done to save the second automation.
Keep the open and close actions complementary. For example, if the opening automation prepares a two-app workspace, the closing automation can remove the temporary context or restore the state you want after leaving. The exact actions depend on the workflow you are building; Shortcuts supplies the action editor, not a fixed two-app recipe.
How do I make the two-app layout work with the automations?
Split View is a separate iPhone Duo multitasking feature. When iPhone Duo is open in landscape, two different apps—or two windows from the same app—can share the screen. You can pair the apps so that opening either one opens the other.
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- Open the first app that should participate in the layout.
- Open the second app and arrange the two apps in Split View.
- Confirm that the apps are paired in the Duo interface before relying on layout-specific actions in Shortcuts.
- Trigger the opening automation by opening or switching to the selected app.
- Check that the actions run while the paired layout is visible, rather than testing only with one app occupying the screen.
Pairing changes how the Duo interface presents the apps; it does not replace the Shortcuts automations. You still need the App → Is Opened automation for entry and App → Is Closed for exit if you want actions at both points.
How do I remove a Split View pairing?
Drag the center divider completely to the left or right edge of the screen. This removes the pairing and returns the interface to a single-app arrangement. Because this is a Duo multitasking control, changing the pairing does not rewrite or delete the personal automations in Shortcuts.
How should I design the actions for each automation?
Start by writing the workflow as two short lists: what must happen on entry and what must happen on exit. This prevents the close automation from accidentally repeating the entry sequence.
Entry actions
- Actions that prepare the app you just opened.
- Actions that bring the companion app or another piece of context into the workflow.
- Multi-step actions that pass information or state between apps, when those actions are available in Shortcuts.
- Any final step that confirms the workspace is ready for use.
Exit actions
- Actions that leave the temporary workspace cleanly.
- Actions that reset context created by the opening sequence.
- Actions that affect the companion app when you switch away from the trigger app.
- A final state that makes the next opening predictable.
Use the narrowest trigger that matches your intent. If the workflow should begin whenever you move to an app, Is Opened is appropriate because that condition includes switching to the app. If the workflow should end as soon as you move away, Is Closed is the corresponding condition.
How do I test the open and close pair?
Test the two automations as a cycle rather than testing only one of them. A successful test should prove that the trigger fires, the actions run in the intended order, and the Split View layout is present when the actions depend on it.
- Open or switch to the selected app and observe whether the entry actions run.
- Inspect the result in both apps if the workflow spans more than one app.
- Switch away from or close the selected app and observe whether the exit actions run.
- Reopen or switch back to the app and confirm that the entry sequence can run again without relying on leftover state.
- If Split View is part of the design, repeat the cycle with the apps paired and then with the pairing removed. This distinguishes a Shortcuts issue from a layout issue.
Apple’s personal-automation editor includes a test step before saving. Use it whenever you change an action, then save the revised automation with Done.
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The wrong condition is selected
Reopen the automation and check whether the App trigger says Is Opened or Is Closed. Opening and closing are separate conditions; selecting only one will not create a bidirectional workflow.
You are switching rather than launching
The documented App trigger treats opening and switching to the selected app as Is Opened, and closing and switching from it as Is Closed. Test with the exact transition you expect in daily use, not only by launching an app from the Home Screen.
The two automations use different apps unintentionally
Compare the selected app in each automation. If the close event is meant to correspond to the opening event, use the same app in both unless a different exit signal is deliberate.
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The apps are not paired in Split View
Shortcuts can run multi-app actions, but the paired layout is controlled by iPhone Duo. Arrange the apps in Split View before testing layout-dependent behavior. If the center divider has been moved to an edge, the pairing has been removed.
The opening automation works, but the layout does not change
Separate the two questions: did the App → Is Opened trigger run, and was the Duo interface already configured to pair the apps? A successful automation test does not by itself establish a Split View pairing.
The exit sequence appears inconsistent
Remember that Is Closed includes switching from the selected app. If you move between apps frequently, the close automation may run during that transition. Design its actions as an exit or reset that is safe to run whenever you leave the selected app.
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What changes in newer iOS versions?
Automation labels and editor locations can change between iOS releases. Apple’s WWDC26 material describes automations living directly in the Shortcuts editor and highlights screenshot, keyboard-connection, and notification automation types in iOS 26. Those newer labels are version-sensitive, so the control used to start a personal automation may appear as a create button on one version and a plus button on another.
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The core logic remains the same for this workflow: open Shortcuts, go to Automation, choose App, select an app, choose Is Opened or Is Closed, add actions, test, and tap Done. If the wording on your iPhone Duo differs, look for the equivalent personal-automation and App-trigger controls rather than assuming the feature has been removed.
Which setup should I choose?
| Decision | Choose this when | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Is Opened | You need actions when an app is opened or becomes active | Entry actions run on the selected app event |
| Is Closed | You need actions when an app is closed or you switch away | Exit or reset actions run on the selected app event |
| One-app action scope | The workflow affects only the selected app | A focused automation with fewer moving parts |
| Multi-app action scope | The workflow coordinates the selected app and another app | A Shortcuts sequence spanning apps |
| Independent apps | You do not need a persistent two-app screen arrangement | Apps remain separate in the Duo interface |
| Paired Split View | You want opening either app to bring up the companion app | The Duo interface keeps the apps together; Shortcuts still supplies event actions |
| Personal automation | The workflow should respond immediately to an app event | Event-triggered execution |
| Manually tapped shortcut | You want to decide each time when the workflow starts | No App event trigger; you launch it yourself |
What is the final setup checklist?
- There is an open personal automation under Shortcuts → Automation.
- Its trigger is App → Is Opened for the intended app.
- Its actions describe the entry workflow and have been tested.
- There is a separate close personal automation.
- Its trigger is App → Is Closed for the intended exit app.
- Its actions leave or reset the workflow and have been tested.
- Split View is paired if the actions depend on two apps sharing the screen.
- You know that changing the center divider to an edge removes the pairing.
- You have checked the labels shown by your iOS version, especially if it uses the newer iOS 26 editor layout.
This arrangement gives you a predictable entry-and-exit cycle: the opening event starts the workflow, the closing event handles the departure, and iPhone Duo’s Split View controls determine whether the apps remain paired on screen.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use two windows from the same app in the paired layout?
Yes. iPhone Duo’s landscape Split View can display two windows from the same app as well as two different apps. The pairing behavior is controlled by the Duo interface, while Shortcuts continues to respond to the App event you selected.
Does Is Closed mean the app was force-quit?
No. Apple’s App-trigger description includes both closing the selected app and switching from it. Treat Is Closed as an exit-from-app event rather than a signal limited to force-quitting.
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Yes. Shortcuts can combine actions from multiple apps in one workflow. The App trigger identifies the event that starts the sequence; it does not limit every action to that same app.
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What if my Shortcuts screen shows a plus button instead of Create Personal Automation?
Those labels represent different entry points used by different versions of the editor. Use the control that creates a new personal automation, then continue with App, the selected app, Is Opened or Is Closed, Next, actions, testing, and Done.
How do I stop the apps from opening together again?
Remove the Split View pairing by dragging the center divider completely to the left or right edge. This changes the Duo multitasking arrangement; it does not remove the personal automations from Shortcuts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use two windows from the same app in the paired layout?
Yes. iPhone Duo’s landscape Split View can display two windows from the same app as well as two different apps. The pairing behavior is controlled by the Duo interface, while Shortcuts continues to respond to the App event you selected.
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No. Apple’s App-trigger description includes both closing the selected app and switching from it. Treat Is Closed as an exit-from-app event rather than a signal limited to force-quitting.
Can the opening automation contain actions for another app?
Yes. Shortcuts can combine actions from multiple apps in one workflow. The App trigger identifies the event that starts the sequence; it does not limit every action to that same app.
What if my Shortcuts screen shows a plus button instead of Create Personal Automation?
Those labels represent different entry points used by different versions of the editor. Use the control that creates a new personal automation, then continue with App, the selected app, Is Opened or Is Closed, Next, actions, testing, and Done.
How do I stop the apps from opening together again?
Remove the Split View pairing by dragging the center divider completely to the left or right edge. This changes the Duo multitasking arrangement; it does not remove the personal automations from Shortcuts.
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