How to use automations to stop unnecessary alarm triggers

I rely on the alarm feature in my iPhone's Clock app to remind me when to take my medication. It helps me stay on track with my doses throughout the day. However, when I'm away from home, this alarm becomes more of an annoyance than a helpful reminder. To avoid this, I've set my alarms to only go off when I'm actually at home. This isn't just useful for medication reminders. For example, you might not want your usual morning alarm to ring while you're on vacation, or you could have alarms that are important at work but unnecessary when you're at home. The key is that you can customize your alarms to only trigger in specific locations using the iPhone's built-in shortcuts feature—here’s how to do it.

Step1: Setup Alarms and Name Them

The first step should be clear enough: you can customize and name alarms on your iPhone to fit your specific needs, such as triggering them only in certain locations. This is useful for situations like setting a "Work Alarm" that only rings at the office or a "Home Meds" alarm that reminds you to take medication only when you're at home.

How to Set Up and Name Alarms on iPhone:

• Open the Clock App: Go to the Clock app and tap on the "Alarm" tab.
• Create a New Alarm: Tap the "+" button to add a new alarm.
• Set the Time: Choose the time you want the alarm to go off.
• Name the Alarm: Tap on "Label" and enter a name for your alarm, like "Work Alarm" or "Home Meds."

Use Shortcuts for Location-Specific Alarms:

• Open the Shortcuts app on your iPhone.
• Create a new automation by tapping the "+" button.
• Select "Create Personal Automation" and choose "Location."
• Set your desired location, then add the action to enable or disable the alarm based on your location.

Save and Activate: Once everything is set up, save your automation, and your alarms will now trigger only when you're in the specified location.

Step2: Use Shortcuts to Turn ON and OFF Alarms Based on your Location

To let your alarms engage based on your location, you need to customize and set up shortcuts for each Alarms to be turned OFF when you leave home and back ON when you return home. Here's how to go about it:

• Open the Shortcuts App: Start by opening the Shortcuts app on your iPhone.
• Create a New Shortcut: Tap the "+" button to create a new shortcut. Name this shortcut "Get Home" or something similar.
• Add Actions: Tap "Add Action" and search for "Clock" in the list of apps. Next, select "Toggle Alarm" from the Clock app options. Ensure that the action is set to turn off the specific alarm you want to manage.
• Set Up for Multiple Alarms: If you have more than one alarm, you can add additional "Toggle Alarm" actions for each alarm you wish to control.
• Save the Shortcut: Once you've configured the actions, tap "Done" to save your shortcut.

Repeat the steps to create another shortcut for turning your alarms back on when you return home. Name this shortcut something like "Get Out" and adjust the action to enable the alarm instead. This way, your alarms will automatically adjust based on your location.

You should now have two shortcuts: one to turn your alarms on when you get home and another to turn them off when you leave. Next, you need to set these shortcuts to run automatically based on your location.

Step3: Now, Automate the Alarms

Once you're done with the step 1 and 2, then it's time to automate the alarms in the "Shortcuts App" First, you must setup automation for getting home and then setup the automation for getting out of home. To automate your alarms based on your location, follow these steps:

Set Up Automation for Arriving Home:

• Open the Shortcuts App: Tap on the "Automation" tab at the bottom of the screen.
• Create a New Automation: Tap the "+" button in the top-right corner and select "Arrive."
• Enter Your Location: Input your home address as the location.
• Select Run Immediately: This ensures the shortcut runs automatically without needing to open your phone.
• Choose the Shortcut: Select the shortcut you named "Get Home" to turn on your alarms when you arrive home.
• Save the Automation: Tap "Next" and then "Done" to finalize this automation.

Set Up Automation for Leaving Home:

• Create a New Automation: Tap the "+" button again and select "Leave."
• Enter Your Location: Use your home address as before.
• Select Run Immediately: This setting ensures the automation activates without needing to check your phone.
• Choose the Shortcut: Select the shortcut you named "Get Out" to turn off your alarms when you leave home.
• Save the Automation: Tap "Next" and then "Done" to finalize this automation.

Testing: Test both automations by leaving and returning home. Check the Clock app to ensure your alarms turn off when you leave and turn back on when you return.