The iOS 27 Notification Automation in Shortcuts
Short answer: iOS 27 added an automation trigger to the Shortcuts app that runs when an app you choose sends a notification. It passes a Notification variable with the title, subtitle, body, date, and source app, which you can hand to any action. It doesn’t include photos or attachments, doesn’t run when a notification is removed, and doesn’t exist in earlier versions of iOS.
Where to find it
In Shortcuts, tap + to create a shortcut, then tap Edit. Tap Automation and choose Notification. Under App, choose one or more apps. The trigger then reads: “When I receive a notification from app WhatsApp”.
There are also optional filters based on the notification text. To save everything, leave the filters empty.
Only works on iOS 27 or later. On iPhone 11 and iPhone SE (2nd generation) or newer, update in Settings › General › Software Update. iPhone XR, XS, and earlier can’t get iOS 27. See the list of models.
What the Notification variable includes
Each time the trigger runs, the actions receive the Notification variable. These are the properties we use and what we observed with WhatsApp on iOS 27:
| Property | What it contains |
|---|---|
| Title | In chats, the sender’s name. |
| Subtitle | In WhatsApp groups, the group name. |
| Body | The message text, as plain text. Bold and italics don’t come through. |
| Date | When the notification arrived. |
| App | The source app. In our tests, the name was empty for third-party apps. Use App › Bundle Identifier (for example, net.whatsapp.WhatsApp) and App › Icon, which come through correctly. |
| Sender and Recipients | Name and contact (phone number or email), without a photo. |
| Associated Content | Items the source app itself publishes to Shortcuts. They aren’t attachments, and WhatsApp doesn’t publish any. |
If you use the whole variable as text, it becomes the title and body separated by a line break.
What doesn’t come through
- Photos and attachments. The trigger only receives the notification’s identifier and looks up the rest in a system record that has no image field. Connecting the variable to an image field only produces an image of the text.
- Deletions. When a message is deleted for everyone, WhatsApp just removes the notification, and the trigger doesn’t run.
- Edits as edits. An edited message arrives as a new notification with the full text and the edit date, with no “edited” label.
- Muted chats and notifications without previews. They don’t include the message text.
Imported shortcuts come with the automation turned off
A .shortcut file keeps the trigger but not its on/off state. After importing, open the shortcut, tap Edit, then the trigger’s › arrow, and turn on Automation. Until you do, nothing is saved.
Using it with NotiKeep
NotiKeep has a Shortcuts action, Save Notification, that runs in the background and saves every notification on the iPhone, organized by app and conversation. The app includes the ready-made shortcut: tap Set up and follow the assistant.
Build it from scratch
If you’d rather build the shortcut yourself:
- Create a shortcut. In Shortcuts, tap +, then Edit.
- Add the trigger. Tap Automation and choose Notification.
- Choose the apps. Tap App and choose WhatsApp. Use + to add more. Don’t add filters.
- Add the NotiKeep action. In the search field at the bottom, type Save and tap Save Notification.
- Fill in the App field. Tap App › Select Variable › Notification. Tap it again and choose App.
- Fill in the other fields. Expand the fields (⌄) and map each one to the property with the same name: Title, Subtitle, Body, and Date.
- Identify the app. For App ID, select Notification › App, tap the variable again, and choose Bundle Identifier.
- Add the icon. For App icon, select Notification › App, tap the variable again, and choose Icon. Leave Notification (text) empty.
Then turn on Automation from the trigger’s arrow and run a test.
Other ideas for the trigger
The same trigger works for other automations, such as logging tracking numbers when a shipping carrier’s notification arrives, turning on a Focus when a work app sends an alert, or recording bank alerts in a spreadsheet.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the app name empty?
In our tests on iOS 27, Notification › App came back empty for third-party apps such as WhatsApp. The Bundle Identifier and app Icon come through correctly, so use App › Bundle Identifier to identify the app.
Can I get the photo that came with the message?
No. The trigger doesn’t receive attachments or images, only the notification text.
Does the automation run when a message is deleted?
No. Deleting for everyone only removes the notification, and the trigger only runs when a notification arrives.
Is the imported shortcut already turned on?
No. The file doesn’t store the on state. Open the shortcut, tap Edit and then the trigger’s arrow, and turn on Automation.
Is the Notification automation available in iOS 26?
No. It arrived in iOS 27. In earlier versions, no shortcut or app can react to notifications from other apps.