Apple left the Action Button off the iPhone Duo. The phone has volume buttons, a side button and Camera Control, and no hardware key for the flashlight or a custom shortcut. A Lock Screen control that opens a folder of your Shortcuts works as the software replacement.
Stetson Doggett demonstrates the setup on an iPhone Duo. You build one folder in the Shortcuts app, then pin it to the Lock Screen as a card layout or, with one extra shortcut, as a scrolling list.
A Shortcuts folder gives you a six-shortcut card layout on the Lock Screen
The card layout shows your shortcuts as cards, and it holds up to six. It suits you if you only need a handful of favorite actions within reach:
- Open the Shortcuts app and create a new folder. Name it Action Button and tap Save.
- Open All Shortcuts and move the shortcuts you want into that folder. Drag them in, or touch and hold a shortcut, tap Move and choose the folder.
- Put the shortcuts in the order you want. The folder order is the order they appear in on the popup.
- Go to the Lock Screen, touch and hold, and tap Customize. Remove the camera control at the bottom right with the minus button, then tap the plus button and search for Shortcut.
- Choose Run Shortcut, tap Choose, then tap Show Folder to select your Action Button folder and save it.
The iPhone Duo already has Camera Control on its right edge, so the Lock Screen camera control is the easiest one to give up.
One extra shortcut turns the folder into a scrolling list
The list layout has no six-shortcut limit, which suits a longer set of actions. It needs a second shortcut that gets the shortcuts from your folder, presents them as a scrollable list and then runs whichever one you select.
You can install the Action Button shortcut from iCloud instead of building it. Open it after installing and confirm it points to the Action Button folder you created. Then go back to the Lock Screen, touch and hold, tap Customize and remove the existing control.
Tap the plus button, choose Run Shortcut and tap Choose. Search for Action Button, select it and save. Touch and hold the new control and your shortcuts open as a scrolling list.
| Card layout | Scrolling list | |
|---|---|---|
| Lock Screen control | Run Shortcut with Show Folder | Run Shortcut set to the Action Button shortcut |
| Number of shortcuts | Up to six | As many as you want |
| Extra setup | None | Install one shortcut from the iCloud link |
Control Center and the Home Screen can hold the same control
The shortcut is not limited to the Lock Screen. It also works from Control Center, and on the Home Screen it can sit as its own app icon.
Control Center is quicker to reach on the iPhone Duo too, since you can tap the status icon at the top of the screen to open it instead of swiping from the corner. To add the shortcut there, open Control Center, tap the Add button in the top-left corner and choose Add a Control. Tap Shortcut, tap Choose and select the shortcut.
