Pre-order Guide

How-to

How to run automations when you open or close your iPhone Duo

The iPhone Duo has a Shortcuts trigger called Opened or Closed that fires when you unfold or fold it. Where to find it, how to build your first hinge automation, and ideas to try.

iPhone Duo open in landscape, with a Siri writing prompt on the upper half of the inner display and a keyboard on the lower half
The iPhone Duo open in landscape, with Siri helping write a document | Image: Apple

iPhone Duo hinge automations let your phone do something the moment you unfold or fold it. The iPhone Duo Opened or Closed trigger is a Shortcuts automation trigger that runs actions when the device is opened or closed, and according to MacRumors you find it in the Shortcuts app under the Display automations category. The payoff: one physical motion you already make dozens of times a day can switch your wallpaper, change your Focus, or open the app you reach for on the big screen. iPhone Duo Hub has not tested the trigger on its own Duo; what it is and where it lives comes from MacRumors' reporting, and the setup steps below follow Apple's documented Shortcuts flow.

Key takeaways

  • The iPhone Duo has a Shortcuts automation trigger called Opened or Closed, under the Display automations category, according to MacRumors.
  • It runs actions when the Duo is opened or closed. MacRumors' example is switching to a different wallpaper when it opens and back when it closes.
  • You add it the way Apple's iOS 27 Shortcuts guide describes adding any automation: open a shortcut, tap Edit, then Automation, and choose a trigger.
  • As of October 27, 2026, Apple's iOS 27 Shortcuts guide does not document the trigger.

What is the iPhone Duo Opened or Closed trigger?

MacRumors reported on October 25, 2026 that the iPhone Duo includes a new Shortcuts automation trigger that runs actions when the device is opened or closed. It is called "Opened or Closed" and is found under the Display automations category. YouTuber Stephen Robles highlighted it, and MacRumors says it was first spotted in September by the researcher pdfu in the iPhone Duo simulator. MacStories' Federico Viticci has said he plans to start "brainstorming hinge automations."

One thing to know before you start: Apple has not documented the trigger. As of October 27, 2026, the "Add automations" page in Apple's iOS 27 Shortcuts User Guide does not mention Opened or Closed, and it is not among the triggers Apple lists as able to run automatically without asking. So the details below come from MacRumors' report plus Apple's general instructions for automations, and the exact options on the Duo's trigger screen may differ from what is described here. For everything else new in the Duo's software, see our iOS 27 guide.

How do I create an automation when my iPhone Duo opens?

This worked example builds MacRumors' wallpaper idea: a different wallpaper when the Duo opens. The steps follow Apple's iOS 27 Shortcuts guide for adding an automation trigger to a shortcut; the trigger name and its Display category come from MacRumors.

  1. Open the Shortcuts app and create a new shortcut, or tap an existing one you want to run.
  2. Add your actions. For the wallpaper swap, search the action list for "wallpaper" and add the wallpaper action, then choose the wallpaper you want on the open Duo.
  3. Tap Edit, then Automation. This is where Apple's iOS 27 guide says you choose a trigger for a shortcut.
  4. Choose the trigger. Look in the Display category and pick Opened or Closed.
  5. Set when it runs. MacRumors does not describe the options on this screen. If it asks whether to run when the Duo is opened or when it is closed, pick opened for this example.
  6. Finish and save the shortcut.

To switch back when you fold the phone, build a second shortcut the same way with your closed-phone wallpaper, set to run when the Duo is closed. To see all your automations later, tap Automation in the Shortcuts app, as Apple's guide describes.

If this is your first week with the Duo, our setup guide covers the basics to get done first.

Ideas to try

These are our suggestions, built from standard Shortcuts actions. They are not uses MacRumors reported, and we have not tested them on a Duo.

  • A quieter phone when it is folded. Turn on a Focus when the Duo closes, and switch back to your regular Focus when it opens.
  • Straight to the big-screen app. Open a reading or notes app when you unfold the Duo, so the inner display starts where you usually want it.
  • A calls setup. If you mostly unfold the Duo for video calls, open FaceTime when it opens. Our FaceTime guide covers how calls work on both displays.
  • Two looks for two screens. Pair the wallpaper swap above with a different Focus, so the open and closed Duo each feel set up for their job.

Keep the trigger in mind as you plan: MacRumors describes it as firing when the device is opened or closed, and it does not say whether a partly folded position counts. Ideas that depend on half-open positions are not something the source supports.

Limits and notes

  • iPhone Duo only. MacRumors describes Opened or Closed as a trigger the iPhone Duo includes, tied to opening and closing the device. Other iPhones do not fold.
  • Not in Apple's documentation yet. Apple's iOS 27 Shortcuts guide does not mention the trigger as of October 27, 2026, so options may differ from the steps above, and Apple could change it.
  • It may ask before running. Apple's list of automations that can run without asking does not include Opened or Closed, so check what your Duo does the first time it fires.

The full specs page covers the hinge and both displays the trigger responds to.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Opened or Closed trigger on the iPhone Duo?

It is a Shortcuts automation trigger on the iPhone Duo that runs actions when the device is opened or closed. According to MacRumors, it is called Opened or Closed and sits under the Display automations category. Apple's iOS 27 Shortcuts guide does not document it yet.

How do I set up an automation when my iPhone Duo opens?

In the Shortcuts app, create a shortcut with the actions you want, tap Edit, then Automation, and choose a trigger, which is how Apple's iOS 27 Shortcuts guide describes adding automations. On the iPhone Duo, MacRumors reports the trigger is called Opened or Closed, under the Display category.

What can iPhone Duo hinge automations do?

They run Shortcuts actions when you open or close the iPhone Duo. The example MacRumors gives is switching to a different wallpaper when the Duo opens and back when it closes. Any standard Shortcuts action can go in the automation, such as turning on a Focus or opening an app.

Does the Opened or Closed trigger work on other iPhones?

MacRumors describes Opened or Closed as a trigger the iPhone Duo includes, tied to opening and closing the device. Other iPhones do not fold, so there is nothing for it to respond to, and Apple's iOS 27 Shortcuts guide does not list it.

Sources