You can find your missing iPhone with one text message thanks to Apple Shortcuts — here’s how to set it up

1. Create a new personal automation in Shortcuts

Open the Shortcuts app on your iPhone and tap the Automation tab at the bottom. Then tap New Automation.

On the screen that appears, select Message as your trigger. This tells your iPhone to run the shortcut automatically when it receives a text message.

2. Set your trigger keyword

Next, choose whether the shortcut should work with texts from Any Sender or only from a specific contact. Selecting Any Sender means you can trigger it from any phone, which is useful if your phone is stolen and you need to use a stranger's device.

On the automation setup screen, tap Message Contains and enter your trigger word or phrase in the box that appears. Choose something uncommon that you won't accidentally type in normal conversation. When finished, tap Done.

Make sure Run Immediately is selected instead of Run After Confirmation. You want the shortcut to execute automatically without requiring you to confirm anything on your locked phone. Then tap Next.

3. Add actions for photo

Tap Create New Shortcut to start adding actions. Search for and add the Take Photo action first. Then set it to take one photo using either the front or back camera. The front camera captures whoever is holding your phone, which is useful if the device has been stolen. The back camera works better if your phone is usually face-down when misplaced.

Tap the dropdown arrow next to the camera action and toggle off Show Camera Preview so the photo is taken silently. Next, add the Send Message action. The photo field should automatically populate. Tap Recipient and select a trusted contact who will receive the photo. Then add the Get Current Location action.

Tap the dropdown arrow and select Nearest Ten Meters for the most precise location. Finally, add another Send Message action for the location data and set the same trusted contact as the recipient.