Free automation · Mute social when you open it

Open a social app, and the sound is already off.

You tap a notification without thinking, a video starts, and the whole room hears it. This automation turns the sound off every time you open a social app, so nothing plays out loud until you decide it should.

What it does

When you open a social app, your iPhone turns the sound off. Turn it back on yourself when you want it.

What you need

An iPhone with the Shortcuts app. It installs from a link, and the steps below cover the rest.

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Running iOS 27?

Two things look different in Shortcuts. When you create a new shortcut, the first screen asks you to describe it in words. Skip that and tap Edit in the top right to get to the action list the steps below use. Some phones skip the describe screen and land on the action list straight away. And automations no longer have their own tab. The trigger now sits at the top of the shortcut itself, as the first block. The steps below are written for iOS 27, with a short note under each trigger step for iOS 26 and earlier.

If you set up before updating, nothing changes. Your automations moved over on their own. The steps below build everything by hand so everyone gets the same result, whichever version you are on.

Mute social media when you open it

Open the app, the sound dies.

What it does: cuts the volume to zero the moment you open a social app, so the autoplay and the noise don't pull you in and hold you there.

Setup 1 min In Shortcuts Trigger Apps

The steps

1

Tap the link below on your iPhone and tap Add Shortcut. There are no questions. It arrives watching Facebook, TikTok, TikTok Studio and Instagram.
Get the Mute Social Media shortcut

2

Open it from your library. If you see a summary with a Describe a change box, tap Edit in the top right. The first block lists the apps. Tap the plus in that block to add another app, or tap one to take it out.

The app trigger block listing Facebook, TikTok, TikTok Studio and Instagram, with Set Media volume to 0 percent under it

No trigger block at the top? Your iPhone is on iOS 26 or earlier, which leaves the trigger out of the link. Tap Automation at the bottom of the screen, then the plus, then App. Pick your apps, leave it on Is Opened, set it to Run Immediately, tap Next, then under Do pick Mute Social Media and tap Done. Skip step 3.

3

Still in the shortcut, tap the i at the bottom of the screen, then Privacy, and check Allow Running When Locked is on. Tap the back arrow, then the checkmark.

The Privacy screen with Allow Running When Locked turned on

Fix · the sound stays off after I leave

That is by design, the volume stays where it was set. If you want it back, add a second automation the same way, with the App trigger set to Is Closed, that sets the volume back up.

Fix · it did not mute

Automations only run on their own if the shortcut is allowed to run without asking. If you get a notification asking you to confirm, that is what is off. On iOS 27, open the shortcut, tap the i, then Privacy, and check Allow Running When Locked is on. On iOS 26 or earlier, Automation tab, tap your automation, and the top of the sheet has to say Run Immediately. On Run After Confirmation it waits for you to notice a notification and tap it.

Good to know.

Cassie set this up after a video played out loud during a meeting. She runs it on her own phone now.

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