How to use iOS Shortcuts to launch ‘Camo Mode’

If you’re a Camo user, chances are you’re interested in the various ways you can make your video calls better. Using your iPhone as a webcam is going to give you a much better picture quality, but what about the setup? Once you’ve got the perfect mount, you can just plug your iPhone in and go. We recommend that you also turn off notifications on your iPhone while on calls, to prevent distractions. Luckily, you can use shortcuts in iOS 14 to toggle notifications off and on automatically when launching and closing Camo.

We’ve outlined the process below, including incorporating the back tap feature to launch Camo, and turn on Do Not Disturb and Airplane Mode all at once by double-tapping the back of your iPhone.

1. Go to Shortcuts on your iPhone.
2. Select Automation → + → Create Personal Automation → scroll down and select App

3. Tap Choose and scroll down or use the search bar to find Camo, tap to select Camo and select Done.
4. Select is opened and click Next.
5. Add action, type ‘do not disturb’ and select Set Do Not Disturb.
6. You will see the scripting shown below left. Tap Off to change the scripting to that seen on the right.

7. Click the blue + and add airplane mode, formatting the shortcut to read ‘Turn Airplane Mode On’.

8. Click Next, uncheck Ask Before Running to allow this shortcut to run automatically, and tap Done.

Now, when you open Camo, your shortcuts should run automatically. Now you need to create shortcuts to turn these settings off when you come out of Camo.

1. To create a shortcut to turn off Do Not Disturb and Airplane mode: Create Personal Automation → App → choose Camo → uncheck Is Opened and check Is Closed → Next → tap Add Action and select Set Do Not Disturb → scripting should read Turn Do Not Disturb Off, untick Ask Before Running tap Next → Done. Add airplane mode in the same manner.

Once you’ve added these shortcuts, you can create a final shortcut that will trigger Camo to launch (this will, in turn, trigger Airplane Mode and Do Not Disturb) when you double tap the back of your iPhone.

1. Go to Shortcuts → My Shortcuts → + → + Add Action → type ‘open app’, select Open App → tap Choose, select Camo. Tap the three dots to rename your shortcut to ‘Launch Camo’ or similar.

2. Next, go to Settings → Accessibility → Touch → Back Tap → Double Tap → scroll down to the shortcuts section and select your new shortcut ‘Launch Camo’.

You can test these shortcuts by tapping the back of your phone twice (it should work through a case) and checking that Camo is running, and Do Not Disturb and Airplane Mode have toggled on, then closing Camo and checking that Do Not Disturb and Airplane Mode have toggled off.