Schedule iPhone automations

How to schedule iPhone automations in iFarm

Once you have an automation, scheduling it takes a minute:

1. Open Plan → Schedules and add a schedule.
2. Pick what runs: an automation or a flow.
3. Pick where: all phones, a group, or chosen phones (or chosen accounts, if a phone holds several of your own TikTok accounts).
4. Pick when: once at a time, or N times a day inside a time window, for example 3 times between 9:00 and 18:00.
5. Optionally, tick only some weekdays.
6. Save. Each phone's page now shows Planned today.

Each phone gets its own random times inside the window, so ten phones on the same schedule don't all start at 9:00 sharp. That suits work that doesn't need a fixed minute.

What happens when a run is due

A planned run doesn't barge in. It waits while a phone is:

• busy with another run,
• stopped from the phone (someone held volume up + volume down),
• offline, or
• in use: its screen changed in the last minute without iFarm touching it, so iFarm assumes a person is using it.

iFarm retries until the window ends. A run missed by more than an hour (the Mac was asleep or iFarm was closed) is skipped instead of firing late. A scheduled run starts a phone's helper if it isn't running.

Programs: a plan that changes by day

Some work shouldn't be the same every day. A program (Plan → Programs) is a day-by-day plan counted from each phone's own Day 1, or each account's.

1. Create a program and set what runs on day 1, day 2, day 3 and every day after.
2. Press Add phones or accounts… and give each one its Day 1.
3. Each phone follows the plan from its own start, so a phone added next week starts at day 1 then.

The built-in program shows the format: two sessions a day that start short on day 1 and grow over the first three days, then stay steady. Edit any day or add days to fit your own work, such as a test plan that adds a longer reliability run after the first week.

Flows: chain automations with on success and on failure

A flow (Automations → + → New flow) puts automations on a canvas as boxes and connects them with arrows:

Arrow	Runs the next box when…
on success	the previous automation finished
on failure	the previous automation failed
always	either way

Add Wait and Stop boxes where you need them. For example: open your app → log in → on success, run the checkout test; on failure, run a "reset the app" automation and stop. Flows can be scheduled exactly like automations.

History: every run, with screenshots

Plan → History lists every run: the phone, what started it, the result, and a screenshot when it failed. If a phone holds several accounts, History has an Account column and filter. In test mode, each run also writes a pass/fail HTML report with a screenshot of every check.

Scheduling with plain words or with AI

You don't have to click through forms. In Ask iFarm, at the top of All phones, type something like "Every morning, open the Clock app and show the World Clock" and press Plan it. The AI turns it into a plan you review (what, where, when) before anything runs; change it, then press Do it.

If you use Claude Code or another MCP app with iFarm, it can schedule too, with list_schedules, schedule_automation and remove_schedule. These create ordinary iFarm schedules, listed in Plan → Schedules with the same rules. See AI brain.

Keeping it running

Schedules only run while iFarm is open on the Mac. The Health page helps keep a farm going around the clock:

• While a phone is running, or a schedule or program is on, iFarm keeps the Mac from sleeping on its own. It's an app-held request that ends when iFarm quits, not a system setting. A laptop still sleeps when you close the lid.
• Start at login, reopen after a crash is off until you enable it.
• The helper's signing is renewed automatically in its last 3 days (7 days on a free Apple developer team, a year on a paid one).
• Each phone's battery, live-view speed and helper restarts are shown, with a checklist for hubs, cables and Auto-Lock.

More in keeping iPhones running 24/7 and the hardware guide.

Limits worth knowing

• iFarm must be open, and the Mac awake. Runs missed by more than an hour are skipped.
• Random means random. If you need a run at exactly 09:00, use "once at a time".
• Unlock after a phone restart. iOS won't start the helper on a locked phone, so a phone that restarted needs one unlock by hand before scheduled runs can reach it.
• The usual safety rules apply. By default iFarm asks before posting, sending or following; it never buys anything.

Frequently asked questions

Can I schedule an automation on an iPhone at random times?

Yes. Set it to run N times a day inside a time window. Each phone gets its own random times inside that window, on the weekdays you choose.

What happens if my Mac is asleep when a run is due?

The run waits for the phone. If it's missed by more than an hour, it's skipped rather than run late. iFarm keeps the Mac awake while schedules are on, as long as iFarm is open.

Can a schedule run on only some phones?

Yes. A schedule runs on all phones, a group, or chosen phones, and phones holding several of your own TikTok accounts can be scheduled per account.

How do I see whether scheduled runs worked?

Open Plan → History. Every run is listed with its phone, what started it and the result, with a screenshot when it failed.

Related