OK, so if you're anything like me, you regularly forget to start TraceTogether (you know, the app we're all supposed to be running while out and about so if we do catch COVID-19, it'll be easier to figure out who else was close enough to be in your blast radius, etc.) when you leave. Oh, and if you're anything like me, you're also peeved by the fact that it doesn't work more automagically than it does,but you know, that's a subject for another rant entirely.

Anyway, I want to do my civic duty and all, but really don't have the attention span to remember to turn on the damn app when I leave home. I usually remember somewhere aorund the time I'm in the elevator back up to my unit. So I decided to figure out if there's anything to do to help - and there is.

In the following, you'll see a recipe for a setup on your iPhone (iOS 13 and up required) for a reminder to start the app whenever you leave your place (or any place really). So here goes.

1. Find the shortcuts app on your phone:

2. Open 'Shortcuts' and tap on Automation on the bottom of the screen to get to this screen:

3. Tap on 'Create Personal Automation' to get this screen:

4. Under Travel, tap on 'Leave' to get this:

5. Tap on 'Choose' in the Location box to pick an address:

6. Now enter your address in the search box at the top, or use Current Location if doing this from home. Apple will helpfully show you the radius of when it will have considered you 'left':

7. Tap on Done in the address screen

8. Tap on Next (making sure that the Location box now has the address you want be alerted when leaving. This will get you to the Actions page:

9. Tap on '+ Add Action' and you will see a list of actions that your phone could do for you when leaving:

10. Tap on 'Scripting' (the one with the cursive x)

11. In the Scripting page, tap on 'Open App':

12. Now that the Open App action has been added, you need to choose which app. Tap on 'Choose' next to Open in the scripting box, and search for the TraceTogether app:

13. Tap on TraceTogether. You're almost done. Now tap on Next:

14. With the action added, your automation is now complete. Tap on Done to finish:

15. That should take you back to the automations screen where your first automation is set up.

16. This is what you should now see every time your phone detects you've left. You get the reminder, and tapping on run from the lock screen fires up the TraceTogether app and starts you on your way to doing your civic duty. Yeay!