Two-minute timer as a Home Screen button

Set up the button

Open the Shortcuts app and create a new shortcut. Add the Start Timer action, set the duration to 2 minutes, and give the shortcut a clear name, such as 2 Minutes.

Then open the shortcut details and choose Add to Home Screen. Pick an icon you can recognize instantly and place the button where you will actually use it.

Where it saves time

A fixed timer button removes the small detour through the Clock app, timer picker, and duration field. That sounds minor, but it matters for routines you repeat every day.

Use it for brushing teeth, steeping tea, a short focus break, children's routines, or a quick household reset. You decide once, then start the timer with one tap.

Variations worth creating

Only make separate buttons for routines you genuinely repeat. Besides 2 minutes, useful options are 5 minutes for tea, 10 minutes for tidying up, or 15 minutes for a break.

If you create several timer buttons, use clear names and different icons. Otherwise your Home Screen gets noisy and you lose the speed you wanted.

Good to know

The shortcut uses the normal iPhone timer and its current alert sound from the Clock app. On older iOS versions, menu names may look slightly different.