Next Time — Support

Shopping list for your iPhone Lock Screen

Build your list in the app, tap Shop Now, and it appears on your Lock Screen. Check items off there without unlocking.

Getting started

1. Open the app and type an item, then press return. Repeat for the rest.
2. Tap Shop Now.
3. Tap Allow when iOS asks whether Next Time may show Live Activities. This is asked once.
4. Lock your phone. Your list is on the Lock Screen.
5. Tap an item to check it off. It disappears and the next one moves up. This works on the dimmed always-on screen too.

Common questions

My list isn't showing on the Lock Screen

Live Activities need permission. Check Settings ▸ Next Time ▸ Live Activities is on, and Settings ▸ Face ID & Passcode ▸ Live Activities (under "Allow Access When Locked") is on as well. If you tapped "Don't Allow" the first time, the app-level switch is where you turn it back on.

The list vanished from the Lock Screen but is still in the app

That's expected. iOS ends a Live Activity after about eight hours, and sooner if you swipe it away. Nothing is lost — your list is still in the app. Tap Shop Now again to put it back.

Long item names are cut short on the Lock Screen

The Lock Screen card is a fixed size that apps are not permitted to grow or scroll. The list grows a column at a time as it gets longer — one column up to five items, and four columns past fifteen — so a short list shows every name in full at a large size, while a long one has to divide the same width between more columns. Names that still don't fit are shrunk, and then shortened. The app itself always shows the full text.

I have more than 20 items — where are the rest?

Twenty fit on the card at once. The "+ N more" button at the bottom left pages down one row at a time, and wraps back to the top when you reach the end. Checking items off also pulls the hidden ones into view.

Nothing appears in the Dynamic Island

The Dynamic Island shows one Live Activity at a time across the whole system, and Next Time deliberately yields to more time-critical ones like ride-share and delivery tracking. The Lock Screen list is always there regardless. The Dynamic Island view also requires iPhone 14 Pro or later.

Can a list start itself when I get to the shop?

Yes. Open a list, tap Place, choose somewhere on the map, and turn on Start when I arrive. Walk in and the list puts itself on your Lock Screen.

Two things are worth knowing. It needs Always location: "While Using" cannot wake the app, so the trigger would only ever fire when the app was already open. And it fires when you cross the boundary — if you set a place while already standing there, nothing happens until you leave and come back.

I set up a place and nothing happened

Work down this list: location is set to Always in Settings ▸ Next Time ▸ Location; notifications are allowed; the list has at least one unchecked item; and you have actually left and returned. Arrivals are also quiet for five minutes after firing for the same list, so repeated tests in one session won't all trigger. iOS will not reliably detect a radius under about 100 m, and may widen the one you set.

Two of my lists are pinned near the same place

You'll get one notification asking which list you're shopping, with a button for each. Nothing goes to the Lock Screen until you choose — iOS allows only one Live Activity at a time, so the app doesn't pick for you.

Can I sync my list to another device?

No. The list is stored only on your iPhone and never leaves it — see the privacy policy.

Can I add a list I already wrote on paper?

Yes. Open a list, tap the scan button beside the item field, and either scan the paper or choose a photo. The app reads the text on your iPhone and shows you what it found. Untick anything that isn't an item, tap a name to correct it, then add them. Handwriting is read best when the photo is sharp, taken straight on and in good light. The photo never leaves your phone.

Can I start a list with Siri?

Yes. Say "Start shopping with Next Time", or name the list: "Start shopping Groceries with Next Time". The same action is in the Shortcuts app as Start Shopping, so an automation can start a list at a time of day or with a Focus, without using location.

How many lists can I have?

Ten, one for each place you shop. Only one can be on the Lock Screen at a time; starting another replaces it.

Where did the walkthrough go?

Tap the ? at the top of the Lists screen to see it again.

Does it work on iPad?

No, iPhone only. The Lock Screen Live Activity is the point of the app.

Requirements

iPhone with iOS 17 or later. The Dynamic Island view requires iPhone 14 Pro or later.

Privacy

Next Time has no account system, no analytics and no server of its own — your lists, your pinned places and your location stay on your iPhone. The one exception is searching for a shop in the place picker, which sends what you type to Apple, the same as searching in Apple Maps. Full details in the privacy policy.