# How to Track Habits With the iPhone Action Button: One Press, Done

> Set the iPhone Action button to log a habit or create a new one with a single press. No app to open and no screen to find, so tracking a walk, a workout or a glass of water takes about a second.

- Author: [Artem Grabowski](https://getcompleter.app/authors/artem-grabowski), Founder, Product Designer & iOS Developer
- Published: 2026-10-31
- Canonical URL: https://getcompleter.app/blog/how-to-track-habits-with-iphone-action-button
- App: [Habit Tracker - Completer](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6757959722)

The hardest part of tracking a habit is often the tracking itself. You finish your walk, your phone is in your pocket, and by the time you've unlocked it and found the app, you've moved on. A habit that takes one second to log is a habit you actually log.

The Action button on iPhone can do that for you. With Completer, you can set it to add a completion to a habit you choose, or to create a new habit by name, with a single press and without opening the app. It works from the Home Screen and inside other apps.

## What You Need Before Getting Started

To use the Action button with Completer, download and install [Completer from the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6757959722?pt=128028811&ct=blog_action_button&mt=8). Here's what you need:

- An iPhone with an Action button: iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max or any iPhone 16 or later model.
- iOS 26 or later to add completions. Creating a habit works on iOS 18 and later.
- At least one habit in Completer, if you want the button to log a completion.

Adding completions with the Action button is free. Creating habits is free too, up to the three habits included in the free plan. With Pro, you can create as many habits as you like.

## How To Set the Action Button to Add a Completion

Follow these steps to log a habit with the Action button:

1. Open the Settings app and tap Action Button.
2. Swipe through the options until you reach Shortcut.
3. Tap the shortcut name below the description to open the list.
4. Find Completer and choose Add Completion, or pick one of your habits by name.
5. Close Settings and press the Action button to try it.

When you choose Add Completion, the Action button isn't tied to one habit. Each time you press it, you pick which habit to complete, which works well if you track several habits through the day.

![Completer habit tracker Action button settings on iPhone with the Shortcut option selected and Add Completion chosen as the action](https://getcompleter.app/_astro/completer-habit-tracker-action-button-add-completion.BKEa_AvP.png)

*Add Completion lets one press of the Action button log any of your habits.*

If one habit matters most, such as a daily walk, choose it by name instead. The button then adds a completion to that habit straight away, with no questions.

![Completer habit tracker Action button settings on iPhone with the Shortcut option set to the Walking habit](https://getcompleter.app/_astro/completer-habit-tracker-action-button-walking.C6KT9cgc.png)

*Set the Action button to a single habit, here Walking, when it's the one you log most often.*

Press and hold the Action button, and a confirmation appears at the top of the screen. The completion is saved, your streak updates, and your [Home Screen widgets](/blog/how-to-set-up-home-screen-habit-tracker-widgets) and [Lock Screen widgets](/blog/how-to-set-up-lock-screen-habit-tracker-widgets) refresh to show it.

![Completer habit tracker confirmation on the iPhone Home Screen reading Completion added to Walking, with a Done button](https://getcompleter.app/_astro/completer-habit-tracker-action-button-completion-added.Bd-8qvlW.png)

*"Completion added to Walking." The habit is logged without opening Completer.*

## How To Set the Action Button to Create a Habit

You can also use the Action button to start a new habit the moment you think of it:

1. Open the Settings app and tap Action Button.
2. Swipe to Shortcut and tap the shortcut name.
3. Find Completer and choose Create Habit.

![Completer habit tracker Action button settings on iPhone with the Shortcut option set to Create Habit](https://getcompleter.app/_astro/completer-habit-tracker-action-button-create-habit.B1RvJoG0.png)

*Create Habit turns the Action button into a quick way to start something new.*

Now press the Action button. Completer asks what the new habit should be called. Type a name, or tap the microphone on the keyboard to dictate it, then tap Done.

![Completer habit tracker prompt on iPhone asking What should the new habit be called, with a Name field, Cancel and Done buttons and the keyboard open](https://getcompleter.app/_astro/completer-habit-tracker-create-habit-name-prompt.CwieulKX.png)

*Only the name is needed. Everything else uses the same defaults as the New Habit screen.*

The habit is created right away, and a confirmation shows its name. Open Completer later to change its goal, color, reminders or notes with Edit.

![Completer habit tracker confirmation on the iPhone Home Screen reading Habit Running created, with a Done button](https://getcompleter.app/_astro/completer-habit-tracker-create-habit-confirmation.BK3k4qPn.png)

*The new habit, Running, is ready to track.*

## Siri and Shortcuts Work Too

The same actions are available to Siri and in the Shortcuts app, so you can use whichever is closest. Say "Complete Walking in Completer" to log a habit, or "Create a habit in Completer" to start one. The [Siri guide](/blog/how-to-track-habits-with-siri) lists every phrase, and shows how Siri works from the Lock Screen without unlocking your iPhone.

If your iPhone doesn't have an Action button, you can get almost the same one-press tracking with [Back Tap](/blog/how-to-log-habits-with-iphone-back-tap), which logs a habit when you tap the back of your iPhone. To start new habits faster, you can also add a [New Habit button to your Lock Screen and Control Center](/blog/how-to-add-new-habit-button-to-lock-screen).

## Tips for Tracking Habits With the Action Button

Pick the habit you do most often and at the most awkward moment to reach for your phone. A walk, a glass of water or a workout are good examples. These are the habits that go unlogged when tracking takes more than a second, and the ones where a single press helps most.

If you track many habits, Add Completion is the more flexible choice. If you track one key habit every day, setting the button to that habit by name is faster, because there is nothing to choose. You can switch between them in Settings at any time.

## Troubleshooting

If the Action button doesn't do what you expect, check these common causes:

- Completer isn't in the Shortcut list: open Completer once after installing or updating it, then check again.
- Add Completion isn't there: adding completions needs iOS 26 or later.
- The habit limit message appears: the free plan includes three habits. Archived habits count toward the limit too. Upgrade to Pro in the app for unlimited habits.
- "That habit no longer exists" appears: the habit was deleted. Choose another habit in **Settings → Action Button**.

## Need Help or Have Feedback?

If you run into any issues, want to suggest improvements, or have questions about the Action button, you can always reach out through the [contact page](/contact). Your feedback helps improve the habit tracker experience for everyone.