---
title: "Widgets and Shortcuts"
description: "Control Potatso from Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets, the Control Center toggle, and potatso:// URLs in the Shortcuts app and its automations."
---

> Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://potatso.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Widgets and Shortcuts

You can connect, disconnect, switch modes and switch nodes without opening Potatso: from a widget, from Control Center, or with a shortcut. They all work on the profile selected in Potatso.

## Home Screen widgets {#widgets}

Add a widget the usual way: touch and hold the Home Screen, tap **Edit**, then **Add Widget**, and search for Potatso. Potatso has two widgets.

### VPN Connection {#connection-widget}

Connect, switch modes, and pick nodes.

| Size | Shows |
| --- | --- |
| Small | The profile, its status and a **Connect** or **Disconnect** button. |
| Medium | The same, plus the mode buttons: **Rule**, **Global**, **Smart** and **Direct**. |
| Large | The mode buttons and up to 4 nodes of the main outbound, with their latency. |

Tap a mode or node to switch to it. If you're connected, the change applies right away. When a change needs the app, the widget says **Open Potatso to apply this change.**

With Potatso Pro, the large widget also has a **Test Latency** button that tests the nodes it shows.

Some choices aren't available for some profiles. For example, a Personal VPN profile has no mode or node buttons, and Direct mode doesn't use a node.

### Nodes {#nodes-widget}

A medium widget with the connect button and the three nodes you connect to most. Tap a node to switch to it.

## Lock Screen widgets {#lock-screen}

The **VPN Connection** widget also comes in Lock Screen sizes:

- The round widget shows whether you're connected and for how long. Tap it to connect or disconnect.
- The rectangular widget shows the status, the profile, its mode and its route.
- The inline widget shows the status in one line.

## Control Center {#control-center}

On iOS 18 or later, you can add a Potatso toggle to Control Center:

1. Open Control Center and touch and hold an empty area.
2. Tap **Add a Control** and search for Potatso.
3. Choose **VPN Connection**.

Tap the toggle to connect or disconnect.

## URL actions {#urls}

Potatso responds to these URLs:

| URL | Action |
| --- | --- |
| `potatso://on` | Connects. |
| `potatso://off` | Disconnects. |
| `potatso://switch` | Connects when disconnected, and disconnects otherwise. |

Opening one of these URLs opens Potatso and then connects or disconnects.

## Use Potatso in Shortcuts {#shortcuts}

To make a shortcut that connects:

1. In the Shortcuts app, create a new shortcut.
2. Add the **Open URLs** action.
3. Enter `potatso://on`.

Use `potatso://off` to disconnect, or `potatso://switch` to toggle.

### Connect automatically {#automations}

Shortcuts automations run a URL action for you. For example, to connect when you leave your home Wi-Fi:

1. In the Shortcuts app, tap **Automation**, then create a new automation.
2. Choose the **Wi-Fi** trigger, choose your home network, and set it to run when your iPhone leaves it.
3. Choose to run it immediately.
4. Add the **Open URLs** action with `potatso://on`.

Make a second automation with `potatso://off` that runs when your iPhone joins your home Wi-Fi, to disconnect again when you get home.

Source: https://potatso.com/docs/guides/widgets-and-shortcuts/index.mdx