iPhone Shortcut for Automatic Photo Backup by Date - One-Click Backup to SSD

Are you tired of manually selecting and transferring photos one by one when your iPhone storage runs out? Let me show you how to create a shortcut that automatically backs up today's photos to a date-organized folder on your external SSD and even deletes the originals from your iPhone - all with a single tap.

What This Shortcut Does
1. Automatically creates date-named folders (e.g., 2026-01-17)
2. Backs up only today's photos to the SSD
3. Automatically deletes backed-up photos from iPhone

What You'll Need
- iPhone
- External SSD (with USB-C connection)
- iPhone's built-in Shortcuts app

Step-by-Step Instructions (A to Z)

Getting Started: Create a New Shortcut
1. Open the Shortcuts app on your iPhone
2. Tap the + button in the top right corner
3. A new blank shortcut screen appears

Step 1: Get Today's Date
You'll see a search bar at the bottom of the screen. We'll add actions one by one here.
1. Type "date" in the bottom search bar
2. From the results, find and tap "Current Date"
3. A "Current Date" box appears on the screen

Step 2: Format the Date for Folder Name
Now we need to create a date in "2026-01-17" format.
1. Type "format date" in the bottom search bar
2. Find and tap "Format Date"
3. Look at the newly added "Format Date" box
4. Tap the part that says "Format"
5. Scroll down to the bottom and select "Custom"
6. Type "yyyy-MM-dd" exactly as shown

Step 3: Select Photos
Now let's add the action to select photos.
1. Type "select photos" in the search bar
2. Tap "Select Photos" from the results
3. This action is now added

Step 4: Save to SSD
This is the most important step - saving the photos to your external SSD in the date folder.
1. Type "save file" in the search bar
2. Tap "Save File"
3. Look at the "Save File" action box
4. Find and turn off the "Ask Where to Save" toggle (so it saves automatically)
5. Tap "Destination Path"
6. A folder selection screen appears
7. Navigate to and select your external SSD location
8. Tap the path name at the top
9. You'll see a text field
10. Tap at the end of the path and add "/"
11. Long-press in the text field and select "Select Variable"
12. Choose "Formatted Date" from your variables
13. This will create a new folder with today's date each time

Step 5: Delete Photos from iPhone
Since the photos are now backed up to SSD, let's delete them from the iPhone.
1. Type "delete photos" in the search bar
2. Tap "Delete Photos"
3. A popup may appear asking "Delete selected photos?"
4. Choose "Delete Immediately" (this skips the Recently Deleted album)

Step 6: Name and Save Your Shortcut
1. Tap "New Shortcut" at the top of the screen
2. Enter a name like "SSD Photo Backup"
3. Tap "Done" in the top right corner

How to Use
Now let's use the shortcut you just created.
1. Run the "SSD Photo Backup" shortcut you created in the Shortcuts app
2. Connect your external SSD to your iPhone
3. Select the photos you want to back up
4. Tap "Add" or "Done" and they'll automatically save to today's date folder

Benefits
- Automatically creates date-organized folders without manual work
- Quickly backup multiple photos at once
- No monthly cloud costs - physical storage is secure
- Easy to find photos later with date organization
- Saves iPhone storage space by automatically deleting backed up photos

Important Notes
- The external SSD must be connected
- You need to allow file access permissions when first running it
- Large photo backups may take some time
- The "Delete Photos" action is optional - remove this step if you want to keep originals on your iPhone

With this iPhone shortcut, you can efficiently manage your photos without complex programs. Give it a try!