Wrong Birthday
"🎂 Happy birthday, Gerald!" Their name is not Gerald.
Download shortcut⏱ 40s setup
Open this page in Safari on an iPhone. The file goes straight into Shortcuts.
What happens
Every time they open one of their go-to apps, a notification drops in: “🎂 Happy birthday, Gerald!” It’s relentless, cheerful and wrong.
Setup
- Open the download on their phone (or AirDrop it over) and tap Add Shortcut.
- While importing, it asks for a name that is definitely not theirs (Gerald is the default). Fill it in before tapping Add Shortcut.
- Long-press it in Shortcuts → All Shortcuts → Rename and call it App Greeter, so it doesn’t give itself away.
- Shortcuts → Automation → + → App, pick 2–3 apps they live in and choose Is Opened, select Run Immediately, tap Next and choose the shortcut.
- Run it once now and tap Always Allow on every prompt, or the prank fizzles on a permission dialog later.
Undo
Open Shortcuts → Automation, swipe left on the automation and tap Delete. Then delete the shortcut.
Variations
- Do it on their actual birthday for maximum confusion.