Now thatiOS 15has been released, it is available for every iPhone from the iPhone 6S and later. One of the new headlining features is Focus mode — a beefed-up Do Not Disturb that allows you to select which apps can bother you and when, customizing it for specific times of the day. Focus adds extra modes to the DND mode, customizing it for different times and activities.
Enabling Focus lets you halt notifications from ancillary, non-critical sources — for example, game and social apps during your workday; or, conversely, quiet notifications from business email accounts or Teams during your leisure hours. Not only can you determine which notifications and alerts can get through to you, but also which apps can command your attention. Setting a Focus status also communicates to others trying to reach you that you have silenced notifications. We show you various ways to set up Focus for optimal use.
Access and set up Focus from the Control Center
An easy way to access the Focus feature is via theControl Center, where it is located by default alongside theDo Not Disturb(crescent moon) button. If your Focus modes are already set up, you can choose the one you want from the Control Center.
There are a number of ways to access Focus settings, and this is one of them. You can configure your Focus settings from Control Center or set them up using the Settings app, as we discuss below. You can also switch off Focus from the Control Center. Once you’re set up, you can use the Control Center to switch the mode on or off.
Set up Focus from Settings
You can access the Focus feature viaSettings>Focus. Once launched, there are five built-in focuses: Do Not Disturb, Driving, Personal, Sleep, and Work. The first two are set up but disabled by default. The last three need you to configure them. A Share Across Devices toggle is also enabled by default, and will share your Focus preferences with youriPadOS 15,MacOS Monterey, andWatchOS 8devices.
How to set up a new Focus mode
We recommend everyone set up their Do Not Disturb and/or Driving Focus modes, but you can feel free to stop there. In the example below, we configure a new Work focus to walk you through the process. You can create a custom focus that’s not listed in the presets, as well.
Focus mode FAQ
You begin with two Focus modes set up by default: Do Not Disturb and Driving. Do Not Disturb is the standard Do Not Disturb mode, while Sleep works with the Sleep section in the Health app to shut off distractions during your scheduled sleep time. You may have a Do Not Disturb set up for when you sleep, and you can use this as an excuse to swap that over to the Sleep section. To do so, just tap the button at the bottom of theSleepsection to set up your Sleep settings.
Here are the basic settings you’ll come across in most Focus modes.
How critical is Focus?
Before iOS 15’s Focus feature, we all just muddled along with notifications of all kinds coming through like a free-for-all whenever the Do Not Disturb time frame ended. For many people with loose or predictable calendars and the ability to stay focused without any help, the Focus feature may seem like overkill. There’s a ton of flexibility to Focus, but also many unilateral decisions needed about the use of your time and relationships with others that may seem a little restrictive or beg for so many exceptions that the feature may be more trouble than it’s worth.
Inevitably, Focus will evolve for iOS users, and some will not get the settings quite right the first time. We suggest giving at least one new Focus a try — like Work or Personal — where you may limit contact during disparate parts of your day or while engaged in specific activities to see if Focus is helpful. If it’s not, then just switch it off.
