How to Use Focus Mode on Your iPhone

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methods

1Creating a Focus Mode

2Toggling a Focus On or Off

3Editing a Focus Mode

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Tips and Warnings

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References

Article Summary

iOS 15's new Focus feature can help keep you on task by temporarily silencing all (or some) notifications. If you've been using Do Not Disturb or Sleep modes on your iPhone, these features are now parts of Focus. But you can also set up other Focus modes, such for driving, working, reading, gaming, or even just practicing mindfulness. This How.com.vn article will teach you how to minimize distractions by using Focus Mode on your iPhone.

Steps

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Creating a Focus Mode

1. 
   1
   Open your iPhone's Settings

   

   . It's the gray gear icon on your Home screen.
2. 
   2
   Tap Focus. It's in the second group of settings. This displays all of your existing Focus Modes.
3. 
   3
   Tap the plus sign +. It's at the top-right corner.
4. 
   4
   Choose what you want to focus on. You can set up a Focus Mode for all sorts of activities, including driving, fitness, or gaming.

   • If none of the categories apply, just tap Custom at the top, which will allow you to enter your own name and choose an icon.
5. 
   5
   Choose who can still reach you and select Allow. If you still want to receive calls or texts from certain people while focusing, tap + Add Person to choose from your contacts.

   • Alternatively, you can tap Allow None to block notifications from all contacts.
   • Some Focuses allow people from your Favorites to still reach you when you're in that mode. Tap Calls From to choose whether any contacts that you didn't explicitly add can still reach you.
   • If someone who isn't permitted tries to message you while you're in this Focus, they'll be notified that your notifications are silenced. They'll also have the chance to still notify you if it's an emergency.
6. 
   6
   Select apps that can still notify you and tap Allow. If you still want to see notifications from certain apps while in this mode, + Add App to add those apps now.

   • You can also use the "Time Sensitive" switch to allow or deny notifications marked as "time sensitive" by apps that aren't on your list to come through.
   • If you don't want to see any app notifications at all in this mode, tap Allow None instead.
7. 
   7
   Choose whether to turn on this Focus automatically. Some of the pre-set Focuses can start automatically when you do certain activities. For example, Driving mode can start every time you connect your iPhone to CarPlay via Bluetooth, and Fitness mode can start every time you start a Fitness+ workout. If given the option, choose to turn this mode on automatically or tap Skip if you'd prefer not to.
8. 
   8
   Tap Done to finish setup. This adds your Focus Mode to the list of modes. You can now toggle this Focus on and off from the Control Center, or in the Focus area of Settings.

   • You can further customize or edit your Focus modes in Settings > Focus.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Toggling a Focus On or Off

1. 
   1
   Open your iPhone's Control Center. If your iPhone has Face ID, swipe down from the top-right corner of the Home screen. If it has Touch ID, swipe up from the bottom of the home screen. You'll see a rectangular Focus button on the Control Center screen.
2. 
   2
   Tap Focus. This brings up a list of your Focuses.

   • The icon on this tile always reflects the Focus you used most recently. For example, if you used Sleep mode recently, you'll see a bed icon on this button.
   • If you tap the icon, it will immediately turn on that Focus mode. But if you tap the word Focus and not the icon, you'll see a list of Focuses to choose from.
3. 
   3
   Tap the Focus you want to use. This turns on the selected Focus. If this mode is on, you won't receive any notifications other than those you allowed through.

   • If you want to use this Focus for a particular period, tap the three dots on the Focus name and select a time period, such as For 1 hour or Until I leave this location.
4. 
   4
   Tap the icon on the Focus tile to turn off the Focus. For example, if you want to turn off Do Not Disturb mode, just open the Control Center, and tap the moon icon. Any notifications you missed while in that mode will come through once the mode is disabled.

   • You can also toggle Focuses on and off in the Settings app. Just tap Focus, tap the Focus you want to turn on or off, and then tap its switch at the top.
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Editing a Focus Mode

1. 
   1
   Open your iPhone's Settings

   

   . It's the gray gear icon on your Home screen.
2. 
   2
   Tap Focus. It's in the second group of settings.
3. 
   3
   Tap the Focus Mode you want to edit. This opens the settings for that mode.

   • All of the Focus Modes generally have the same settings, and you'll configure them each separately.
4. 
   4
   Choose who can reach you while you're in this Focus. You may want certain people to still be able to call or text, such as your boss when you're in Work mode, or your child when you're in Sleep mode.

   • Tap People under "Allowed Notifications."
   • To add one or more people individually, tap + Add Person at the top, select the people you want to add, and then tap Done.
   • If you want to allow calls from people in your Contacts or Favorites to still call you while you're in this Focus Mode, tap Calls From at the bottom, and then choose who can still call you.
   • You can also toggle "Allow Repeated Calls" to the On position to allow anyone who calls you a second time within three minutes to break through Do Not Disturb mode and reach you right away.
   • Tap the back button when you're finished.
5. 
   5
   Allow certain apps to still send you notifications. If there are apps that send you notifications that you don't want to miss while in this mode, here's how to allow them through: Here's how:

   • Tap Apps under "Allowed Notifications."
   • Tap + Add App.
   • Select one or more apps that can still displays notifications while you're in this mode.
   • Tap Done.
   • Tap the back button to return to the Focus Mode's screen.
6. 
   6
   Choose whether you want people to know your Focus status. By default, turning on any of the Focus Modes tells people who try to contact you through Messages (and other participating apps, as they become available) that your notifications are off. You can toggle this on and off by tapping Focus Status under "Options."
7. 
   7
   Select notification preferences for Home and Lock screens. By default, you'll still see the icon badges that show the number of notifications received on your Home and Lock screens in all Focus Modes. You can toggle these on and off by tapping Home Screen or Lock Screen under "Options."
8. 
   8
   Tap Add Schedule or Automation to schedule this Focus mode. If you want this Focus to start and end at particular times, you can create a schedule under "Turn On Automatically."

   • Tap Time to enter specific times.
   • Tap Location to automatically turn on this Focus when you arrive places, such as work.
   • Tap App to automatically turn on Focus when you launch a particular app.
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Tips

• If you want your Focus modes to be accessible everywhere you sign in with your Apple ID, go to Settings > Focus and toggle on "Share Across Devices."
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• You can make sure your emergency contacts can always get through by enabling Emergency Bypass for those contacts. Just open your Contacts, tap the contact's name, select Ringtone, and then toggle on "Emergency Bypass."
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