How to Use Focus Mode on iPhone

Set up and customize Focus mode on iPhone to filter notifications, apps, and calls based on your current activity or time of day.

1. Access Focus settings. Open Settings and tap Focus. You'll see pre-built Focus modes like Do Not Disturb, Personal, Sleep, and Work. Tap any existing mode to customize it, or tap the + button in the top right to create a new Focus mode.
2. Choose Focus mode settings. Select a Focus mode type or tap Custom to build from scratch. Name your Focus mode and choose an icon and color. The icon and color help you quickly identify which Focus is active in Control Center and on your Lock Screen.
3. Configure allowed notifications. Tap Notifications and choose which apps can send notifications during this Focus. Tap Allow Notifications From and select specific apps, or leave it empty to block all notifications. Toggle Time Sensitive if you want urgent notifications to break through regardless of your settings.
4. Set allowed contacts. Tap People to choose who can reach you with calls, messages, and notifications. Select Allow Notifications From and pick specific contacts, or choose from groups like Favorites or Recent. Toggle Allow Repeated Calls to let calls through when the same person calls twice within three minutes.
5. Customize app access. Tap Apps to choose which apps appear on your Home Screen during this Focus. Select specific apps to show, or leave this section empty to show all apps. Hiding distracting apps from your Home Screen reduces the temptation to check them during focused work or personal time.
6. Schedule automatic activation. Tap Automation to set when this Focus turns on automatically. Choose Time to activate at specific hours, Location to trigger when you arrive somewhere, or App to activate when you open certain apps. Toggle Smart Activation to let iOS suggest when to enable this Focus based on your usage patterns.
7. Enable Focus sharing. Tap Focus Status to share when you're in Focus mode with apps and contacts. When enabled, people messaging you through compatible apps will see that you have notifications silenced. You can also sync Focus modes across all your Apple devices signed into the same Apple ID.
8. Activate your Focus mode. Turn on your Focus mode from Control Center by swiping down from the top right corner and tapping the Focus icon. Select your desired Focus mode from the list. You can also activate Focus from Settings > Focus or ask Siri to turn on a specific Focus mode.