Apple added focus modes with iOS 15 to help us stay focused on the task at hand. The idea was to keep you "in the moment" filtering apps or notifications that you don't want to appear at specific times.
In iOS 16 and iOS 17, Apple It has also added some new options to speed up the process. That includes the ability to mute notifications from specific apps or people, as well as Link focus modes to lock screens and watch faces. Let's see them!
When you first start setting up focus modes, it can seem a little daunting. There are many options and many ways to adjust them. In fact, it may take a while before you get the combination of settings that best suits your lifestyle. But in the end, it will be worth it, because you won't be able to be completely immersed in a task without irrelevant notifications bothering you.
Focus modes on iOS
Accessing focus modes is easy, and we have several ways to do it:
- We can do it through Control center, you will simply have to swipe down from the top right corner, and you will see the concentration modes. By default, it will be the moon icon. When tapped, your main Do Not Disturb profile will be activated. If you tap anywhere else on the button, you'll see a selection of other profiles you can activate. Once you start using focus modes more frequently, the icon displayed will default to the focus mode you last used. Tap the three dots to the right of each button and you can set how long you want that focus profile to be active. Or you can tap the Settings button to adjust the settings for that focus.
- But maybe the best way to start is to go to Settings > Focus Modes, where you can set up all the various focus profiles you plan to use.
Configure the different profiles
When you first open the Focus Modes page in your settings, you'll see a list of several profiles, starting with Basic Do Not Disturb and then moving on to others, such as Driving, Rest, Free Time and Work.
But if you tap the plus sign in the top right corner of the screen, you'll find more, like fitness, gaming, mindfulness, and reading. If none of them suit you, you can create a custom profile. Besides, There is an option that allows you to share profiles across your various Apple devices.
Setting up focus modes may seem a little confusing, but it's simple, let's see how to do it:
Do not bother
The first thing you see on the focus modes page is Do Not Disturb (we'll use this mode as an example). If you tap on it, a submenu appears designed to help you find out which people and apps can send notifications when the mode is enabled.
After that, you'll see options to customize screens, an option to automatically turn the mode on and off at certain times, and focus filters that let you customize how apps work in a specific focus.
Enable notifications
Focus modes allow you to specify which people or apps can continue to notify you even if you have a mode active, in this case Do Not Disturb. For example, you may want to allow calls from family members or notifications from your work Slack if they can come through.
Now too You have the option to mute notifications from specific people or apps.
To make these exceptions, tap the People or Apps boxes to get to the Notifications page.
Mute or allow notifications from people
To customize this section, follow the following steps:
- First tap the People box. You should see two options at the top: Mute notifications from or Allow notifications from.
- To add people to the list, press the plus button. From there, you should see your contact list. Tap the contacts you want to add to your list and when you return to the notifications page, they will appear in the box. If you want to remove someone, you can tap the minus button at the top left of their contact photo.
- You can also choose who you want to allow calls from in the Phone Calls box (which is just below the box that shows your contacts). Tap the drop-down box to select Everyone, Allowed People Only, Favorites, or Contacts Only. If you've set up specific contact groups, these should also appear here.
Mute or allow app notifications
To customize this section, follow the following steps:
- If you're choosing one or more apps in Do Not Disturb, tap the Apps tab and then the plus button.
- You will get a list of your installed applications. Check the ones you want to add to the Allowed Notifications From or Mute Notifications From list, and select Done at the top right of the page. You will now see your chosen apps in the box next to the plus sign.
- If you change your mind about any of your apps, just tap the minus sign next to each icon.
- You can also allow time-sensitive notifications to arrive by turning them on. Time-sensitive notifications are from apps that you've individually labeled as important enough to break any filter, no matter what. To select which apps are important to you, you have to exit “Focus” and go to Settings > Notifications; Select the app or apps you want to rate, for example, Calendar, and make sure time-sensitive notifications are turned on for that app.
Customize screens
You can also link a focus to a specific lock screen, and to a watch face if you have a Watch Apple.
To do this, simply follow these steps:
- First scroll down to the menu Customize Do Not Disturb Screens (or whatever profile you are setting up). You should see two or three icons: a lock screen, a home screen, and (if you have a watch) a face.
- Now tap the blue Choose link below each one to select from your existing lock screens, home screens, and watch faces.
- If you're feeling creative, you can also create new lock screens, home screens, or watch faces for each mode. This takes a little more time, but will probably give you the best customization.
- When you select pages on the home screen, Apple now offers suggestions based on the focus mode you're programming. You can also create your own focus home screens, but it takes more time. It involves creating your own home screens and hiding them when you're not in a mode. Apple's suggestions are pretty good, but this is a workable solution if you don't like any of them.
Activate one of the concentration modes automatically
Some focus modes you will want to activate manually but you can also program them. You can automate focus modes to activate at a specific time or location, or when you open a particular app. To do this, follow the following steps:
- First from the Turn on automatically menu on the Do Not Disturb page (or another profile), tap Add Time to access one of these options. You can activate Do Not Disturb mode at a set time, or when you arrive at the office and every time you open the Netflix app, for example.
Filters in concentration modes
We also have the ability to apply application or system filters with a specific mode. You're a little limited in options as of this point, but the ones that are available are useful. To find these filters follow these steps:
- First Scroll down the main Do Not Disturb page.
- You can set a calendar filter so that only a specific calendar appears. Or you can filter messages so that you only see messages from the people you want. In Safari, you can choose to limit yourself to viewing a specific group of tabs. As for the system filters, you can choose to switch to dark or light mode or activate low power mode.
Other options
- In the Options menu, under People and Applications allowed/silenced, you can choose whether to show muted notifications on the lock screen, dim the lock screen, or hide notification badges.
- You can choose to share your focus status, so if someone texts you, they'll get a screen saying you have notifications muted. On the main focus page, scroll down until you see the Focus Status menu. Next, enable shared focus status.
- You can also customize which modes you share your status from. For example, you can turn it on for Driving and off for Sleep.
Conclusion
Now, when you tap the focus mode icon in Control Center, all the features you've created for your profile will be activated. Please note that the profile that was last active will be the one that appears: for example, if you last used your driving profile, the focus button will display the car icon.
