If you find yourself getting distracted from a task or not being able to sleep, Apple’s Focus Mode is an excellent solution. It can help you stay focused and free up your phone for other things.
One of the great features of Focus is that it allows you to share your status with certain contacts. This lets them know that notifications are silenced when you’re using a particular focus mode like Do Not Disturb, Sleep, Personal or Work.
Share Focus Status
When sharing focus status on iphone, it means that other people can see a warning that you’re using a Focus mode and have silenced notifications. That’s a great feature, because it lets you set limits on how and when people can contact you without interrupting your work or study time.
Apple has a few Focus modes that let you turn on and off distractions like Do Not Disturb and other settings. These modes can be set up automatically based on events or you can share them with other people to let them know you’re busy.
The Focus Modes are available on all Apple devices, including the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. They help you manage your time and prevent distractions, and they’re also compatible with third-party apps.
To share a Focus mode with others, you must turn on the Share Focus Status toggle in the Focus section of your Settings app. Once you do, anyone who tries to contact you via text will see a notification that you’re using Focus and have silenced notifications.
However, some apps might not be able to read this information. If they’re unable to, you may need to turn it off for that specific program. For example, the Messages app will be able to see your Focus mode only if you use the app on an iOS 15 or later device.
You can disable the Sharing Focus Status on a person or group of contacts, or you can select which contact types can receive this information. For example, you might want to disable this for your coworkers but allow others to access it so they can keep track of your work schedule.
When you turn on the Share Focus Status on iPhone, it will display a banner at the bottom of all conversations in Messages. It will also show up on the Lock Screen if you have Silenced Notifications enabled, so people can easily see it when they unlock your phone.
If you’re unable to see the Share Focus Status banner, check whether your iPhone has been restarted recently. If it has, restarting your device will reset your system and enable the feature again.
Turn On
If you have an iPhone running iOS 15 or later, you may have noticed a new feature that lets you control how people can reach you in a busy situation. It’s called Focus mode and it expands on the old Do Not Disturb option to offer more flexibility and options.
With Focus mode, you can set up multiple permissions for different apps and contacts based on what they are doing. This can help you avoid distractions, keep your attention focused on what matters, and even shut down apps when you’re at work or studying.
You can also enable Time-Sensitive notifications so that you don’t receive notifications while you’re watching a movie or listening to music. However, this feature is only available to iOS developers and it’s not always clear what apps qualify for Time-Sensitive status, so you may not want to rely on it too much.
Now that you know what the Focus mode is, you may be wondering how to turn it on and off. To do so, you’ll need to go to Settings > Focus.
There, you’ll see a list of all the Focus modes that you have activated and you can select one to turn it on or off. Some of these Focus modes are programmable and you can set up home screen custom pages, hidden notification badges, dimming the lock screen, and more.
In addition, you can create custom Focus mode names and icon themes so that your notifications look unique to each Focus mode. You can even create an unlimited number of Focus modes so that you can tailor them to specific times of day and what you’re doing in your daily life.
To make this easy, Apple offers a feature called Share Focus Status that will let a select group of people see when you’re in a specific Focus mode. This will be a big help when you’re out and about or away from your device, so you can let your friends know that you’re not ignoring them but are busy with something else.
When you are notified that a Focus mode is enabled, Apple’s Messages app will add a banner message to your conversation for everyone who has the corresponding contact. You can disable this feature on a per-contact basis so that you only let those who are important to you know when you’re in a particular Focus mode.
Turn Off
If you’ve recently installed iOS 15 on your iPhone or iPad, you may have noticed that it has a new feature called Focus mode. It’s designed to help you stay focused on your tasks by filtering out notifications that don’t matter.
One of the best parts of this feature is that it’s available for every Apple device you have, so you don’t need to turn it on or off on each of your devices. That’s because Focus mode synchronizes between all of your Apple devices that are linked with the same Apple ID.
While using Focus mode, you can also share your Focus status with select contacts. This will enable them to know that you’re busy with something important, but will keep them from trying to reach you.
As a result, your contact will see a banner that says “Notifications Silenced” whenever they attempt to message you in supported chat apps like iMessage or WhatsApp. It’s a handy tool that helps people understand you might not be able to respond immediately, but they can still contact you later or use the Notify anyway option in case there’s an emergency.
However, this might be annoying for certain contacts. For instance, it can be a pain when you’re in the middle of working and they need to contact you right away.
To avoid this from happening, it’s a good idea to whitelist your contacts and apps that you deem important. These can include messaging apps like iMessage or WhatsApp, as well as some essential apps that you often use.
For example, you might want to whitelist WhatsApp and iMessage so that they will automatically bypass Focus modes on your phone and send you alerts whenever the focus routine is activated.
Once you’ve whitelisted your contacts and apps, you can disable Focus status for them by following a few simple steps.
First, launch Settings on your iPhone or iPad. Once there, tap ‘Focus’ (half-moon icon).
Next, tap the ‘Share Focus Status’ button on the bottom of the screen.
You can also disable Focus status on individual contacts by going to their Messages profiles and switching off the ‘Share Focus Status’ toggle.
Customize
Focus is a feature that helps you silence notifications so you can concentrate on something or get some shut-eye. You can choose from several predefined Focus modes such as work, sleep, and driving, or create a custom one for a specific activity. You can even add an identification icon that will appear in your status bar while Focus is active.
A Focus status can be shared with friends and family by going to Settings > Focus. It will inform them that you are in a Focus mode and your notifications are silenced. It is a great way to let your loved ones know you are busy and need some time away from your phone.
Once you’ve turned on your focus status, it’ll be visible in your Control Center and on your Lock Screen. You can also set a specific color and icon theme for it. The icon you select can be anything, from a guitar for musicians to a paw print for pet lovers.
After creating your status, you can select apps you want to receive alerts from while the focus mode is active. You can choose to allow all of them or just choose the time-sensitive ones.
You can also customize your focus status by setting a specific time for it to activate or disabling it when you arrive at a certain location or open a particular app. You can also turn it on and off automatically with Smart Activation.
When you’re done customizing your focus status, tap Done. You can change the name of your focus, the color and icon theme, and the status filter. You can also hide Home screen icon badges and notifications while the focus mode is on.
Another thing to note about a Focus is that it will show up on the lock screen and on the control center if you’re using an iPhone with a notch. However, it’s only temporary, and you can easily remove it if you’re not in a hurry.
There’s a new feature in iOS 16 called “Focus Filters.” These are customizable options that let you control which apps and people can send notifications when your focus is active. For example, you can tell it to send a notification only to people who are on your contact list or those who have your phone number. You can also set the time the notification will go out.
