How to use Focus Mode on iPhone and what is focus mode?
Customize your settings for work, sleep, fitness, and everything else.
Setting limits on screen time can be tricky. But there are a growing number of apps and tools that can help you do just that – including the Focus mode feature built into iOS. The idea is that you set up different focus modes on your iPhone for different scenarios: one for the office, one for driving, and one for home. Each mode sets specific rules for how notifications are handled and how many distractions you can let in. How to use Focus Mode on iPhone?
MigNews has prepared a short photo tutorial for you so that you can turn on Focus mode quickly and effortlessly.
What you will need
- iPhone running iOS 15 or later.
The iPhone is packed with useful features. But Apple took it a step further by introducing Focus Modes in iOS 15. Focus Modes help you focus on different tasks. Apple has included modes for sleep, work, and personal tasks, as well as the ability to customize and create your own focus modes.
How to Use Focus Mode on iPhone: Setting Up iPhone Focus Modes
These focus modes are easy to set up, can be highly customizable, and can be more useful than you think. Source: popsci.com
Head to the Focus section of the main iOS settings menu. You'll see a few modes covering the standard scenarios: Driving, Fitness, Sleep, and Work. There's also the traditional Do Not Disturb mode, which is what Focus is based on. You can stick to just one of these modes, or use multiple.
Tap any mode to change it. The two main settings are for contacts who can contact you while the mode is active, and apps that can still send you notifications. Tap Settings to change how muted notifications are handled. They can still bring up notification icons and notifications on the lock screen if needed.
Further down the page are additional settings for Focus mode. You can choose specific lock screen and home screen layouts to apply while the mode is active. This allows you to hide certain apps and shortcuts from view in certain scenarios. It also gives you a visual indication of when the mode is active.
You can also use the “Add a Schedule” option, which lets you turn on Focus mode at specific times of day, in specific places where your phone is (like the gym), or in specific apps you’ve downloaded. There’s also Smart Activation, which lets your iPhone intelligently try to turn on the mode automatically when needed, based on “signals like your location, app usage, and more.”
Finally, use the Add Filter feature to have other actions take place on your iPhone when you enable a specific mode. For example, you can enable a specific group of tabs in Safari or exclude Apple Music activity from your listening history (maybe you don’t want your bedtime playlist to influence your recommendations). You can also enable Dark Mode, Low Power Mode, or Silent Mode alongside a specific Focus Mode, if necessary.
In addition to being able to turn on a schedule, you can turn on focus modes from Control Center (swipe down from the top-right corner of the screen). Tap the Focus Modes button, tap a mode, and it will stay active until you turn it off. If you tap the three dots next to a focus mode, you can set it to turn off after a certain amount of time or when you leave your current location.
How to create custom focus modes
Custom modes have their own icon and color, Screenshot: Apple
You don't have to settle for the focus modes that iOS provides if you want something different. Select Focus in Settings, then tap the + (plus) button in the upper-right corner. Choose one of the suggestions on the screen, or select Custom to start from scratch, which will take you to a page where you can choose a name, icon, and color for the mode.
You'll then be taken to the same settings screen we've seen with other Focus modes. You can choose which people and apps will have their notifications muted (or not), select specific lock and home screens, and turn the mode on automatically if necessary.
When you activate a particular Focus mode, you'll see its icon in the status bar at the top of your iPhone's interface, as well as its icon and name on the lock screen. If you find that you have too many Focus modes, you can delete them at any time. Select the mode on the Focus page in Settings, then tap Delete Focus.
There are a few other options worth mentioning on the Focus page in Settings. The Share Across Devices toggle, which syncs your Focus status across your other Apple devices (like your iPad and Mac), and the Focus Status option. The latter shares your current status with contacts in some apps (including Messages).
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