Focus modes were added in last year's version of the software. To keep you in the moment, the idea was to block out notifications that you don't want to hear. New options have been added to simplify the process in the latest version of the software. There is the ability to silence notifications from specific apps or people, as well as link focus modes with lock screens and watchfaces.
It can be difficult to set up Focus. There are many ways to modify it. It might take a while before you get the settings that work best for you. It will be worth it in the end, because it will mean that you won't be left out when you need to concentrate, and you won't be bothered by notifications when you have other things to do.
The control center has a focus button.
You can see all your profiles when you tap on focus.
You can access Focus mode via your control center. The focus button has an icon next to it. It will be the moon icon. Your primary Do Not Disturb profile will be activated when taps are made. A selection of other profiles can be activated if you tap anywhere else. When you start using Focus modes more often, the icon will be the last one you use.
You can set the length of time you want the Focus profile to be active by using the dots to the right of the buttons. You can change the settings for that focus with the settings button.
You can set up all the different Focus profiles by going to settings > focus.
When you first open the Focus page in your settings, you will see a list of several profiles, starting with the basic Do Not Disturb and moving on to others, such as Personal, Sleep, and Work. Driving, fitness, gaming, and reading are some of the things you can find if you tap on the plus sign. You can create a custom profile if you don't like any of them.
The profiles can be shared across your various Apple devices.
Setting up focus modes can be a little confusing, but it isn't until you get into it that it becomes a problem. In order to explain how these work, we need to use Do Not Disturb as an example and tap on it. We will look at a few different modes after that.
The first thing you see is a list of people and apps that can send notifications when the mode is enabled. You will see options to personalize screens, an option to turn the mode on and off at certain times, and Focus Filters that allow you to modify how apps work in a specific Focus.
The ability to modify screens is included in the new Do Not Disturb focus mode.
There are new options with focus filters.
If you have Do Not Disturb active, you can specify people or apps that can keep notifying you. You may want to allow calls from family or coworkers. The option to silence notifications from specific people or apps has been added to the operating system. All of your devices need to be running the most recent software if you want to use this method across them.
You can make these exceptions by tapping on the People or Apps boxes. This brings you to two different menus. You now have the ability to mix and match. You can choose to allow notifications from people or not. The Notifications page might be different depending on your phone.
The people box has a tap on it. You can either Silence Notifications From or Allow Notifications From.
The plus button can be used to add people. You should see your contact's list from there. When you check off the contacts you want to add, they will show up in the box. The minus button is located in the top left corner of the contact photo.
The person you want to allow calls from can be found in the phone calls box. You can choose Everybody, Allowed People Only, Favorites, or Contacts Only. Specific contact groups should show up here as well.
tap the apps tab and then the plus button if you want to use more than one app.
There is a list of your installed apps. Select Done at the top right of the page to check off those you want to add to the Allowed Notifications From list. Next to the plus sign is a box where you can find your apps.
The minus sign is next to the icons if you change your mind.
Time sensitive notifications can be enabled byggling it on. Time sensitive notifications are from apps that are important enough to break through any filters. To select which apps are important to you, you have to leave Focus and go to settings, select the app or app you want to qualify, and make sure Time Sensitive notifications is toggled on for that app.
You can do more than just modify which homescreens show up in a specific focus mode. If you have an Apple watch, you can link a Focus to it.
You can do this by scrolling down to the Customize Screens menu. If you have a watch, you should see a lock screen, home screen, and watch face. You can choose from your lock screens, home screens, and watchfaces.
You can make new lock screens, home screens, or watch faces for each mode. It's a bit more time consuming, but it's probably the best way to personalize.
Apple now suggests homescreen pages based on the Focus you are programming. The creation of your own Focus homescreens is more time- consuming. You have to create your own homescreens and hide them when you aren't in focus. If you don't like any of the suggestions, this is a viable alternative.
When focus modes are seamless, they work well. You should turn on some of the focus modes manually. For others, Apple allows you to program when they are activated.
Focus modes can be activated at a set time or location. If you want to access one of the options, hit the Add Schedule option. You are free to change any one setting. When you arrive at the office and open the netflix app, you can have the do not disturb focus activated.
When you go to read in the evening, for example, you should use Smart Activation, which will hopefully help you learn your habits and keep you out of trouble. You can turn it off if things don't work out.
When a focus mode is activated, you can automate.
The focus filters are limited. TheScreenshot by Victoria Song.
App or system filters can be applied with a specific mode. As of this moment, you have limited choices, but the ones that are available are useful. You can find these filters by scrolling down on the main do not disturb page.
You can use a calendar filter to only show a specific calendar. You can choose if you want to see messages from people you don't want to see. You can limit yourself to a particular tab group in the browser. You can either turn on Low Power mode or switch to dark or light mode.
You might not know why you should use a filter. Not all modes will need them. You might decide that in your sleep focus you want to switch to dark mode automatically. You can flip on Low Power Mode if you are worried about battery life on a hike.
There are more than one option.
You can hide notification badges, dim your lock screen, or show Silenced Notifications in the options menu. If someone texts you, they will get a display that says you have notifications silenced. The focus status menu can be found on the main focus page. On the Share Focus Status page, click on the button. From which modes you share your status, you can change it. It's possible to turn it off for sleep and on for driving.
Some of the focus modes can be very different from each other, which can make it difficult to set them up. There are two more: personal and driving.
When you tap on a profile that has not been set up, you are presented with a set of screens that walk you through the initial processing, including which people and apps should be allowed to notify you.
There are different options for the driving focus profile.
There are different automation options.
You are dropped into the Focus page for that profile, which is similar to the Do Not Disturb setup. In Personal, you can change the notifications but only if you want to share your Focus status, choose how you want to personalize your screens, or create an automation that will turn it on and off.
There are some preset that are more specific. The opening page of the wizard told me that it would turn on automatically when I was driving, and that it would arrange auto-reply to let people know why I wasn't.
There were a few differences on the page. Under the assumption that you aren't playing with apps while you're at the wheel, allowed notifications include people but not apps. You can change the auto-reply option that will be sent to people who try to contact you while the focus is on. You won't be able to select homescreens in the Customize Screens menu. You can choose if the app will know you are driving based on detected motion, if the app is activated, or if you turn it on manually.
You can create a custom profile with the help of the plus sign in the upper right corner of the main focus screen. To represent your new profile, you'll be asked to name it and pick a color and icon. The process is the same, except that you can change the name and appearance of the Focus in the profile's screen.
The various features you have created for your profile will be activated when you tap the Focus icon in your control center. The Focus button will have a car icon if you last used your Driving profile. You can switch to a different profile by touching the icon or the word Focus.
It is possible to use the Focus app to help you concentrate when you need to, relax when you want to, and keep you safe from distraction when driving. It might take a while to figure out which profiles you want to set up and which factors work for you. Focus can make things simpler for you once you get it working.
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