To ensure that I don't stare at my phone all night, I turn my phone on Do Not Disturb every night before going to bed. This allows me to receive texts and phone calls while not being notified.
My phone does not ring, vibrate, light up, or vibrate. It is genuinely blissful not to receive any notifications for several hours each day, even though they are hours before and after I get up. Some important calls will still be made, such as when my roommate goes on a first date or when a relative is in labor.
It's possible to appreciate the positive aspects of Do Not Disturb, while still making sure that important calls get through.
Set up "Do Not Disturb"
You have two options to enable Do Not Disturb for your iPhone. One, it can be turned on and off once and the other will turn it on and off according to a set schedule. You can turn it on once by tapping the moon button on your iPhone. You can turn it off by clicking the moon button once more.
Slide up to manually turn Do Not Disturb off or on on your iPhone. Credit: mashable screenshot
You can set Do Not Disturb to follow a specific schedule by going to your settings. Scroll down to Do Not disturb. You'll be able to set it up to turn on or off at any time you like.
You'll need to first go to your Settings to set up a Do Not Disturb schedule. Credit: MASHABLE SCREENSHOT
Be creative
You may want to make exceptions from Do Not Disturb like I did for my roommate or my immediate family members. Before you can do this, it's important to decide who should and shouldn't be on the list. Are you allowing your friends to reach out to you even though your Do Not Disturb is active? It's up to you!
Click on the Contact Card to open
You can still pick the contact you want to hear from, even though Do Not Disturb is active. Credit: MASHABLE SCREENSHOT
First, you will need to access the contact card of people you wish to be able contact even if your Do Not Disturb mode is off.
Edit
You will need to modify the contact card of the person you wish to reach to ensure that you are still able to communicate with them. Credit: MASHABLE SCREENSHOT
Click "Edit" to edit the contact you select. You can edit any information about the contact including their name and number.
Evacuation in an emergency
Scroll down to click "ringtone". The top option is "Emergency Bypass," and it will allow sounds and vibrations to be sent from the contact even if Do Not Disturb has been turned on.
This bypasses all other settings. This means that even if Do Not Disturb is turned off, but your ring button is set to silent and the ringer's ringtone is on, vibrations and sounds will still be sent from this person. After you are satisfied with your settings, click "Done". Voila! You won't be disturbed unless you are with the people you wish to be disturbed.
