Thesmartphonehas done more for connecting people apart than any other technology in human history. Ironically, the same devices connecting those apart disconnect us from the people physically closest. At the same time, it’s more difficult than ever to focus on work and school because of the near endless borage ofnotificationsour devices receive. Notification pollution is a problem. Granted, not to the degree of actual pollution, but it is a problem nevertheless!
To help address bothersome notifications, Apple releasedFocus modesin 2021 with iOS 15. Since then, Focus modes have received minor improvements, increasing their functionality. Apple considers Focus modes to be a way to tune out distractions on all your Apple devices. Despite the value Focus modes can provide in reducing notification fatigue and increasing a person’s productivity, they’re heavily underused. To address that, here’s a beginner’s guide to Focus modes where we’ll answer what a Focus mode is, why people use them, and how you’re able to create and customize them to suit your lifestyle best.
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What are Focus modes?
Tuning out distractions
Do Not Disturbhas long been a feature that allows users to silence all notifications from their Apple devices. The challenge with Do Not Disturb was that it offered no granularity; it was all or nothing. Focus modes fix that. Think of Focus modes as your personal library of customized notification filters to be applied in different contexts.
If there’s a typical situation you find yourself in when you’d like to control which notifications break through at the moment and which ones are held off until later,creating a Focus modeis right for you. What’s also great is once a Focus mode is made, it can sync across your iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro, so you aren’t taken out of the moment at hand.
Here are the types of Focus modes you can create:
Every Focus mode is functionally the same, empowering you to set which notifications you’d like to allow or disallow. While Focus modes have default names, colors, and automations, those can changed to suit your preference. The only exceptions are that Do Not Disturb cannot be renamed or have its color or icon changed, and driving cannot allow app notifications. Otherwise, Focus mode defaults make configuring easier and can be altered to meet your specific life needs.
In total, an Apple device can have ten Focus modes. To activate a Focus mode, navigate to your device’s control center > tap or click Focus > select your Focus mode. Alternatively, ask Siri to “turn on(X)Focus.”
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How do people use Focus modes?
There are endless possibilities
The beautiful thing about Focus modes is there’s no right or wrong way to do it. Focus modes are about limiting which notifications can pull you out of important moments by holding less important ones until later. Only you may determine what should be allowed through and what to hold back. Many people use Focus modes while working, exercising, and with friends or family. Since a person can have up to ten, there’s a lot of opportunity to create unique Focus modes for various situations, even if there’s only a minor change or two between them.
Here are the Focus modes I created and how I use them:
Each Focus mode has a color-coordinatedHome Screenwallpaper and Apple Watch face. I’m also a fan of leaving Allow Repeated Calls enabled for Focus modes, where I limit phone calls to allow friends and family members to contact me in an emergency.
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How do I build a Focus mode?
Five steps or less
iOS and iPadOS
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How do I customize Focus Modes?
There are many options
Allow Notifications
Under Allow Notifications, there are People, Apps, and Options.
Customize Screens
Under Customize screens, users can set specific Lock and Home Screens for their iPhone and iPad. Customize screens are not available for Macs. Customize screens lets you have specific wallpapers, widgets, and apps depending on your Focus mode. When entering a Focus mode, these items will auto-magically change. Upon exiting, everything reverts back to its default layout.
Set a Schedule
There are two options under Set a Schedule: Smart Activation and Add Schedule.Smart activationautomatically turns on your Focus mode based on on-device context clues like location and app usage. However, your milage may vary on helpfulness.
TappingAdd a Scheduleprompts you to select Time, Location, or App. These three options are automation triggers that can activate your Focus mode when set criteria are met. For example, you could use the Time trigger to have your Work Focus mode run from 9-5 Monday to Friday, the Location trigger to activate Fitness while at the gym, or the App trigger to enable Reading when opening the Apple Books or Libby app.
Focus Filters
Focus filters allow supported apps to show specific information based on your Focus mode. For example, in your Work Focus mode, Mail could display your work emails,Messages, work-related text messages, and Calendar, work calendar events. Content is otherwise hidden when not in that particular Focus mode. Focus filters help separate users from other contexts, like work when using a single device, to help balance life.
Other apps that support Focus filters include:
Tapping Add Filter on iOS or iPadOS or clicking Add Filter… on macOS prompts you to select the app(s) you want to show specific content when using a particular Focus mode and hide it when not. The Focus filter section also has System filters when scrolling down. System filters let you set whether dark mode, low power mode, silence mode, and your always on display is on or off as part of a Focus mode.
Delete Focus
To delete a Focus mode: Launch Settings or System Settings > tap or click Focus > select the Focus mode you’d like to delete > scroll to the bottom of the page > tap or click Delete Focus > Delete Focus.
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What are the other settings I should know about?
Sync Focus modes and Share Focus Statuses
Sync Focus modes across devices
Through the power of iCloud, when a Focus Mode is enabled, it can be activated across devices. To do so, ensure Focus status is toggled on by navigating to Settings or System Settings > Focus. Focus status is enabled by default and is an excellent feature to limit distractions regardless of whether you’re using your iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, or even Apple Vision Pro.
Share Focus status with others
When turned on, Focus status shares with others that you have notifications silences. This feature is an excellent way to inform those sending youiMessagesthat you aren’t available at the moment and will get back to them later. If a message is urgent, senders can send a priority message. Focus status is also enabled by default. To verify, navigate to Settings or System Settings > Focus > Focus Status. Share Focus Status should be toggled on, along with any of the Focus modes you’d like to be sharing that you’re in a Focus mode. The type of Focus mode you’re using is never shown to another person.
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