iPhone Focus Mode: Your Complete Guide to Distraction-Free Productivity (iOS 15+)

Constant notifications interrupt your work, sleep, and family time—but silencing everything means missing important calls. iPhone Focus Mode solves this by letting you create custom notification profiles that allow only critical contacts and apps through while blocking the rest.

What is iPhone Focus Mode?

Focus Mode is an iOS feature that creates custom notification profiles, filtering calls, messages, and app alerts based on your chosen criteria. Unlike the older Do Not Disturb feature, Focus Mode allows specific people and apps to break through while others remain silenced.

You can set up multiple Focus modes—Work, Personal, Sleep, Fitness, Driving, or Custom—and automatically activate them based on time, location, or which app you’re using. When activated, Focus Mode syncs and activates simultaneously across your iCloud-connected devices (iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch) if you enable ‘Share Across Devices’ in Settings > Focus. The activation state syncs across devices, though the notification-specific filters remain device-specific.

Focus Mode was introduced in iOS 15 (September 2021) and remains available on all current versions including iOS 18.3 and newer. It works on iPhone 6 and newer models.

Current as of: iOS 18.3 (January 2025)

Why Use This Feature?

• Control interruptions without missing emergencies: Set up rules so your boss, family, or close friends can still reach you during urgent situations, while less critical notifications wait until you disable Focus Mode
• Reduce decision fatigue: Pre-configured Focus Modes mean you don’t have to manually silence apps each time you need to concentrate—just activate the mode and your phone adapts automatically
• Improve sleep quality: Sleep Focus Mode can dim notifications, hide Lock Screen details, and prevent alerts from waking you while allowing emergency calls through
• Boost productivity: Activate a Work Focus Mode at your office automatically, filtering social media and messaging apps so you stay on task during designated hours

Things to Consider

• Built-in safety valves protect you: Certain critical alerts (repeated calls from the same number within 3 minutes, emergency contacts with Emergency Bypass enabled, time-sensitive notifications identified by your device) break through Focus Mode automatically. This design prioritizes your safety—you cannot fully filter system alerts like low battery warnings or security warnings
• Location-based automation requires GPS and Wi-Fi: Focus Mode uses geofencing (a virtual perimeter around a location) rather than raw GPS coordinates. Accuracy depends on satellite visibility, Wi-Fi networks, and Bluetooth connectivity. If Location Services are disabled in Settings, location-based Focus Mode automation won’t function
• Apple Intelligence features have regional limits: The ‘Reduce Interruptions’ Focus Mode (iOS 18+), which uses machine learning to filter notifications intelligently, is available in English only for iPhone 15 Pro models and newer in specific regions. Check Apple’s regional support documentation if you’re outside major markets

How to Set Up Your First Focus Mode in 5 Minutes

Step 1: Open Focus Settings Open Settings on your iPhone, then tap Focus near the top of the menu (or scroll down if you don’t see it immediately). You’ll see any existing Focus Modes displayed.

Step 2: Create a New Focus Mode Tap the ’+’ button in the top right corner to create a new Focus Mode. You’ll see template options: Work, Sleep, Fitness, Driving, Personal, or Custom. Choose the template that matches your use case—templates come pre-configured with sensible defaults that you can customize.

Step 3: Name Your Focus Mode Enter a specific name that reflects when or why you’ll use this mode—for example, ‘Deep Work’, ‘Evening Wind-Down’, or ‘Family Time’ instead of generic names like ‘Focus’. Specific names make activation easier later when you’re switching between modes throughout your day.

Step 4: Choose Which Contacts and Apps Can Notify You On the ‘Allow Notifications From’ screen, tap ‘Add’ and select which contacts and apps can notify you. Start by allowing only 1-2 critical apps (like Messages or Phone) and 3-5 important contacts—you can always expand this list later. This conservative approach prevents notification creep while you adjust to Focus Mode.

Under ‘Silence Notifications From’, confirm that all other apps are listed (they’ll appear greyed out during this Focus Mode). Apps here won’t send any notifications while your Focus is active.

Step 5: Set Up Automatic Activation Tap ‘Add Schedule or Automation’ to configure when this Focus Mode activates automatically. You have three options:

• Time of Day (best for routine-based modes): Set specific start and end times. For example, 9 AM to 6 PM for Work mode, or 11 PM to 7 AM for Sleep mode
• Location (best for work or home): Select your office address or specific location from your Contacts. Focus Mode activates automatically when you arrive
• App (best for specific activities): Choose an app like Slack or a productivity app. Focus Mode activates when you open that app

Step 6: Choose Which Devices Activate This Mode Select ‘All Devices’ to activate this Focus Mode across your iPhone, iPad, and Mac simultaneously (assuming they’re connected to the same iCloud account). If you want different Focus Modes per device, select specific devices instead—this is an advanced option most users don’t need.

Step 7: Review and Test Your Configuration Tap ‘Done’ to save. Your new Focus Mode now appears in your Focus list. Test it by swiping left on your Lock Screen to verify the Focus Mode appears and can be toggled on and off.

Step 8 (Optional): Customize Your Lock Screen For advanced customization, return to Settings > Focus, select your newly created Focus Mode, and tap ‘Customize’ next to its name. You can blur sensitive widgets or show only task-relevant information. This makes switching contexts feel more intentional and helps you stay focused visually.

You’re Done! Your Focus Mode is now active and will automatically activate based on your schedule, location, or app usage. You can create additional Focus Modes for different parts of your day—most power users maintain 3-5 Focus Modes (Work, Sleep, Personal, Driving, Fitness).

Focus Mode transforms how you interact with notifications by giving you fine-grained control over what interrupts you, while built-in safety mechanisms ensure emergencies always break through. Start with one mode (Sleep or Work) to build confidence, then expand to additional modes as you discover what works for your routine.