Although you probably have your iPhone with you throughout the day, that doesn’t mean you want to be accessible to everyone at all times. That’s why your iPhone offers a Do Not Disturb mode, which allows you to silence or hide unimportant notifications to help you concentrate without distractions.

Let’s look at what Do Not Disturb mode does on the iPhone, how to turn it on, and how you can customize it for your needs.

What Is Do Not Disturb Mode?

Do Not Disturb is one of your iPhone’s Focus modes. It disables incoming notifications, texts, and calls on your device. It’s a helpful feature to prevent disruptions from your iPhone when you’re in a meeting, watching a movie, or simply taking a rest during the day.

If you’re concerned that you may miss emergency matters, don’t worry. You can customize Do Not Disturb mode, which we’ll show you to do below. Alternatively, you can set up and use different Focus Modes, depending on the task at hand.

How to Enable Do Not Disturb in iOS

The easiest way to turn on Do Not Disturb mode on an iPhone is to:

  1. Open your iPhone’s Control Center. The method varies with different iPhone models. If you’re not sure, you can refer to our guide on how to use the iPhone’s Control Center.
  2. Tap on the Focus button, which looks like a crescent moon. Make sure you tap the word itself, instead of the icon, which will automatically enable the last Focus mode you used.
  3. Tap Do Not Disturb from the list of options.

Turn Do Not Disturb on Temporarily

To turn on Do Not Disturb mode for a specific amount of time:

  1. Long press on Focus for more options.
  2. Tap More (…) next to Do Not Disturb.
  3. The available options you can choose are For one hour, Until tomorrow morning (or Until this evening), and Until I leave this location.

To turn off Do Not Disturb at any time, simply tap the crescent moon icon again.

How to Customize Do Not Disturb in iOS

To customize Do Not Disturb mode, go to the Settings app and select Focus > Do Not Disturb. You can adjust the setup to allow notifications and calls from specific apps and contacts. Here, you can simplify Do Not Disturb mode by creating a Favorites list beforehand.

Other customizations include opting to hide notification badges, showing only some pages from the Home Screen, and dimming the Lock Screen when you put your iPhone in Do Not Disturb mode. You can also set up a custom schedule for your iPhone to turn on Do Not Disturb automatically.

Improve Your Focus With Do Not Disturb Mode

When you need to get away from your iPhone, or use your device without distractions coming in, simply turn on Do Not Disturb mode to improve your focus. Just make sure you have the right settings so that you don’t get unexpectedly disrupted, even after turning on Do Not Disturb mode.