Set up a Focus on iPhone (2024)

1. Go to Settings > Focus, then tap a Focus—for example, Do Not Disturb, Personal, Sleep, or Work.

   For the Focus you select, you can set up the options described in the steps below, but you don’t have to set up all of them.

   

2. Specify which apps and people can send you notifications during your Focus. See Allow or silence notifications for a Focus on iPhone.

   After you specify which people and apps to allow notifications from, an Options link appears.

   See Also

   Allow or silence notifications for a Focus on iPhoneHow To Tell If Someone Blocked Your Number on iPhoneSignificance of the bellWhatsApp Mute vs Block: Know the Difference

3. Tap Options, then do any of the following:

   • Show silenced notifications on the Lock Screen or send them to Notification Center: Turn Show On Lock Screen on or off.

   • Darken the Lock Screen during this Focus: Turn on Dim Lock Screen.

   • Hide notification badges on Home Screen apps: Turn on Hide Notification Badges.

4. When you’re finished selecting options, tap at the top of the screen.

5. To change the Lock Screen to use with this Focus, tap the Lock Screen preview below Customize Screens, select a Lock Screen, then tap Done at the top of the screen.

6. To choose a Home Screen page to use with this Focus, tap the Home Screen preview below Customize Screens, select a page, then tap Done.

   The Home Screen options that appear include the apps and widgets most relevant to the Focus you’re setting up.

   To make changes to the Home Screen to customize it further for your Focus, see Move apps and widgets on the Home Screen.

7. To share your Focus across your Apple devices, tap , then turn on Share Across Devices (you must be signed in with the same Apple ID on all your devices).

After setting up your Focus, you can return to Settings> Focus at any time and change any of the options you chose above.

You can schedule a Focus to turn on automatically or turn it on or off in Control Center.

When you set up a Sleep Focus, you can also change your next bedtime and wake-up time, or adjust your sleep schedule by tapping Set Up Sleep in Health. See Set an alarm in Clock on iPhone or Add or change sleep schedules in Health on iPhone.

When you set up a Focus, you can add app filters that determine what information apps will show during the Focus. For example, you can choose which mail account or which calendar to use during the Focus.

1. Go to Settings> Focus, then tap the Focus you want to add filters to.

2. Scroll down to Focus filters, then tap Add Filter.

3. Tap an app, then select the information from that app you want to use during the Focus:

   • Calendar: Choose which calendars you want to show during the Focus.

   • Mail: Choose which mail accounts you want to use during the Focus.

   • Messages: Choose which message conversations you want to see during the Focus—for example, only conversations from people you’ve allowed notifications from during this Focus.

   • Safari: Choose which Tab Group you want to use during the Focus.

4. Tap Add to add the filter to the Focus.

If you want to concentrate on an activity that’s different from any of the provided Focus options, you can create a Custom Focus.

1. Go to Settings > Focus.

2. Tap at the top right, then tap Custom.

3. Enter a name for your Focus, then tap Return.

4. Choose a color and an icon to represent your Focus, then tap Next.

5. Tap Customize Focus, then set up the options for your custom Focus.

You can use the same Focus settings on all your Apple devices where you’re signed in with the same AppleID.

Go to Settings> Focus, then turn on Share Across Devices.

Note: Focus filters don’t get synced across devices—they’re only on the device where you set them up.