For some people, focus modes on the iPhone are essential to filter out distractions, keep notifications at bay, and focus on the task at hand. The feature came to the iPhone with iOS 15 in 2021, but it’s new and improved for iOS 16, as an Apple software update made it easier to set up Focus Mode on your iPhone.
This is a welcome change. If you haven’t yet embraced the wonders of silencing notifications in Focus mode, it’s probably because you’ve found that setting the feature up and running causes a bit of a pain. iOS 16 Focus simplifies things somewhat – it’s now easier to manage the people and apps you still want to connect with when a specific focus is enabled. You can now link the lock screens you customized in iOS 16 to specific focus modes, and you can turn off focus mode directly from the lock screen if you want.
If that sounds appealing and you’re ready to finally try focus—or another one, if you gave up when the feature first came out with iOS 15—here’s how to set up Focus Mode on your iPhone now that the ubiquitous iOS 16 is available.
How to set up focus mode on your iPhone in iOS 16
1. Open Settings and press to focus.
2. Choose the focus setting you want to set with Tap Do Not Disturb, Personal, Sleep, or Work. Could you Set up a custom focus mode by clicking the plus (+) button in the upper right corner. For the purposes of this how-to, let’s set up Focus Mode to work together.
3. On the next screen, Click Customize Focus.
4. Choose the people whose notifications you want to manage in your focus mode by Tapping choose people. From there you can Choose whether you want to allow notifications from the people you select or mute notifications.
5. Press the plus sign (+) button To add people. You can then choose people in your contact list and Click Done. When you get a full list, Click Next.
6. You will be asked Choose who you allow calls to. By default, focus mode will allow contacts you’ve marked as favorites to open, but you can also change that to the people you allowed in step 5 or everyone. You can also allow calls from anyone in your contacts or a specific contact group. Click Done when you choose.
7. Currently Choose the apps you want to manage To put your focus by Select apps selection. Again, you can Choose whether you want to allow or mute notifications from a specific app.
8. Press the plus button (+) to add apps. then Choose the apps you want to allow/mute notifications from From the attached list and Click Done.
9. You’re back on the Choose apps to allow page. Click Done repeatedly.
At this point, you have the basics of Focus Mode, with filters set up for people and apps. But iOS 16 lets you take things a step further by linking your focus mode to a specific lock screen. (Previously, you could assign a home screen to focus mode, which you can still do in iOS 16.)
Here’s how to set up focus mode with specific lock and home screens.
How to set focus mode with specific lock and home screens
1. Press Choose under the screen you wish to customize. We’ll start with the lock screen, where you have the option to create a new lock screen, or choose one of your existing lock screens. Click Done When you make your choice.
2. Press Choose under Home screen to set custom home screenn to put your focus. Again, you can Choose from your existing home screens or you can create a new home screen That focus mode will be filled with relevant applications.
For example, the home page created by Focus and associated with Focus Work mode includes Calendar, Notes, Reminders, Mail, and more. Could you Click Edit apps to add and delete optionsincluding third-party applications.
3. When you are satisfied with the apps on your home screen, Click Add in the upper right corner.
Again, you can stop customizing your focus mode for now, or you can take advantage of the scheduling features for your focus mode. You have the option to turn on focus mode automatically at a specific time or location; You can also associate it with a specific app.
How to schedule focus mode
1. Tap Smart Activate to turn the feature on automatically and then Move the slider to the on position on the next screen. This will trigger your focus mode when your phone decides this is the right time or location.
2. If you prefer not to leave such things to chance, Click Add Table and then Choose a specific time, location or app to activate your focus mode. In this case, I ran my work focus between 9am and 5pm on weekdays.
You can add other times, locations or apps by Click on add table again.
How to use focus filters to set up focus mode on your iPhone
Focus Filters is a new addition to iOS 16 that allows you to filter out irrelevant or distracting data when focus mode is enabled. Here’s how focus filters work with Focus Mode.
1. Click Add Filter And on the next screen, Choose the app you want to customize. We’ll choose calendars in this example, but you can filter inboxes in Mail, tab groups in Safari, conversations in Messages and other apps, including third-party software that’s updated with Focus Filter support.
2. you now Choose which calendar appears and when. For example, I want my Tom directory calendar to appear when Work Focus is on. Click Add When you select the correct calendar.
3. You can go back and add more filters if you want to Clicking Add Filter.
When you are satisfied with your focus mode, tap the focus menu button in the upper left corner of the screen to return to the main menu. All your changes will be saved.
How to enable and disable focus mode in iOS 16
Once you set the focus mode, it will turn on automatically. You can turn it off from the focus screen in settings by going to the command center (swipe diagonally down from the left corner of the main screen) and tapping on the focus control. Tap Focus Mode Enabled to turn it off.
As of iOS 16, you can also turn off focus modes from the connected lock screen. Tap the focus icon at the bottom of the screen and then tap Focus Mode Enabled to turn it off from the menu that appears.
Believe me, it’s much easier to set up and customize Focus Mode in iOS 16 than it used to be, even if it seems like a lot of steps. And you should reap the benefits of focus, as you’ll see fewer unwanted notifications and remove the temptation to fiddle with games, text messages, and other potential distractions when you really need to work. (Conversely, Focus is also great for setting up a personal mode that hides all your work-related apps so you can take some time to relax.)
Focus is just one of the many walkthroughs we offer in our guide to iOS 16 features. We can also show you how to create a route with multiple stops in iOS 16 Maps, set up the new fitness app in iOS 16 or activate the My Sports feature in iOS 16 news that Shows results and news for your favorite teams.
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