Do Not Disturb (DND) is a unique iPhone feature that keeps you from receiving notifications during certain times of the day, allowing you to focus on what matters.
You can use DND to block calls and text messages, or choose specific people and apps that can send alerts. This can be helpful, especially if you’re on a sleep schedule or driving.
Do Not Disturb
Do Not Disturb is an iOS feature that allows you to silence all notifications on your phone for a specified time. This is a great option for when you want to get some work done or spend some quality time with your family. However, it can also become a problem when you need to answer a call or text message.
If you’re using an iPhone, you can disable Do Not Disturb by opening Control Center and tapping on the Do Not Disturb icon shaped like a moon. You can find this icon in the top-right corner of your phone’s screen.
You can also turn off Do Not Disturb by going to the Settings app on your iPhone and selecting Focus. There, you can customize different types of screens and app permissions based on specific moments or times of the day.
This is especially helpful if you want to be alerted only when certain apps are active, such as when you’re on a conference call or using a new service. It also helps you set boundaries with friends and colleagues who may try to contact you during personal time.
In addition to Do Not Disturb, iOS 15 also introduced Focus Status. This is an optional setting that alerts other iPhone users if you have your notifications silenced, giving them the option to Notify Anyway. You can turn this off at any time.
Scheduled DND
If you’re someone who wants to get a good night’s sleep, preventing calls and notifications from buzzing at your bedtime can help you achieve that. You can do this by setting up a Scheduled Do Not Disturb mode on your iPhone. This allows you to schedule the feature to activate at a time of your choice, whether it’s your physical location or when you’re using a specific app.
Once you’ve set up a Scheduled Do Not Disturb on your iPhone, the feature will automatically turn on at the times that you’ve specified. However, if you’ve changed your schedule and don’t want the mode to activate at the same time every day, you can disable Scheduled DND on your iPhone.
To do this, go to Settings > Focus. There, you’ll see the “Do Not Disturb” section at the bottom of the page. Tap the Add Schedule or Automation button towards the bottom.
You can choose which time you want to turn DND on or off, and you can also pick the number of days that this schedule will repeat. Once you’ve set your DND times, you can click on “Done” to finish the process.
When you’re done, you can choose which people or apps you’d like to allow calls from when DND is on. These can be your own contacts, people you’re added to your DND list or a group of people. You can even enable Time Sensitive notifications, so that important ones are delivered to you when the time is right for them.
DND Exceptions
Do Not Disturb (DND) mode is a great way to block distractions and keep you focused on what’s important. However, there are times when you don’t want to be notified about all the calls and messages that come in on your phone. You might be in a meeting, watching a movie at the cinema, or even driving. In these cases, you need to turn off DND Exceptions so that you can get the calls and text messages that are important to you without being distracted by other notifications.
Thankfully, iOS 15 has added an exceptions feature that allows you to exclude specific contacts from DND. You can do this by adding the contact to a group on iCloud, your iPhone, or your Mac.
To do this, simply open the Settings app and navigate to Focus. Under Allowed during Do not disturb, tap People. Next, tap Add Person, select the few people you want to exclude from DND, and then tap Done.
You can also whitelist certain apps that are allowed to work during DND. This is useful if you use specific apps that send you alerts during DND and don’t want them to show up.
Disable DND
The Do Not Disturb mode is a great way to prevent your phone from ringing or vibrating in response to certain notifications. You can even choose apps or contacts that are allowed to send notifications while DND is on. However, it can get annoying if you don’t know how to disable DND on your iPhone.
If you have a new iPhone or an old one running iOS 15 or higher, you can easily disable DND on your device. You can do so from Control Center or Settings app.
To turn off DND on iPhone X or later, swipe down from the top-right corner of your screen to access Control Center (or up from the bottom of the screen for older devices). If you have an older device, you can also open the Settings app and tap Focus.
From there, tap the ‘DND’ icon in the Focus tile to disable it. Alternatively, you can also disable DND from the lock screen itself.
Apple has added the ability to link lock screens with Focus in iOS 16. If you have linked a specific lock screen to any of the Focus modes, including DND, you’ll see an option to turn on or off that Focus right on your lock screen.
You can use this feature to turn off DND while you’re sleeping or when you’re travelling on public transport, for example. You can even set a DND schedule that will activate at a specific time or location, or while you’re using a certain app.