Setting Up Focus Modes on Your Phone and Computer

Focus modes let you decide in advance which people and apps can reach you, and when. Instead of fighting every buzz, you set up a few modes, such as Work, Evening and Sleep, that silence everything except what matters in that part of the day. Most phones and computers now include them: Focus on iPhone and Mac, Do Not Disturb (or Modes) and Focus mode on Android, and Do Not Disturb and Focus sessions on Windows. Here’s how to set them up so they actually help.

The three modes most people need

Start with these. You can add others, such as Driving or Exercise, once the basics are working.

iPhone and iPad

1. Open Settings, then Focus, and tap the plus button or pick a ready-made Focus such as Work or Sleep.
2. Choose people: allow notifications from specific contacts, and decide whether to allow calls from favourites.
3. Choose apps: allow only the apps you need in that mode.
4. Allow repeated calls so that if someone calls twice within a few minutes, the second call comes through.
5. Customise screens: link a Focus to a specific Lock Screen and Home Screen page that shows only relevant apps.
6. Add Focus filters to hide distracting content inside some apps, such as work calendars in the evening.
7. Set a schedule or automation by time, location or when you open a particular app.

With “Share Across Devices” on, a Focus you turn on on your iPhone also applies to your Mac and iPad. You can also share your Focus status so people see that you have notifications silenced.

Android

Android phones have two complementary tools:

• Do Not Disturb (called Modes on recent versions): silences calls and notifications, with exceptions for starred contacts, repeat callers and chosen apps, and can run on a schedule.
• Focus mode in Digital Wellbeing: pauses selected distracting apps entirely, so you can’t open them until the mode ends or you take a short break.

To set up:

1. Open Settings, then Digital Wellbeing and parental controls, and choose Focus mode. Select the apps to pause and add a schedule.
2. Open Settings, then Notifications (or Modes), then Do Not Disturb. Choose which people and apps can interrupt, and set schedules for work and sleep.
3. Try Bedtime mode in Digital Wellbeing, which can dim the screen and switch to grayscale at night.

Samsung phones also offer Modes and Routines, which can switch settings automatically based on time or location. Menu names vary by manufacturer and Android version. Our Digital Wellbeing guide covers more of these tools.

Mac

Open System Settings, then Focus. Create or edit modes, allow specific people and apps, and set schedules. Focus modes can sync from your iPhone. For deep work, pair a Work Focus with a full-screen app and your email closed.

Windows 11

• Do Not Disturb: in Settings, then System, then Notifications, turn it on manually or schedule it, and set priority notifications for people and apps that can break through.
• Focus sessions: start one from the Clock app or Settings, then System, then Focus. It turns on Do Not Disturb, hides badges and can run a timer with breaks.

Make modes stick

• Automate. Schedules and location triggers mean you don’t have to remember.
• Keep the allow list short. If everyone can break through, the mode does nothing.
• Put the phone out of reach during deep work; even a silent phone on the desk tempts you. See our guide to stopping phone checking at work.
• Tell people. Let family and colleagues know how to reach you urgently, for example by calling twice.
• Review after a week. Add anyone you missed; remove anything that snuck through.

Common mistakes

• Allowing too many apps, so the mode silences almost nothing.
• Forgetting to schedule, so the mode depends on remembering to switch it on.
• Leaving the phone within reach, which invites checking even when it’s quiet.
• Never reviewing: needs change, so check your modes every month or so.

Pair focus modes with other tools

Frequently asked questions

What’s the difference between Do Not Disturb and a Focus mode?

Do Not Disturb silences almost everything. A Focus mode is a customised version that lets chosen people and apps through, and can change your screens and filters.

Will I miss emergency calls in a focus mode?

Not if you allow calls from favourites and turn on repeated calls, so a second call within a few minutes gets through.

How many focus modes should I have?

Most people do best with three: Work, Evening and Sleep. Too many modes become another thing to manage.