Here is how to use Focus mode on iPhone: open Control Center, tap Focus, then pick one, such as Do Not Disturb. To customize it, go to Settings and tap Focus. There you choose which people and apps can still reach you, add a schedule, and decide whether others see that your notifications are silenced.
Apple describes Focus as a feature that helps you concentrate by minimizing distractions. You can customize one of the provided options, such as Do Not Disturb, Work, Personal or Sleep, or create your own. A Focus can temporarily silence all notifications, or allow only the ones that matter for what you are doing, and let other people and apps know you are busy.
Why bother? In a 2015 lab study, phone notifications alone significantly disrupted performance on an attention-demanding task, even when people did not interact with their phone. Fewer interruptions give your attention a better chance.
Open Control Center.
Tap Focus.
Tap the Focus you want to turn on, for example Do Not Disturb.
To choose when it ends, tap the Focus button (Apple shows the Do Not Disturb button as the example), select an option such as "For 1 hour", "Until this evening" or "Until I leave this location", then tap the button again. Only one Focus runs at a time: if another Focus is already on, it turns off when you tap the new one. You can also ask Siri something like "Turn on the Work Focus."
When a Focus is on, its icon appears in the status bar and on the Lock Screen.
Go to the Settings app on your iPhone.
Tap Focus, then tap a Focus, for example Do Not Disturb, Personal or Work.
Choose what to change:
People: who can still send you notifications.
Apps: which apps can still notify you.
Options: for example, whether silenced notifications show on the Lock Screen, or whether the Lock Screen darkens.
Lock Screen or Home Screen: switch to a calmer, customized page while the Focus is on.
Add Schedule: turn the Focus on automatically at a set time, at a location, or while using a certain app.
Add Filter: change what apps show during the Focus.
Sleep works a little differently. Apple says a Sleep Focus follows the sleep schedule you set in the Health app. To add or edit that schedule, tap Open Sleep in Health.
People. In Settings, tap Focus, choose a Focus, then tap People (or Choose People). Tap Allow Notifications From, tap the Add People button and pick contacts. Or tap Silence Notifications From to mute specific people instead. Apple also offers options to allow calls from certain groups and to allow repeated calls, meaning two or more calls from the same person within 3 minutes.
Apps. In the same Focus, tap Apps (or Choose Apps). Tap Allow Notifications From and add apps, or tap Silence Notifications From. You can also turn on Time Sensitive Notifications, which Apple says allows all apps to send time-sensitive notifications immediately.
Emergency contacts. To let someone through even when notifications are silenced, open Contacts, select the contact, tap Edit, tap Ringtone or Text Tone, then turn on Emergency Bypass.
Go to the Settings app.
Tap Focus, tap the Add button, then tap Custom.
Enter a name, choose a color and an icon, then tap Next.
Tap Customize Focus, then set up its people, apps and options.
Example custom Focus setups (examples only, adjust to your life):
Study: allow one parent or partner and your calendar app, use a plain Home Screen page, schedule weekday evenings.
Deep work: allow your manager and your work chat, silence everything else, schedule two morning hours.
Family dinner: allow only household members, turn on at a set time each evening.
Go to the Settings app.
Tap Focus, then tap the Focus you want to schedule.
Tap Add Schedule, then set the times, a location, or an app that should turn it on.
If a time already appears below Set a Schedule, you can tap it to change when the Focus turns on and off.
Focus filters decide what information apps show during a Focus. Apple's examples include choosing which mail account or which calendar to use. In Settings, tap Focus, tap the Focus, scroll down to Focus filters, tap Add Filter, choose an app or system filter, select what to show, then tap Add. Apple notes that Focus filters don't sync across devices when Share Across Devices is on.
Go to the Settings app.
Tap Focus, then tap Focus Status.
Turn Share Focus Status on or off.
If it is on, choose which Focus profiles can share that you have notifications silenced.
With it on, people who message you may see that you have notifications silenced, and Apple says they can still notify you if something is urgent. To use the same Focus settings on all your Apple devices signed in to the same Apple Account, go to Settings, tap Focus, then turn on Share Across Devices.
To turn a Focus off, touch and hold its icon on the Lock Screen, or open Control Center, tap Focus, then tap the Focus that is on. To delete one, go to Settings, tap Focus, tap the Focus, scroll to the bottom and tap Delete Focus.
Focus keeps notifications quiet in the evening too. To limit apps at bedtime as well, our sister site explains how to set up Downtime on iPhone.
Do Not Disturb is one of the Focus options. Apple suggests it when you want to quickly silence all notifications. Other Focus options, and custom ones, let you choose exactly which people and apps get through.
If Share Focus Status is on, people who message you may see that you have notifications silenced. Turn it off in Settings, then Focus, then Focus Status.
Check the Focus in Settings for a schedule based on time, location or an app. A Sleep Focus follows your sleep schedule in Health, and with Share Across Devices on, a Focus started on another device also applies to your iPhone.
Yes, if you set it up. Allow specific people, turn on repeated calls, or use Emergency Bypass for key contacts.
A Focus decides which notifications reach you, but it does not stop you from opening a distracting app on your own. FocusPass: App Blocker blocks the apps, categories or websites you choose using Apple's Screen Time picker, and offers Deep Focus sessions of 25 to 90 minutes with a Live Activity and Dynamic Island timer. It is free with in-app purchases, needs no account and has no ads.
Get FocusPass free on the App Store
Allow or silence notifications for a Focus on iPhone (Apple Support)
How to get notifications on your iPhone and Apple Watch (Apple Support)