How to set up a Focus mode on your iPhone in iOS 16 Tom s Guide
How to set up a Focus mode on your iPhone in iOS 16 Tom's Guide Skip to main content Tom's Guide is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here's why you can trust us.
(Image credit: Tom's Guide) 2. Pick the Focus setting you wish to set up by tapping either Do Not Disturb, Personal, Sleep or Work. You can set up a customized Focus mode by tapping the Plus (+) button in the upper right corner. For the purposes of this how-to, let's set up a Work Focus mode together. (Image credit: Tom's Guide) 3. On the next screen, tap Customize Focus. (Image credit: Tom's Guide) 4. Choose the people you want to manage the notifications of in your Focus mode by tapping Choose People. From there, you can pick whether to allow notifications from the people you select or silence notifications. (Image credit: Tom's Guide) 5. Tap the Plus (+) button to add people. You can then pick people in your Contacts list and tap done. When you've got a complete list, tap Next. (Image credit: Tom's Guide) 6. You'll be asked to choose whose calls to allow. By default, Focus mode will let through contacts you've designated as favorites, but you can also change that to the people you've allowed in Step No. 5 or everybody. You can also allow calls from anyone in your contacts or a specific contacts group. Tap Done when you've made your pick. (Image credit: Tom's Guide) 7. Now choose the apps you wish to manage for your Focus mode by selecting Choose Apps. Once again, you can pick whether to allow or silence notifications from a given app. (Image credit: Tom's Guide) 8. Tap the Plus (+) button to add apps. Then pick the apps you want to allow/silence notifications from out of the supplied list and tap Done. (Image credit: Tom's Guide) 9. You're back on the Choose Apps to Allow page. Tap Done again. (Image credit: Tom's Guide) At this point, you've got the Focus mode basics, with filters set up for people and apps. But iOS 16 lets you take things one step further by tying your Focus mode to a specific lock screen. (You could previously assign a home screen to your Focus mode, which you can still do in iOS 16.) Here's how you can set up a Focus mode with specific lock and home screens.
How to set up a Focus mode on your iPhone in iOS 16
By Philip Michaels last updated 12 October 2022 Focus mode can silence distracting notifications - if you know how to set it up (Image credit: Tom's Guide) For some people, Focus modes on the iPhone are essential for filtering out distractions, keeping notifications at bay and homing in 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 Apple's software update has made it easier to set up a Focus mode on your iPhone. That's a welcome change. If you've yet to embrace the notification-silencing wonders of Focus mode, it's likely because you found setting up and turning on the feature to be a bit of a pain. iOS 16 Focus streamlines things somewhat - it's now easier to manage the people and apps you still want to connect with when a particular Focus is enabled. You can now link lock screens that you've customized in iOS 16 to particular Focus modes, and you can turn off the focus mode straight from the lock screen if you want. If that sounds appealing and you're ready to finally give Focus a try - or another try, if you gave up when the feature first debuted with iOS 15 - here's how to set up a Focus mode on your iPhone now that iOS 16 is widely available.How to set up a Focus mode on your iPhone in iOS 16
1. Open Settings and tap on Focus.(Image credit: Tom's Guide) 2. Pick the Focus setting you wish to set up by tapping either Do Not Disturb, Personal, Sleep or Work. You can set up a customized Focus mode by tapping the Plus (+) button in the upper right corner. For the purposes of this how-to, let's set up a Work Focus mode together. (Image credit: Tom's Guide) 3. On the next screen, tap Customize Focus. (Image credit: Tom's Guide) 4. Choose the people you want to manage the notifications of in your Focus mode by tapping Choose People. From there, you can pick whether to allow notifications from the people you select or silence notifications. (Image credit: Tom's Guide) 5. Tap the Plus (+) button to add people. You can then pick people in your Contacts list and tap done. When you've got a complete list, tap Next. (Image credit: Tom's Guide) 6. You'll be asked to choose whose calls to allow. By default, Focus mode will let through contacts you've designated as favorites, but you can also change that to the people you've allowed in Step No. 5 or everybody. You can also allow calls from anyone in your contacts or a specific contacts group. Tap Done when you've made your pick. (Image credit: Tom's Guide) 7. Now choose the apps you wish to manage for your Focus mode by selecting Choose Apps. Once again, you can pick whether to allow or silence notifications from a given app. (Image credit: Tom's Guide) 8. Tap the Plus (+) button to add apps. Then pick the apps you want to allow/silence notifications from out of the supplied list and tap Done. (Image credit: Tom's Guide) 9. You're back on the Choose Apps to Allow page. Tap Done again. (Image credit: Tom's Guide) At this point, you've got the Focus mode basics, with filters set up for people and apps. But iOS 16 lets you take things one step further by tying your Focus mode to a specific lock screen. (You could previously assign a home screen to your Focus mode, which you can still do in iOS 16.) Here's how you can set up a Focus mode with specific lock and home screens.