Want to let your friends know you're busy? Here's how to use iPhone's Share Focus Status.

 

Have you ever seen a little message at the bottom of your iMessage chat that says your contact “has notifications silenced?” This is focus status, and they’re using Apple’s updated Do Not Disturb function for iOS 15 and later.

iPhones can often be a distraction in situations like driving, but focus status is one safety improvement that can prevent texting while behind the wheel. Whether you’re looking for improved safety features or a way to limit screen time during work, here’s how you can use and customize focus status.

What is Share Focus Status?

“Share Focus Status” is a function on Apple devices that lets people know you have your notifications silenced when they message you. 

Here’s how to share your focus status:

• Go to settings, then Focus
• Select “Focus Status”
• Switch “Share Focus Status” on

How to turn on focus

Turn on focus by opening the control center on your iPhone or device. To open the control center, swipe down from the top-right corner of your screen. You can close it from swiping up from the bottom of the screen or by simply tapping your screen.

For iPhone SE and iPhone 8 or earlier, swipe up from the bottom edge of your screen to open the control center. 

In the control center, you should see a bar on the left side that says “Focus” with a moon icon. Tapping the icon will turn on focus mode, and tapping the word “Focus” will open a menu of options. 

 

How to customize focus

Apple’s settings also allow for customization based on the reason for focus. You can choose from a variety of options, including work, sleep, driving, gaming, mindfulness, fitness or even reading. You can also create your own focus status based on your unique needs.

To customize, select “Focus” under settings and click on one of the options listed, or tap the plus sign in the top left corner to create a new focus. From there, you can choose people and apps to allow notifications from or ones that you want to silence. You can also customize your lock screen and home screen appearance when the focus is on. 

You can customize the time your focus goes on and can set up a regular time for it to automatically turn on. Apple also lets you turn on filters for apps, where you can choose what the app shows you when you’re in focus mode. For example, filtering messages will only show you conversations from the people under your “allow notifications from” list. 

Here are some helpful ways to customize focus:

• Personal: Silence notifications from work-related apps during non-work hours
• Work: Allow notifications only from emergency contacts and work-related apps when you’re on the clock
• Sleep: Silence notifications from contacts and apps and change your appearance from light to dark by customizing the focus filters
• Fitness: Have your focus turn on automatically when you begin a workout and filter notifications only from any workout apps
• Driving: Try turning on auto-reply messages for when you’re on the road. The default one from Apple is “I’m driving with Focus turned on. I’ll see your message when I get where I’m going.” You can also choose to send this auto-reply to recent contacts, favorites or all contacts.