Engadget explains when to use iPhone's Do Not Disturb and Focus modes

Silent mode silences sounds but still displays notifications, and the phone may still vibrate, according to Engadget. Do Not Disturb goes further: when it is on, notifications do not appear at all, including banners, calls and alerts. The publication said Do Not Disturb was introduced with iOS 6 and is designed for times when a user does not want any distraction. But because it can be too strict, Apple introduced Focus with iOS 15, allowing users to choose which apps and contacts can break through.

Do Not Disturb and Focus are available in Control Center, which is opened by swiping down from the top-right corner of the screen or swiping up from the bottom on iPhones with a Home button. Tapping the Focus button shows classic Do Not Disturb plus Personal, Work and Sleep modes. To adjust a mode, users tap the three dots and then Settings. First-time Focus users must set it up under Settings > Focus, where they can decide which apps and people are allowed to notify them. In Work Focus, for example, a user could allow Slack and Mail while silencing other apps. The same allow-or-silence choice applies to contacts and calls or messages.

Engadget said users should enable Time Sensitive Notifications under Apps so reminders, alarms and calendar events can still come through. Focus modes also support Filters and Smart Activation, and Do Not Disturb is itself a Focus, meaning it can be customized in the same way, such as allowing alerts from a spouse even while Do Not Disturb is on.

Some Focus modes can turn on automatically. Sleep Focus follows a sleep schedule set in the Health app, so it does not need to be enabled each night. Driving Focus activates when the iPhone connects to CarPlay to reduce distractions on the road. For devices with Apple Intelligence enabled, the Reduce Interruptions Focus uses AI to judge which notifications may be important and which are not. Engadget described it as a good first Focus to try because it does the work for the user. Users can create a new Focus from Control Center by tapping New Focus, or from Settings > Focus by tapping the plus button; they can then give it a name and icon and customize it like the other modes.

By default, contacts who send an iMessage see a small notice that a Focus is on. While any Focus is active, some or all notifications are suppressed according to the user's settings. Messages, emails and other notifications are still received, but they do not produce pings. Turning the Focus off restores normal alerts.