Since iOS 15, iPados 15, Watchos 8 and MacOS Monterey you can use Focus, an extension to the current one. This handy tool prevents distraction, so that you can concentrate better. As soon as you set a focus you can decide for yourself which apps you can send notifications and who can contact you.
For example, you can choose to create a focus for your work, at that time only work -related apps can send your notifications and colleagues contact you. Focus can be fully personalized, but you can also select one of the standard options.
Differences do not disturb and focus
Focus is an expansion on not disturbing and ensures that you as a user have more freedom. With the previous option it was all reports or nothing, now you can determine when you want to receive notifications and which apps. This must ensure more rest so that you better focus on certain tasks. In addition, Focus also ensures that people can still contact you or be informed of it when you have a focus active. This way they immediately know that you don’t want to be disturbed.
When a focus is active, you will see a focus icon appearing on the access screen of your iPhone or iPad and in the menu bar of your Mac. You can change or disable the focus on this by tapping/clicking.
To personalize
Focus can be adjusted and personalized completely yourself. You are not only limited to the non-disturbing function, but you can set and use multiple focus. One by one you can use them or switch them on automatically in different situations such as at a location, when using a certain app or times.
Consulting focus iPhone or iPad
- Open settings
- Navigate to ‘Focus’
- Choose a desired part
- Tap the Plus button to create a new focus
Apple Watch linked to your iPhone? Then the Focus settings are automatically taken over.
Manage focus on a Mac
- Open  ▸ System settings
- Navigate to ‘Focus’
- Choose a desired part
- Click on ‘Add Focus’ to create a new one
Do you still have an older version of macOS? Then you can manage this via  ▸ System Preferences ▸ Reports ▸ Focus ▸ Plus button.
Synchronize focus between devices
With Focus (if desired) the settings are automatically synchronized with all your devices with iOS 15, iPados 15, macOS Monterey, Watchos 8 or newer. Synchronizing can be switched on or on via the Focus settings with the ‘Share on all devices’ option. Of course you can add extra apps per device if they are not used on all devices.
Allow apps and people
Via (Stystem) Settings â–¸ Focus you can select and adjust a desired focus on an iPhone, iPad or Mac. Via the ‘Persons’ and ‘Apps’ option you have the option to link permitted contacts and applications to the Focus. You can choose to do notifications well or not to allow. Then choose which apps and people are allowed or just excluded.
Please note, people only get access if they send messages or call via the official apps from Apple such as mail, messages, Facetime and telephone. Or apps that use the right couplings for iOS, iPados and macOS. For example, if you allow a person, this is also possible for WhatsApp messages.
Always keep reports during Focus
With the help of Focus you can limit distraction and keep reports still. Since iOS 17 and iPados 17 it is possible to always keep notifications during Focus or only when your screen is locked. The last option will then ensure that notifications are shown if your device is used and is unlocked. You can set this via Settings â–¸ Focus â–¸ Edit a Focus â–¸ Options â–¸ Keep notifications.
Automatic switching on Focus
With the help of diagrams you can switch on the focus on the times when you want. Click or tap ‘Add schedule’ and choose a desired automation. This way you can switch on the focus based on time, location or when opening a certain app. The latter is particularly interesting. This way you cannot automatically engage in disturbing when you start reading a book via the Book app or bingewatching via Apple TV+.
In addition, you have a ‘smart activation’ and you determine iOS, iPados and macOS itself when this focus is switched on. Based on the On-Device Machine Learning, the function itself comes into action and you look at your routines, such as the times when you are usually working or go to bed.
Time -sensitive notifications and other options
Focus contains many more interesting options, a new one is ‘time -sensitive reports’. These are special reports that apps can always deliver immediately, so that you do not miss warnings. Think of notifications of an alarm system or that a door is open. Time -sensitive notifications are always played unless you switch it off by focus.
When setting a focus you can enable extras via the ‘options menu’. This way you can dim the access screen when Focus is activated or hide notification badges from apps. Delayed delivery ensures that notifications you receive and not in your permitted list are moved directly to the message center until the focus is switched off.
Status and automatic answers
Contacts outside the reports that you allow for a focus, will be shown that your reports have been disabled. Your status is displayed when someone tries to contact you in messages so that they know that they are not allowed to interrupt you. Click or tap ‘Focus status’ to use this in the Focus Settings.
If someone’s status is engaged, indicating that they have suppressed reports with focus, contacts can still break this with an urgent message so that they can still reach you.
Hide apps on the home screen
On an iPhone and iPad it is possible to hide apps during a certain focus. This means that you can hide pages on the home screen, so that they are no longer visible during a focus. As soon as it is switched off, the pages with apps are shown again.
Via Settings â–¸ Focus you can open a focus and tap on ‘home screen’. Then switch on the ‘Custom pages’ option and tap ‘Choose pages’. You can then check initial screens that are visible during the focus, the others are hidden.
Quick coupling on access screen
As soon as a focus becomes active, this will be visible on the access screen of your iPhone or iPad. A small focus icon is displayed under the clock, which indicates that reports and other activities are limited. By pressing this icon you can change or disable the focus. In addition, you can also link a focus to the access screen, you can read exactly how that works in the featured tip below.