This way you are still available to certain people during the ‘Do not disturb’ mode

The do not disturb mode ensures that you are not bothered by calls and messages at certain times, for example at night. But what if you do want to be reachable for certain contacts? That works very simply.

Exceptions during do not disturb mode

Do not disturb mode was introduced in 2014 in Android 5.0 Lollipop. In this mode, all notifications are silenced for a certain period: they do not sound and do not vibrate. It’s an ideal outcome for me during the binge watch and go to sleep. At night, during an exciting thriller, but also during a video recording or meeting, you do not want to be disturbed by all kinds of notifications from your smartphone.

However, I would like to make an exception for a number of people. They are allowed to disturb me at all times, especially in an emergency. Fortunately, it is possible to make exceptions via the settings of the do not disturb mode. For example, you can set that no messages are received, but calls from a contact that you have marked as favourite. This way you are assured that you will not be disturbed, except when important people call.

Roadmap

In this article I explain how to set up calls from important people on your mobile during do not disturb mode well enter. Note: the settings may differ per device.

1. Open the Settings on your phone
2. Search Do not disturb in the search bar
3. Tap Exceptions on To call to action
4. Tap on Allow calls to allow conversations
5. Here you can choose from which people calls can come through: from everyone, only from contacts or only from contacts with star. Tap None to not let any call through.
6. Choose the option Returning Callers to allow a call from the same person who calls back within 15 minutes

In addition to the calls, for call and message notifications, you can also set who during Do Not Disturb mode:

Conversations

• All conversations
• Priority Calls. Tap on Settings to choose which calls to prioritize.
• No

Messages

• Everyone, contacts or contacts with star
• No
• Memories
• Dates

Now you know how to enjoy a series or a well-deserved night’s sleep undisturbed without being unreachable for the people who are very important in your life. Do you use the do not disturb mode exceptions?

All AW Basics articles

This article is part of our AW Basics. Those are articles for those who want to learn more about the basics of Android, or their Android phone. These howtos, tips, and background articles are interesting for beginners and experts alike! You will find the complete overview of all AW Basics here on Androidworld.