What Is Focus on iPhone? The Ultimate Guide [2025 Updated]

Learn about Focus Status, Share Focus Status, and Personal, Work, and Sleep Focus Modes

What is Focus on iPhone?

Focus on iPhone is a handy built-in feature designed to help you concentrate by minimizing distractions. It's like a supercharged “Do Not Disturb” mode that can be customized to your specific activities like work, sleep, personal time, and more.

When Focus is active, your iPhone:

Silences unnecessary notifications.
Allows only selected contacts and apps to reach you.
Lets others know you're unavailable (if you choose).

You can quickly activate it anytime via your Control Center or the Settings app.

What is Focus Status on iPhone?

Focus Status is an optional setting that tells your contacts you have notifications silenced, helping avoid misunderstandings or impatience if you don't reply immediately.

If enabled, your contacts will see a message like:

“Jane has notifications silenced.”

What is Share Focus Status?

When you activate Share Focus Status, supported apps like Messages display a notification letting others know your alerts are muted.

This is especially helpful because it:

Signals you're busy without revealing why.
Provides a "Notify Anyway" button in Messages, letting contacts send an urgent notification if necessary.

To enable, go to:

Settings > Focus > Focus Status and toggle it on.

Types of Focus Modes on iPhone

Apple provides several preset Focus modes to suit common scenarios, each customizable to your preference.

Personal Focus

Personal Focus helps you relax during downtime. It silences work notifications, allowing only selected personal contacts or leisure apps. Activate it after work or on weekends.

Work Focus

Work Focus filters out personal distractions during your working hours. Allow only coworkers and work-related apps, while temporarily blocking social media and personal notifications. Automatically activate it at set times or locations (like your office).

Sleep Focus

Sleep Focus promotes better sleep by silencing notifications during bedtime. Schedule it through the Health app to automatically activate at bedtime and deactivate at wake-up. It can also dim your Lock Screen to minimize nighttime distractions.

Other Specialized Focus Modes

Driving: Reduces distraction while driving, automatically engaging via motion detection or car Bluetooth.
Fitness: Silences notifications during workouts.
Gaming: Limits interruptions when gaming.
Mindfulness & Reading: Quiet your phone during meditation or reading sessions.

Custom Focus Modes

Can't find the perfect mode? Create your own with a custom name, icon, and tailored notification settings.

How to Set Up and Customize Focus on iPhone

Configure a New Focus Mode

Go to Settings > Focus.
Tap the + button to create a new Focus or select a preset.
Choose allowed contacts and apps.
Customize Home & Lock Screens, and notification options.

Activate a Focus Mode

Swipe down from the top-right to open Control Center.
Tap the Focus icon, select your desired mode, or quickly toggle Do Not Disturb.

Set Automations & Schedules

Save time by automating when Focus activates:

Time: Set recurring schedules (e.g., Work mode weekdays 9am-5pm).
Location: Activate based on your location (e.g., arriving at the gym or office).
App: Automatically turn on a Focus when launching specific apps.
Smart Activation: iPhone intelligently guesses when to activate Focus based on your habits.

What are Focus Filters?

Focus Filters go deeper, customizing the content and appearance of apps while Focus is active:

Mail Filter: Shows only selected email accounts during specific modes (like work or personal).
Messages Filter: Limits visible conversations to your allowed contacts during a Focus.
Safari Filter: Switches automatically to a specific Tab Group.
System Filters: Activates settings like Dark Mode or Low Power Mode automatically during specific Focus modes.