Do Not Disturb is a built-in iPhone feature that helps you stay focused or simply enjoy some peace and quiet. When enabled, it silences calls, messages, and notifications so you’re not interrupted. Whether you want to block distractions while working, sleeping, or relaxing, Do Not Disturb is easy to set up and customize.
Keep reading to learn exactly how it works, and how you can tailor it to fit your lifestyle.
Table of contents
How to Use Do Not Disturb on iPhone
Here’s how to enable and use Do Not Disturb on your iPhone running iOS 17 or later.
Turn On Do Not Disturb
From Control Center:
- Swipe down from the top-right corner of your screen.
- Tap the Focus button.
- Tap Do Not Disturb.
From Settings:
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap Focus > Do Not Disturb.
- Toggle it on manually or set up automation options.
What Happens When It’s On
When Do Not Disturb is active:
- Calls, texts, and notifications are silenced.
- Your screen won’t light up for incoming alerts.
- You’ll still receive everything, it just won’t interrupt you until you check manually.
Focus Mode vs. Do Not Disturb
In recent iOS versions, Focus Mode expands on Do Not Disturb with personalized modes like:
- Sleep – Quiet hours at night
- Work – For productivity
- Personal – For downtime
Each mode lets you choose who can contact you and what apps are allowed to notify you.
Schedule Do Not Disturb
You can schedule DND to turn on automatically:
- Go to Settings > Focus > Do Not Disturb > Add Schedule or Automation.
- Choose times, locations, or even apps to trigger the mode.
Using Intelligent Breakthrough & Silencing in iOS 18.1
With iOS 18.1 and supported iPhones, Apple introduces Intelligent Breakthrough, an AI-powered upgrade to traditional notification filtering.
What Is Intelligent Breakthrough?
Intelligent Breakthrough uses Apple Intelligence to understand the content of your notifications. When turned on, it:
- Allows important notifications to break through
- Silences non-essential alerts
- Still respects your manually chosen allow/block settings
Supported Devices
To use Intelligent Breakthrough, you need:
- iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro, 16 Pro Max
- iPhone 15 Pro or 15 Pro Max
- iOS 18.1 or later
- Device and Siri language set to the same supported language
How to Turn It On
- Open Settings > Focus.
- Tap a Focus mode (e.g., Do Not Disturb, Sleep).
- Toggle Intelligent Breakthrough ON or OFF.
This feature works best when paired with your custom Focus preferences, letting Apple Intelligence decide what’s truly important — and what can wait.
Tips for Customizing Do Not Disturb and Focus Modes
Make Do Not Disturb work better for you with these tips:
- Allow Calls from Key Contacts: Go to Settings > Focus > Do Not Disturb > People to allow calls or messages from specific people even when DND is active.
- Use Focus Filters: Focus Filters let you control app behavior. For example, you can hide specific Home Screens, silence certain apps, or limit email accounts while in a Focus mode.
- Sync Across Devices: If you have an iPad or Mac, toggle on Share Across Devices under Focus settings. That way, enabling Do Not Disturb on one device will activate it on all.
- Enable Focus Status: This option notifies others (in Messages) that you’ve silenced notifications. You’ll find it under Settings > Focus > Focus Status.
Frequently Asked Questions
Incoming calls, messages, and notifications are silenced. You still receive them, but they won’t light up your screen or make any sound.
The call goes straight to voicemail (unless the person is on your allowed list). You won’t hear it ring, and the screen stays dark.
Open Control Center, tap the Focus button, then tap Do Not Disturb to turn it off. Or go to Settings > Focus > Do Not Disturb and toggle it off.
Go to Settings > Focus > Do Not Disturb and customize who can contact you, what apps are allowed, and when it turns on.
If Focus Status is enabled, people texting you via iMessage will see a small note saying you’ve silenced notifications. They can choose to notify you anyway if it’s urgent.
Only if Focus Status is turned on. Otherwise, there’s no indication to others.
Summary
- Turn on Do Not Disturb via Control Center or Settings
- Silences calls, messages, and app notifications
- Can be scheduled or triggered by time, location, or apps
- Customize who can reach you and which apps can notify
- Explore Focus modes like Sleep, Work, and Personal for more control
- Share settings across devices and enable Focus Status if desired
Conclusion
Whether you’re working, sleeping, or just need a break, Do Not Disturb helps you take control of your time and attention. And with Focus Modes, you can go even deeper with personalized notification settings.
Now that you know how it works, give it a try, and enjoy some well-earned quiet.