Learn how to set up and use Do Not Disturb (DND) on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch to minimize distractions and stay focused while working, driving, or resting.
Do Not Disturb is a part of the Focus feature that allows you to turn off digital distractions. When your device is in DND mode, it will not play a tone or light up the screen when you get a new call or app notification.
You can turn on Do Not Disturb manually on a temporary basis, or until you turn it off. Additionally, you can have your iPhone, iPad, or Mac automatically turn on Do Not Disturb based on a schedule, thus eliminating the need for manual activation.
Note: Even though you don’t see or hear notifications arrive during Do Not Disturb mode, you can view them in the Notification Center during DND or after you turn it off.
Turn on Do Not Disturb
You can ask Siri to turn on Do Not Disturb or do it manually using the simple steps below. Note that activating Do Not Disturb on one device will enable it on all your other devices if your Focus is shared across your devices. When DND is active, you will see a crescent moon icon in Control Center and menu bar.
iPhone or iPad
- Open Control Center.
- Tap Focus.
- Tap Do Not Disturb to activate it.
Apple Watch
- Go to Control Center and tap the crescent moon icon.
- Tap Do Not Disturb and select On from the next screen.
Tip: If you do not want to turn on DND on your Apple Watch when you do it on your iPhone, go to the Watch app > General > Focus and turn off Mirror my iPhone.
Mac
- Click the Control Center icon from the top menu bar.
- Select Focus.
- Click Do Not Disturb.
Tip: If you frequently use DND on your Mac, go to System Settings > Control Center and set Focus to Always Show in Menu Bar. This will let you enable and disable a Focus mode, including DND, directly from the menu bar, thus eliminating the need to go into Control Center.
Temporarily turn on Do Not Disturb
Turning on Do Not Disturb keeps it active until you turn it off. One downside to this is you might forget your phone is in DND mode and thus miss important calls and texts. To address this, you can enable Do Not Disturb for an hour or until the morning/evening. After this time period ends, your device will turn off DND automatically.
iPhone or iPad
- Go to Control Center and tap Focus.
- Tap the three dots icon for Do Not Disturb and select For 1 hour or Until this morning/evening.
Apple Watch
- Tap the moon icon in Control Center and select Do Not Disturb.
- Select On for 1 hour or On until this morning/evening.
Mac
- Go to Control Center > Focus and click Do Not Disturb.
- Select For 1 hour or Until this morning/evening.
Schedule Do Not Disturb to activate automatically
Like other Focus modes, you can automate Do Not Disturb to activate on its own. Your options are to enable DND automatically at the set time or when you reach a location or when you open a chosen app. You can also turn on Smart Activation to let your iPhone enable DND throughout the day based on when it is suitable.
We have explained the entire process in our tutorial on using the Focus feature, but here’s a quick recap.
- Open Settings or System Settings and select Focus > Do Not Disturb.
- Tap Add Schedule.
- Now, choose to enable DND based on the time of the day, location, or application you open. Note that you are not limited to just one schedule and can add more than one for various days of the week, locations, or apps.
Connect iOS wallpaper or Lock Screen to Do Not Disturb
You can link Do Not Disturb Focus to an added Lock Screen, and then when you switch to it, your iPhone or iPad will enter DND automatically.
- Touch and hold the Notification Center or the unlocked Lock Screen on your iPhone or iPad.
- Swipe through your added wallpaper gallery to find the wallpaper/Lock Screen you want to link with Do Not Disturb, and tap Focus.
- Tap Do Not Disturb and hit X.
- Going forward, your iPhone will enter Do Not Disturb whenever you switch to this wallpaper/Lock Screen.
Add people and app exceptions to Do Not Disturb
By default, Do Not Disturb silences calls from all people and notifications from all apps. But let’s assume you want to get calls and texts from your spouse and notifications from the Slack app even during DND. To address these concerns, you can personalize Do Not Disturb to make it work according to your preferences.
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad or System Settings on Mac. We’re using an iPhone.
- Go to Focus and select Do Not Disturb.
- Tap People, make sure Allow Notifications From is checked, and add the few important people whose calls you do not want to miss even during Do Not Disturb. One important option here is Allow Repeated Calls. If you turn it on, the second phone call from the same person within three minutes will bypass DND, and you will hear the ring. It’s useful if someone wants to reach you during an emergency.
- Next, tap Apps, and add the important apps that are permitted to alert you even during DND.
Turn off Do Not Disturb
You can disable it the same way you turned it on. You can also ask Siri to turn off Do Not Disturb.
iPhone or iPad
Go to Control Center and tap the DND icon. Alternatively, you can touch and hold Do Not Disturb on the Lock Screen and tap it again to turn it off.
Apple Watch
Head to Control Center and tap the purple DND icon.
Mac
Click the Do Not Disturb icon in Mac’s menu bar and click it again to deactivate it. You can also turn off DND from Control Center.
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