Since upgrading to iOS 16, the do not disturb function is not working the same for me. Messages, calls, and most apps do not show notifications (as expected) however, gmail and other random apps on my phone are still allowing notifications through. How do I fix this?
iPhone 13, iOS 16
Which is why there is a simple on/off switch in the control center. You don’t have to set up anything. The set up features are there because lots of people complained that simple on/off wasn’t enough, they wanted time of day, different schedules for different days, a setting based on location (e.g., at the gym, at work, when driving), etc. So Apple added all of the features that users clamored for. But you can still just turn it on or off.
Back in the Old Days you still had to say what happened when you turned on DND; block everyone, everyone except favorites, everyone except your SO, etc. You still need to do that. Do Not Disturb setup has been made much more flexible, but this has come at the cost of much more complication. To get it working again, do these steps ONCE:
All of the above is a one-time setup. After that, turn DND on or off with the Control Center Focus button. You can optionally set one or more schedules by going to:
Settings/Focus/Do Not Disturb/Set a Schedule.
Yes I do that also and it will not override the personal focus that are automated, so either have to delete those or re-do the pull down & DND. I have had an iPhone since they first came out and I am going to spend this weekend shopping for an android that has a DND that is easy to use. I know, Apple won’t miss me.
Wendy Bardsley wrote:
1. Not helpful. it's easy to get to do not disturb, but turning it off and on globally is now puzzling on iphone 11 ios 16. How many clicks are necessary to block distractions:
Please apple please give us back a toggle! In the meantime I'll probably use airplane mode instead ;)
The toggle is in the Control Center.
choose people to silence notifications from? I probably don't have to do this, but why did they make the decision to have to manually add people instead of choose one or 2 people who you would allow through when it's silenced? This has always been the case, and seems like a much more common use case. (default is "none silenced")
You have the option of choosing either “Silence Notifications from” or “Allow Notifications From”. Use whichever one makes more sense for you.
Nowhere do I see an indicator if it is on or not.
It’s at the top of the screen. Exactly where depends on which model phone you have.
It sounds as if you really should read the instructions as, if you chose, you can use Focus in almost exactly the same way you used DND prior to iOS 16. You don’t have to use filters if you don’t want to. You can set up one and only one Focus, for example, the one called “Do Not Disturb”.
Use Focus on your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support
MaryB2008 wrote:
thanks. Maybe it’s different on different hardware. I have an iPhone 12 mini and when I open the control center there is no crescent, moon icon, or do not disturb option. In focus there is a do not disturb option but there’s not a simple on off toggle switch. The only way to turn it on, is to set a schedule.
No, it's not different on different hardware. The icon may not be a crescent moon, though. It also may not say "Do Not Disturb. It's whatever the icon and name for that particular focus is.
This is what mine looks like when I have my Work focus enabled:
If I tap on the white circle to the left of the word "Work", it will turn it off.
The DO NOT DISTURB function is purposed with optimized management under the Focus tab in IOS settings. The idea of the DO NOT DISTURB tab being forwarded to FOCUS is to give user's more control over their settings with notifications. You can set specific times of the day when no one or any app is allowed to make noises on your device or restrict all notifications except for emergency contacts if you choose, for example, your child or spouse. The OLD Do NOT Disturb function was not beneficial to users being able to manage and allow certain circumstances for notifications; therefore, the FOCUS which is the NOW DO NOT DISTURB option allows you to control the notifications in depth. If you still find this annoying, there is an option on all hardware devices for Silence Mode.
Lawrence Finch wrote:
Tap the dropdown next to Allow Calls From and choose Allowed People Only• ; if there are no allowed people from the previous step then all callers will be blocked.
I always forget to mention that step.
123_Go wrote:
It doesn’t work like before. There are many options but no just on or off. You have to choose to end with times or events. On/Off is no longer an option. I have three Personal times already scheduled but when called into an ad fix meeting, not simple way to toggle on/off DND. Quite frustrating even after all this time on ios16.
And yet I toggle Focus on and off several times a day. You do it in the Control Center. Tap the circular picture on the Focus button. Don't tap the title as that will bring up all sorts of options. Just tap the picture.
Under settings>select Focus> select Do Not Disturb.
Go to Settings>Focus>Do Not Disturb>People and add your husband. Make sure that "Allow Notifications From" is checked at the top of that page.
If you slide down from top (control panel) there is an option there focus and all... it works perfectly
There is no way to silence every notification in the settings. If you know how, please let us know. The old system silenced everything, and in 16.1 it looks as though I would have to manually select every single app and person.
There seem to be 2 solutions to turning it on and off quickly (which I admit was not the OP but seems a common related problem) — 1) Ask Siri to turn it on or off, 2) Pull down the Control Center from the top right of the Home Screen and use the Focus button to bring up all possible focus options, press Do Not Disturb to toggle it on/off.
Not yet sure about how to block all notifications en masse, but will look further.
The only way I have found to disable ALL notifications is go to "Do not disturb" then select "Until I leave this location". Then in morning, I select one of the other dysfunctional settings to re-enable notifications. On the other hand, I still can't figure out how to let all calls come in.... I missed an Apple support call b/c none of the settings I have will allow all incoming calls - or it's not obvious. I'm a 30year veteran in IT, so not a n00b.
My Pixel 7 Pro on the other hand has an elegant (read superior UX), simple binary "Do not disturb" setting. Which works the way Apple iOS used to work. Apple should make a simple On/Off "Do not disturb" feature, and then talk about the insanely great innovation for 30mins at the next Apple Conference.
Wendy Bardsley wrote:
Still, hard finding the time to configure the initial focus settings.
It does take more effort than the old DND. However, if you do find the time (and that's why I linked to the article), it's actually very useful. As I recommended above, start with one focus and add additional ones as you become more familiar with the settings. That may help if feel less overwhelming.
jwhite66 wrote:
DND is absolutely USELESS now. No way in this world will ANY of “Apple Support” be able to talk you thru it…. 😡🤬😡🤬
Lawrence Finch gave some very simple, explicit instructions that anyone with a basic reading knowledge of English should be able to follow just a couple of posts above yours. I suggest you review it. Post back with any questions.
Personally, I’ve found Focus to be a wonderful expansion on DND. I have a Work focus that hides most of my applications and screens, silences all but work related and a few necessary personal contacts. It goes into effect when I get to work. I have a Sleep focus that starts a bedtime and goes off when I get up in the morning. I have a couple of others I use intermittently. Once these were set up, I never have to think about them again. They just take care of things for me. If I want to turn off Focus, that’s simple.
It works for me. I toggle DND on and off ALL THE TIME from control center, and it works great. Just gotta get each of the focus types setup the way you want. You can see the settings option under each one from the control center. Of course you can setup via settings too.
Do not disturb iOS 16
