Create a Custom Home Screen for a Custom Focus
As I was setting up Custom Wallpaper and corresponding Home Pages for each of the different Focus Modes on my iPad Air 5th Gen, I was able to create a really nice custom home screen for Work. It was unique to that Focus Mode and not available when it was not turned on. And it seemed like I was going to be able to do the same for the custom Focus Modes I created, which I named "Busy" and "Bedtime." However, my custom focuses ONLY allowed me to choose from pre-existing home screens. I could NOT figure out how to make a unique home screen that only showed up for these focuses.
I tried everything... I even tried to trick the thing by creating a home screen in regular old non-focus mode, then setting it as the screen for my Focus, then removing it from my regular home screen when Focus was off. It would just disappear and my custom Focus Mode would default to the regular home screen. But I was pretty sure I had somehow lucked my way into this for another custom Focus I made, so I persisted...
Here is what I had to do to get the Focus Modes I wanted, customized how I wanted:
- Create a new Focus using one of the Pre-existing suggested Focus modes offered (Mindfulness, Reading, Fitness, etc.)
- Create a NEW custom home screen for that focus with whatever on it. Just make it.
- Create my unique, custom Focus. For me, that was "Bedtime."
- Set the custom home screen for that new Focus to the SAME custom home screen as whatever pre-existing Focus Mode I randomly created. (i.e., I made my "Bedtime" home screen the same as the "Fitness" home screen that I had created).
- Delete the Pre-existing suggested focus mode (Fitness) so that the settings no longer exist (you do this by going to the settings for that Focus and scrolling to the bottom where it says Delete)
- AT LAST, I have a unique, custom home screen for my unique, custom-named Focus Mode. Why I can't just do this without the hassle? I don't know. Seems like a bug in the system. I work in human services, not tech.
iPad Air, iPadOS 17