New IOS 15 Focus Mode: Manage Productivity

Every day, we are surrounded by technology and devices that offer us the world at our fingertips, which can make it hard to stay focused on our day-to-day tasks. Stay on track and more productive than ever with Apple’s new IOS 15 Focus Mode. 

This feature is the next best thing after Apple released the Do Not Disturb function, allowing users to mute notifications. 

Focus Mode allows you to create and customize modes, such as working, exercising, gaming, relaxing, reading, or even spending time with family. This can help you block specific notifications and functions according to your task or event. 

Keep reading to learn more about how you can set up and customize a Focus and all the other cool things this new feature has to offer. 

How To Set Up, Create & Manage Focus Mode

The Focus option will be stacked with Notifications, Sounds, and Screen Time in the Settings app. Another option to activate, manage and create new Focuses is within the Control Centre on your iPhone or iPad and Mac.

How To Create/Edit Focuses:

Apple has pre-made focuses like Driving, Sleep and Do Not Disturb, but you can also create your own custom Focus-Mode. This super easy feature will walk you through step-by-step how to select and customize a new Focus.

Step 1: Launch Control Centre and select the Focus Button.

Step 2: Tap the ‘+’ at the bottom of the screen.

Step 3: Select a pre-prepared Focus or select Custom.

Customizing a Focus:

Step 4: Name your Focus and choose a colour and emoji/icon. Select Next.

Step 5: Add contacts/people you choose to accept notifications from. You can also choose to receive notifications from Everyone, No One, Favourites, or All Contacts.

Step 6: Add Apps to choose where you receive notifications from.

Step 7: On the next screen, choose whether to Allow Time Sensitive Notifications. 

Step 8: Finish customizing Focus by selecting Done. 

If you wish to adjust the Focus options later, you can edit them by going to Settings>Focus and selecting the Focus you want to change. 

Turning On a Focus:

Launch the Control Centre, select Focus, and choose which Focus you wish to enable to turn on any Focus options. For more options, you can tap the ellipsis (three dots) to enable the Focus for 1 Hour, Until this evening, or Until I leave this location. 

Turning Off a Focus:

If you wish to turn on the Focus-Mode, revisit the Control Centre, tap Focus, and select the active Focus. When you turn on/off a Focus, it will turn on/off across all synced Apple devices. 

More Cool Things About Focus Mode:

Cross-Device Functionality

If you have multiple Apple devices signed in with the same Apple ID, your Focus with turn on/off across all devices. For example, if your iPhone turns on a Focus, your Mac and iPad will also enable that Focus so you won’t be disturbed during your task.

Letting Your Friends Know

Creating or editing a Focus will allow you to turn on the “Focus Status” option. This option allows certain apps, like iMessage, to tell people that you have your notifications silenced. 

When a friend sends you an iMessage, and your Focus is enabled, they will see a small message reading, “[your name] has notifications silenced.”

If your Focus Status blocks incoming messages, your friends can opt to send you a message if it is urgent. When customizing your Focus, you have the choice to enable or disable urgent messages. 

Auto-Reply

Some Focuses like Driving allow you to create and customize auto-reply messages to let your friends know you’re busy. The message could read something like, “I’m driving with Do Not Disturb While Driving turned on. I’ll see your message when I get to my destination.”

Custom Screens

Choose only to show select app pages. This action is a great option to help you stay focused during the task at hand. When customizing or creating a Focus, you can dedicate a specific screen of apps and block out distractions like social media and shopping apps. 

Smart Activation

Like creating a Shortcut, you now have the Focus Smart Activation feature, which can tell your device when to turn on/off a Focus. This action could be based on the time of day, your locations and app usage. For example, you can set your Focus to turn on at 9 am and turn off at 5 pm during the week.