How to Turn On Do Not Disturb on iPhone

Do Not Disturb silences calls, alerts, and notifications until you turn it off. It is part of Focus, so it can run for a set time, on a schedule, or with exceptions for certain people.

Open Control Center

Swipe down from the top-right corner of the screen. On an iPhone with a Home button, swipe up from the bottom edge.

Tap Focus

Tap the Focus button, which shows a crescent moon. If you have used it before, the button may already read Do Not Disturb; in that case tapping it turns Do Not Disturb on right away.

Tap Do Not Disturb

Tap Do Not Disturb in the list of Focus modes. It turns on immediately and stays on until you tap it again.

Choose how long it lasts

Instead of tapping the name, tap the three dots to the right of Do Not Disturb and pick For 1 hour, Until this evening (which becomes Until tomorrow morning late in the day), or Until I leave this location. Do Not Disturb then switches itself off when the time is up or when you move away.

Allow exceptions and set a schedule

Open Settings, Focus, Do Not Disturb. Under People and Apps, choose who and what can still notify you. The People screen also lets you allow calls from your favorites and let repeated calls from the same person within three minutes ring through. Under Set a Schedule, tap Add Schedule to turn Do Not Disturb on automatically at a time of day, at a location, or when you open a particular app.

If you want to confirm it is on. A crescent moon appears in the status bar next to the time and on the Lock Screen while Do Not Disturb is active.

If you want people to know. With Share Focus Status turned on under Settings, Focus, Focus Status, people who message you see a note that you have notifications silenced, and they can choose to notify you anyway if it is urgent. Turn it off if you would rather not share that.