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How to Use iOS 15's Focus Mode to Stay on Task

jclo said:
Not with the built-in Focus mode tools. I'm not sure if there's some way you could do a Shortcut or something, but there's no mechanism for activating smart home products from the Focus automations.
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You can create an automation that runs when a defined Focus mode is turned on and/or off. I've just tested it, and I can have an automation which turns lights on when the Focus mode is activated, and off when de-activated. I don't have a use for this, but I'm tempted to invent one just because I can.

You may be able to have an automation that triggered when opening the Phone or FaceTime app, for example, but it would trigger even if you just opened it to check the recent calls or something. Plus it wouldn't get triggered if someone called you as that, for some reason, doesn't count as opening the Phone/FT app.
 
So on a shared ipad, people can have their own apps/home screen looks, although no privacy between the home screens
 
hausjam said:
Do people really want an electronic device to control what they can see and what they can do?
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Yes.

I have two focuses set up: DnD (auto-enabled at sleep time) and Fitness (auto-enabled through Apple Watch workouts). While doing a workout, my iPhone home screen is greatly simplified. I can still use search to get to other apps, but the focus is now on what I need during a walk. When either focus exits, I get a roll up of notifications.

Pretty good for a 1.0 feature.
 
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I must delve into understanding Focus again, right now it's one confusing mess for me.
What I actually want is just DND as it was before when it's bedtime, other times I have no
usage for Focus, there should be just the DND setting with (night) times options.
 
As cool as this sounds, literally the only notification I get right now is when my girlfriend texts me via telegram. Everything else is silenced.

I wish that I could set a Telegram contact as being privileged to be excluded by do not disturbed or these future focus modes. Right now there’s no way to whitelist a contact from a 3rd party app and that is something I hope will be fixed one day.,,
 
Closing the lid from your mac or switching off sound/power on your phone/ipad suddenly seems less complex.. same result
 
Xtir said:
all-ready you're distracted, try closing the lid, switching off your mac.. let your mind go free without the apple limitations.. you will be amazed..
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Sure. I’ll simply tell my boss “I’m not gonna work. Technology is too distracting!”
 
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I need this! I use DND from 9pm-9am and then had to setup my neighbors to be able to break through in case of emergency. But I would love to put a particular batch of people on mute at times.
 
If you have your Focus Status on and are blocking incoming notifications, people can opt to send an urgent message. You can choose to allow or or disallow urgent messages, which bypass your restrictions.
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Like that's not going to be abused. Sender always thinks their stuff is important.
 
contacos said:
My life must be so boring. If I don’t want to be disturbed, I just put away my phone 🤷🏼‍♂️ My phone has been on mute since iPhone 4
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100% agree.. infact, i find it only my parents, at 70+ that ever have their phone on loud and that cause they use it - like a phone!
 
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Eso said:
This feature seems like way too much setup for too little payoff. Any app that spams notifications gets blocked from me, if not fully uninstalled. Notifications are not advertisements, and to be honest, Apple should be enforcing this.
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100% agree.. and for those of us that say 'yes' to notifications when an app is installed - well, i have to say they liekly dont use their iphone for anything more than Social Media, Safari and Messages.

Us power users though, the ones that really make the iphone work. for me this is brilliant. I will have a commute tab, that will block all my work emails coming in until iget to work. A kids one that will block all messages coming in when i pass my phone to my kids. Lots of circumstances where this will be useful.
 
What i really want. Really really want.. is to be able to stop notifications on my iphone and have them come up on my watch. Infact CHOOSE what notfications come on what device. If my kid has my iphone and i get a messag
chucker23n1 said:
Yes.

I have two focuses set up: DnD (auto-enabled at sleep time) and Fitness (auto-enabled through Apple Watch workouts). While doing a workout, my iPhone home screen is greatly simplified. I can still use search to get to other apps, but the focus is now on what I need during a walk. When either focus exits, I get a roll up of notifications.

Pretty good for a 1.0 feature.
Click to expand...
With this can you set up focus screens on your iphone iteself to only show certain apps?

So for instance, if i have same X team marked to play in my diary, i can set a shortcut to run a certain 'focus' that then 'hides' all apps that are not related to sport? (of my choosing)
 
simon3163 said:
What i really want. Really really want.. is to be able to stop notifications on my iphone and have them come up on my watch. Infact CHOOSE what notfications come on what device. If my kid has my iphone and i get a messag
Click to expand...

You can choose which notifications end up on the Watch (but you can't do that per-focus, I believe).

simon3163 said:
With this can you set up focus screens on your iphone iteself to only show certain apps?
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Only pages of apps.

Which in my case is great because I had already set up a fitness-/health-specific page in the iOS 14 widget era anyway. (It has big widgets for my Activity rings, and my Pedometer++ walked steps, and then icons for Health, Happy Scale, AutoSleep, and a few other health apps.) In 15, while in the Fitness focus, I see only that page.

simon3163 said:
So for instance, if i have same X team marked to play in my diary, i can set a shortcut to run a certain 'focus' that then 'hides' all apps that are not related to sport? (of my choosing)
Click to expand...

You can only hide entire pages, I think.
 
bice said:
Like that's not going to be abused. Sender always thinks their stuff is important.
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Right, I won't be able to have the pass-through enabled. I have one customer who caused me to turn off my DND breakthrough. He will call quickly 3x if I don't answer then send a couple of texts.

I assume the breakthrough feature by person is still there.
 
contacos said:
My life must be so boring. If I don’t want to be disturbed, I just put away my phone 🤷🏼‍♂️ My phone has been on mute since iPhone 4
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Imagine those of us who don't want to get annoying calls at night - but I would like to know if my driveway camera picks up someone snooping through our cars. This feature is actually 10 years + overdue - available on blackberries a long time ago, LOL.
 
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Maybe I’m missing something, but how exactly does one turn off “breakthrough messages?” In testing Focus earlier, once someone texted me and clicked “notify anyway,” literally every message after that came through with full notification effects.
 
So before I upgrade to ios 15, can I no longer put exes and annoying friends on do not disturb without them knowing??

lol, I know this might seem like a random question but honestly I got some annoying people in my life that I can't exactly just cut off, it's easier to ignore their texts and calls but this opens up a whole new thing if they can see I got them on do not disturb

Or does this only apply to focus??
 
AxelFoley1 said:
So before I upgrade to ios 15, can I no longer put exes and annoying friends on do not disturb without them knowing??

lol, I know this might seem like a random question but honestly I got some annoying people in my life that I can't exactly just cut off, it's easier to ignore their texts and calls but this opens up a whole new thing if they can see I got them on do not disturb

Or does this only apply to focus??
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Allowing apps like Messages to display your Focus/DND setting is optional. You can turn it off; I suspect most people will leave that setting off. I'm not trying to avoid anyone on my contacts list but I don't need my phone telling them I'm busy. The fact I didn't reply tells them that :)
 
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AxelFoley1 said:
So before I upgrade to ios 15, can I no longer put exes and annoying friends on do not disturb without them knowing??

lol, I know this might seem like a random question but honestly I got some annoying people in my life that I can't exactly just cut off, it's easier to ignore their texts and calls but this opens up a whole new thing if they can see I got them on do not disturb

Or does this only apply to focus??
Click to expand...

I have this issue too :oops: A number of people have earned themselves a silent ring/text tone this year. I'm still on iOS 12 so I don't have a lot of DND options.
 
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