iOS 16 Focus Guide: What's New With Apple's Focus Mode

[adrianlondon]

A way to silence notifications when on a call would be good.

When I'm on a FaceTime video call, each time a notification comes in the audio volume of the call drops for a few seconds. I don't need a notification sound - I'm staring at the screen, I can see the notification thankyouverymuch.

I've tried to set a Focus Mode to get activated each time I use the FaceTime app but this won't activate if someone calls me, as having the app open automatically doesn't get picked up by any automation.

 

[Unity451]

Maybe it's just me, but setting up Focus Modes that are actually helpful seems more work than it's worth.

 

[JM]

This is seriously a really great article because focus is super confusing and I don’t use it. Maybe if I understand it I will use it now. And I’m sure this is going to be a lot more easier to understand and more thorough than Apple documentation

 

[BanjoDudeAhoy]

Did they fix the bug where sharing your focus mode meant people would see you’ve got notifications silenced even you didn’t have them silenced?

Because that was still present for me and several contacts in the latest iOS version.

 

[BenGoren]

There’s really only one feature I want that would actually make it useful for me: let me assign a focus to a calendar event. If I, say, have STP 530: Linear Regression on my calendar in such-and-such a room from 10:30 - 11:45 every Tuesday and Thursday from September through December, and the phone will helpfully remind me when it’s time to leave and also ten minutes before … why do I have to manually remember to change my focus to “Class” when it starts and turn it off when it ends?

Geofencing is totally useless. When class is over, if I’m having lunch in the courtyard, I’m still inside the fence and the focus stays on. Even if the geofencing were perfect to the meter, it’d still be useless; I want my wife to be able to text me as soon as class is over, even if I’m still in the room shooting the breeze.

b&

 

[bitethis]

That is a lot of stuff for something as easy as flipping the switch on the side of the phone.

 

[Slix]

The people here complaining about Focus modes being "useless" because they haven't used it or think an all or nothing approach is better should just try it. It can be useful is a few situations, even simple ones.

I set up a Focus mode for Work a few months back and it's great. I get texts still, I get phone calls, and I get emails, but Discord, Snapchat, Twitter, and other similar notifications just go to Notification Center instead of bothering me while I'm working. It's so helpful for focusing.

I think iOS 16's improvements will be nice, especially for the on-boarding of making a new Focus mode. I do want to be able to have Focus modes triggered by Calendar events, like @BenGoren mentioned.

 

[CarAnalogy]

Gonna go against the grain here, I actually like this and can envision a lot of use for it. When it was released it wasn’t ready and wasn’t useful, but now it seems a lot more fleshed out. Between this and continued improvements to Shortcuts, there are a lot of possibilities.

Just for one example I like that they’ve added low power mode as an option, for example a gym, driving, or sleep focus.

 

[CarAnalogy]

The people here complaining about Focus modes being "useless" because they haven't used it or think an all or nothing approach is better should just try it. It can be useful is a few situations, even simple ones.

I set up a Focus mode for Work a few months back and it's great. I get texts still, I get phone calls, and I get emails, but Discord, Snapchat, Twitter, and other similar notifications just go to Notification Center instead of bothering me while I'm working. It's so helpful for focusing.

I think iOS 16's improvements will be nice, especially for the on-boarding of making a new Focus mode. I do want to be able to have Focus modes triggered by Calendar events, like @BenGoren mentioned.

The key addition here was allowing both block listing and allow listing. Not sure why they didn’t do that to begin with. I think people have a lot clearer idea of what’s going to bother them, than of everything they might possibly ever need to hear from.

 

[superberg]

What I really wish is that focus could set up an app to ONLY notify during a focus, no other time.

My work has an app that keeps track of tons of stuff and acts as a communication center for things going on at work. The place runs 24/7, though I'm only on the job for 40-50 hours a week. If I turn off the app notifications in settings, then I cant include them in my 'work' focus. If I turn them on in settings, then every time my phone falls out of a specific focus (sleep, exercise, DND, & others) and back to baseline, then I get notified for all sorts of crap going on at work that I'm allowed to ignore. (True, that app ought to be built to manage this for me - but that's not even its biggest flaw.)

Other than my own glaring glitch, I like everything else focus does, and am looking forward to more customization.

But I'd love an 'ONLY HERE' option.

Once iOS 16 launches, you could set up a different focus mode for the rest of your day that only blocks that app.

I have a few time and location based focus settings(work, home, sleep). I like having my Home Screen flip to work mode automatically. It also keeps group chats with my friends from distracting me during work hours. Very useful.

 

[adrianlondon]

There’s really only one feature I want that would actually make it useful for me: let me assign a focus to a calendar event.

I've wanted this since its inception. I keep logging Feedback suggestions (I'm on the betas) but Apple seems too busy mucking around with ensuring dog ears show over a lockscreen clock than they do finding ways to make Focus modes useful.

Edit: Interestingly, I'm also studying and had a lecture on linear regression earlier this year And I have the same issue - I only want the Focus mode on whilst in a lecture. Geofencing doesn't work, as you say, so I do it manually.

 

[Abazigal]

On paper when you read about all the complexity with ‘focus mode’, it seems like it’s a lot. But like anything, through repetition and using it frequently, I’m sure it’s something most will quickly learn. It’s pretty diverse, but it has a lot of useful features that I definitely will take advantage of.

Agreed. It only sounds complicated on paper, but is actually quite straightforward to carry out (if a little tedious).

I use focus mode on my iPad to trigger dnd and present a custom home page when teaching and it’s been pretty handy.

Still haven’t gotten round to making it work on my iPhone though. I run two rows of Siri suggestions widgets and it’s proven to be pretty convenient.

 

[Shirasaki]

And iPadOS 16 would need to wait another year just to get the full set of features present in iOS 16.

On a side note, once you did focus setting at any point before, I don’t see that tutorial popping up anymore. Not sure if it is intended but now I’m overloaded with even more stuff with seemingly confusing descriptions.

Update: nvm. You need to set a new custom one to use the guide.

 

[dangbat]

I’m personally very excited for this. I use focus to keep my phone organized for work and personal stuff. I hated that there was no silence from option before. This made using the personal focus useless because I’d have to select every app and every contract except my work apps.

 

[JosephAW]

Coming from iOS 14, I may just jump right into iOS 16.

Right now I mute my phone of all calls, messages and notifications while at work but this week there was times where I needed to hear work related messages and calls almost missing an important call from the boss, so I’m having to unmute my phone and it’s making all sounds for everyone.

This looks like a good fit solution for my problem, right now without having to look I can identify who is calling or messaging me by sound by setting up unique ringtones and message tones but I can’t set up unique notification tones for any apps including my work app.

I’m sure this took me more time to set up in iOS 14 than it will take me to set up in iOS 16.

 

[AgentOSX]

With iOS 15, Apple destroyed a great, simple and very easy to use utility. Do not disturb was great and easy enough for my parents to use it... until iOS 15.

This doesn't make it much better.

 

[JosephAW]

Hopefully Apple will make this work this way, when you receive a new notification or a call or a message you can swipe to the right and manage it and assign it a category and done. That would be the quickest way.

 

[x-evil-x]

Does it silence notifications but keep them on the Lock Screen? So the screen isn’t turning on every notification? like ios14 and before…
I just want that back thats all I cared about.
getting notifications on the Lock Screen when I tap the screen I can see them but not have the screen light up every time I get one. Why is this so hard to bring back.

 

[HorstBockman]

I wish it were more obvious how to disable Focus. I don't do it often, but when I do, I'm always looking for a disable button that's nowhere to be found... and then finally take a guess at how to do it, which works but is slow to arrive at and makes me uneasy about what I'm about to do and done.

 

[Marzzz]

Do Not Disturb, while allowing favorites (yes or no) is all you need. Even the current Focus functions are needlessly complicated.

 

[now i see it]

What a nightmare

 

[bobtem]

Over-engineering at its finest.

 

[Slix]

With iOS 15, Apple destroyed a great, simple and very easy to use utility. Do not disturb was great and easy enough for my parents to use it... until iOS 15.

This doesn't make it much better.

The standard DND still exists with Focus Modes. There's even a default one named Do Not Disturb.

Does it silence notifications but keep them on the Lock Screen? So the screen isn’t turning on every notification? like ios14 and before…
I just want that back thats all I cared about.
getting notifications on the Lock Screen when I tap the screen I can see them but not have the screen light up every time I get one. Why is this so hard to bring back.

Focus Modes let you do exactly that. I use my Work mode to silence everything but a few apps and the rest go to Notification Center/Lock Screen instead of lighting up or vibrating my phone. There are options in iOS 15 to have silenced notifications go to the Lock Screen or not as well as hiding notification badges on the Home Screen.

 

[Dj64Mk7]

Why do no apps besides Messages work with Focus Status yet? Wasn’t there an API for it?

 

[rockosmodurnlif]

Nothing in article about whether you can setup a different springboard for a focus.