Apple’s latest iOS update includes Focus Mode that helps to minimize distractions on your iPhone or iPad. It also allows you to share your Focus status with other people so they know you’re busy.
However, it’s unclear if other apps support this feature yet. Currently, it only works with Messages.
What is Focus Mode?
Focus mode is one of the new features in iOS 15 that aims to help you concentrate on the things that matter to you by keeping unwanted alerts at bay. Whether you want to dive deep into gaming without distractions, sleep with complete peace of mind, or binge-watch some of your favorite TV shows on Netflix, Focus mode is a great way to do it.
While iOS already offered a few ways to keep unnecessary notifications at bay, Focus mode is a more comprehensive approach that lets you control alerts on your phone from a single location. In addition, Focus mode can be customized to automatically activate at a specific time of the day.
There are a lot of settings that can be customized when using Focus mode, so it’s important to find the ones that work best for you. For example, you can set up a custom Focus mode for gaming, reading, and even work.
In addition, there’s a Do Not Disturb mode that allows only certain contacts and apps to send you notifications. You can also choose to dim the lock screen and hide all notifications if you wish.
Another option is to allow friends, family, or colleagues to bypass your Focus mode if they have an urgent message or call. This is called a ‘Time Sensitive Notification’ and can be enabled either when creating a Focus mode or later in the Settings app.
You can also choose to share your Focus status with your contacts so that they know you’re busy. This is a great way to promote communication etiquette and avoid misunderstandings.
To share your Focus status, you simply need to open the Focus settings page in the Settings app and toggle on the ‘Share Focus Status’ button. It will show a note that tells your contacts you’re busy, and ask them to try calling or messaging you again later.
In addition to sharing your Focus status, you can also create auto-reply messages that will be sent to anyone who attempts to contact you while you’re in Focus mode. These messages will be sent to the contact whenever you receive a message, telling them that you’re busy and asking them to try to reach you again at a later time.
How to Share Focus Status on iPhone
The iOS Focus Mode feature Share Focus Status can help you set your iPhone’s notifications to be silent during time-sensitive or emergency situations. It’s a great way to balance the incoming notifications that can distract you from important work, and it lets people know when you are focusing on something else without getting interrupted by other messages.
The Share Focus Status option in the Messages app works on a contact-by-contact basis, meaning that only those who have recently sent you a message via iMessage can see your Focus status. This means that you can choose to share it only with those who you are sure to have a conversation with regularly, or turn it off completely for those who you may not want to have access to your Focus status.
If you turn on this feature, a banner will appear in the Messages app for those you have been chatting with lately that says “He/She has notifications silenced.” This will let them know that you aren’t responding to messages, and give them the option of Notifying Anyway, which will allow them to get your attention if they need to.
However, this feature only works with Apple’s Messages app, and it won’t work with Android devices or other apps. That’s why it’s a good idea to make sure that the Messages app is enabled inside iOS’ privacy settings, and that you’re using an Apple device with iOS 15 or higher.
This will fix the ‘Share Focus Status’ glitch, and you’ll be able to share your Focus status with those who have been chatting with you on the app. To do this, tap on the person’s profile icon and switch the ‘Share Focus Status’ toggle off.
You’ll then be able to open the Messages app and start a conversation with that person. You can then toggle on or off the ‘Share Focus Status’ option for that contact, and they will be able to see that you aren’t responding to messages.
It’s a nice feature, but it can be tricky to use because it only works for Apple’s Messages app, and not with other apps. That’s why it’s best to make sure that you’re only using iMessage for messaging on your iPhone, and not WhatsApp or other non-Apple apps.
Why Share Focus Status?
Focus mode is a new way to minimize distractions on iPhone and iPad devices. It allows you to control what apps you can receive notifications from, how often they appear, and when they do. This allows you to focus on the tasks that matter most to you without being distracted by unwanted notifications.
In iOS 15, Apple introduced Focus mode as a replacement for Do Not Disturb (DND) on your phone and tablet device. With this feature, you can limit unwanted or unnecessary distractions to help you get more done during the day and sleep better at night.
You can share your Focus status with people who use the Messages app on their iOS devices. However, only contacts who have recently sent you messages via the Messages app can see your Focus status. This is a good way to let your contacts know you’re busy and not just ignoring their messages when you’re in Focus mode.
This feature will also let your friends and family push through any urgent notifications you receive, which can be particularly useful when you’re in a critical situation such as driving or taking a test. You can also select which contacts are allowed to bypass your Focus mode if you wish.
The best part is that it doesn’t cost you any money. It’s a free feature that can help you manage your time more effectively on your mobile device.
It will also help you avoid uncomfortable situations. For example, if you’re studying and someone calls your phone, they won’t be able to reach you.
Another great thing about this feature is that it promotes transparency and proper communication etiquette on your iPhone or iPad. If you want to communicate that you’re in Focus mode, simply turn on the “Share Focus Status” toggle within each of your Focus modes.
Once you have enabled this, it will automatically be shared in all the apps you use on your iPhone or iPad. The only exception is Apple’s Messages app.
You can revoke Messages’ access to your Focus settings by going to the Messages app and turning off the toggle for “Focus” in the app’s Settings menu. Until a third-party developer bakes this into its app, Messages is the only app that can share your Focus status with you.
What if I Don’t Want to Share Focus Status?
If you’re not keen on sharing your Focus status with others, then you can easily disable the feature. However, there is a bit of a catch to this process.
By default, iOS shares your Focus status with Messages and other apps you give permission to. This is so other people know that you are busy without immediately receiving notifications. This feature can be helpful to people who need to get in touch with you but don’t want to disturb you.
But if you don’t want to share your Focus status with other people, you can turn it off for all Focus modes by toggling the toggle in the settings. To do this, open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad and tap on “Focus.”
After that, select a mode in which you don’t want to share your Focus. Once selected, you’ll see a menu of options.
Toggle the switch for each mode to turn it off, then repeat this step for all other modes you don’t want to share with your contacts.
When you disable your Focus status, you won’t receive notifications from other people and apps, even if they’ve given you permission to share it with them. In addition, you won’t receive notifications from Apple’s own Messages or iMessage platform, and other apps that don’t support sharing your Focus status will not appear in the list of allowed applications.
You may need to do this if you’re not comfortable sharing your Focus status with others, or you have trouble using the feature. Some people find the Focus status jarring, especially if they’ve had a long day or are in a stressful situation.
It’s also important to note that if you’re using a Mac or iPad with an iPhone or Mac on the same iCloud account, any changes you make to your Focus status will be automatically synchronized across all of your devices. That can be useful if you’re trying to stay focused or work on multiple projects, but it can also lead to some confusion if you have different Focus settings on your Apple devices.