Notifications and Focus
Critical Alerts
Most people call this alerts that sound even on silent.
A small number of apps can be allowed to make sound even when the phone is silenced or in a Focus.
Available
This setting is present on your iPhone.
- We have this path on file but have not yet confirmed it against an official source.
Where to find it - iOS 12 and later
- Settings
- Notifications
- App name
- Critical Alerts
What it does
Health, safety and medical apps can request this, and Apple must approve the app before it can even ask. Each app still needs your permission.
What changes
When it is on
That app can sound through Silent Mode and every Focus.
When it is off
The app follows your normal silencing rules.
Should you turn it on?
Good reasons to turn it on
- Medical and safety alerts must not be missed.
Good reasons to turn it off
- An app that does not warrant it will wake you at night.
Battery
No real change
Privacy
No real change
Performance
No real change
Cellular data
No real change
Storage
No real change
Out of the box: Off. Each app must ask separately.
Questions people actually ask
- Why did my phone make a noise on silent?
- A critical alert, an alarm, or an emergency government alert. Each ignores Silent Mode by design.
If it is not working
- Only apps Apple has approved can request this, so most apps will not show the switch.
- Emergency government alerts are a different system, listed at the bottom of the Notifications screen.