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Notifications and Focus

Do Not Disturb

Most people call this silencing calls and alerts on iOS 6 to iOS 8.

Do Not Disturb silences calls, alerts and notifications while alarms still sound, and you can schedule it and let chosen callers through.

Available

This setting is present on your iPhone.

Where to find it - iOS 8

  1. Settings
  2. Do Not Disturb

What it does

Do Not Disturb arrived in iOS 6. While it is on, its icon shows in the status bar and calls and notifications stay quiet. In iOS 6 it only silences the phone while the screen is locked. From iOS 7 you can choose whether it also silences the phone while you are using it.

Apple's iOS 6 guide describes a daily schedule, calls allowed from your Favorites or a contacts group, and Repeated Calls, which lets a second call from the same number within three minutes ring.

What changes

When it is on

Calls and notifications arrive silently and the Do Not Disturb icon shows in the status bar. Alarms still sound.

When it is off

Calls ring and notifications make their normal sounds.

Should you turn it on?

Good reasons to turn it on

  • Overnight, with a schedule so you never forget.
  • Meetings where a ringing phone would interrupt.
  • Your Favorites can still get through if you allow them.

Good reasons to turn it off

  • You are expecting a call from someone outside your allowed list.
  • On iOS 6 it does nothing while the phone is unlocked, so it will not help while you are using it.

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.

Where this setting used to live

Apple moves settings between releases. This is every location we have on file.

  1. iOS 7 to iOS 8

    Settings > Do Not Disturb

  2. iOS 6

    Settings > Notifications > Do Not Disturb

    The switch that turns Do Not Disturb on and off is near the top of the main Settings list.

Questions people actually ask

Will my alarm ring in Do Not Disturb?
Yes. Alarms still sound when Do Not Disturb is on.
Why did my phone stay silent while I was using it?
From iOS 7 Do Not Disturb can silence the phone even when it is unlocked. Check that option in Settings > Do Not Disturb.

If it is not working

  • Missing calls overnight? Check whether a schedule turns Do Not Disturb on automatically.
  • Turn on Repeated Calls so an urgent second call within three minutes rings through.
  • For current iOS versions, see Focus.

Related settings