There’s a lot more going on with your iPhone running iOS 16 than you might even realize. Yes, you can finally edit and unsend messages, and you can finally add widgets to your Lock Screen. But Apple is also introducing new and helpful ways to keep you focused on what matters most at any given time. And iOS 16 expands Focus Mode to lengths that we didn’t even expect to see with helpful features.
Focus Mode is essentially Do Not Disturb mode on steroids. With Do Not Disturb, it’s an all or nothing approach for your app notifications and messages from your contacts. This is fine for the most part, but it doesn’t help if you want to receive notifications from specific apps throughout the day.
When creating a Focus, you are able to pick and choose which contacts can send messages, along with which applications can notify you. This is a list that you will likely find yourself pruning on a regular basis, as new contacts are added or new apps are downloaded.
How to Switch Focus From Lock Screen
With iOS 16, Apple is adding even more functionality to Focus modes, as you can now “Link Focus” with your Lock Screen. By doing so, this makes it so your different Lock Screen setups appear when attached to a specific Focus mode.
Create A New Focus Mode
Before you can switch Focus from Lock Screen on iOS 16, you’ll first want to make sure you have multiple Focus modes created. There are a few default options available when you view the Focus settings. But aside from the Do Not Disturb default Focus mode, chances are you’ll want to go through and create a personalized and custom Focus mode to switch to. Here’s how you can create a new Focus mode on iOS 16:
Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
Tap Focus.
In the top right corner, tap the + icon to create a new Focus mode.
Select one of the following (for this tutorial, we’ll be selecting Custom):
Custom
Driving
Fitness
Gaming
Personal
Reading
Work
Enter a name for your Focus. You can also change the color and icon for the Focus mode.
Tap the Next button at the bottom.
Tap Customize Focus.
Under the Silence Notifications section, tap Choose People.
Select whether this list consists of contacts you want to have silenced, or if this list is allowed to have notifications come through.
Tap the Add People button at the bottom.
Select the contacts that you wish to add to the list.
Once you’ve selected the contacts for the list, tap the Done button in the top right corner.
Tap the Next button in the top right corner.
From the Choose Calls to Allow screen, pick one of the following options:
Everybody
Allowed People Only (default)
Favorites
Contacts Only
Contact Group
Tap Done in the top right corner.
Under the Silence Notifications section, tap Choose Apps.
Select whether this list consists of apps you want to have silenced, or if this list is allowed to have notifications come through.
Tap the Add Apps button.
Once you’ve selected the apps for the list, tap the Done button in the top right corner.
Tap the Done button in the top right corner.
Under the Customize Screens section, tap Choose under the Lock Screen glyph.
Select one of the Lock Screens you’ve already created. If you haven’t created a new Lock Screen setup yet, tap the highlighted Gallery text.
Tap Done in the top right corner.
Under the Customize Screens section, tap Choose under the Home Screen glyph.
Select which Home Screen you want to have appear when the Focus mode is enabled.
Tap Done in the top right corner.
From here, there are a few more options if you want to continue customizing this created Focus mode. You can have the mode turn on automatically using iOS 16’s “Smart Activation”, or add a schedule. This screen also allows you to set up Focus Filters that are tied to the Lock Screen and Home Screen’s that you have included.
Switch Focus From Lock Screen
Now that you have created a custom Focus, you might find yourself wanting to switch out of the Focus. And instead of doing so from the Control Center, you can switch Focus from Lock Screen. Here’s how:
Tap your iPhone’s display or press the Side button to wake your iPhone.
Long-press the Lock Screen until you feel a vibration.
At the bottom of the Lock Screen edit screen, tap Focus.
From the Link Focus dialog box, tap the Focus mode that you want to switch to.
Your iPhone may take a few moments to make the changes. But once the Focus has been changed, you’ll see a “new” Lock Screen layout, along with whatever Home Screens are linked to the Focus mode you’ve switched to.
Andrew is a freelance writer based on the East Coast of the US.
He has written for a variety of sites over the years, including iMore, Android Central, Phandroid, and a few others. Now, he spends his days working for an HVAC company, while moonlighting as a freelance writer at night.
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