While there’s a lot to be said about automating your iPhone or iPad with the help of Shortcuts, Apple’s doing something else to help in other ways. Creating Shortcuts is a fantastic and intuitive way to automatically perform various tasks that you repeat on a regular basis. But as we’ve seen with the new Focus feature, Apple is taking this concept in a different direction.
Announced during the WWDC ’22 Keynote, Focus Filters are a new way for you to interact with your iPhone. As you would surmise, this works in tandem with Focus modes, offering even more fine-tuned control over what apps and notifications you see at any given moment.
What Are Focus Filters?
Apple’s official description states these filters will “set boundaries within Apple apps”. That may sound a bit confusing, but essentially, when your “Work” Focus mode is enabled, you’ll only be able to see tabs tied to that Focus mode in Safari. Previously, you would simply open Safari and be presented with all of the tabs that you have open.
But the reality is that there is a lot more that goes into Focus Filters other than just having different self-imposed limitations. This is evidenced by the fact that Apple not only went so far as to make the announcement but is also releasing a dedicated API for third-party developers to use.
While it’s still relatively early in the development of iOS 16, as the first iOS 16 Public Beta was just released, we expect third-party developers to implement Focus Filters. By doing so, you’ll be able to basically set up different profiles on your iPhone that only show specific apps, specific tabs, specific calendars, and more, based on what Focus mode is enabled.
Revolutionizing How You Use Your iPhone and iPad
We can already create different Home Screens based on Focus modes. Doing so allows you to create different Home Screens, and hide others, whenever a Focus mode is enabled. Apple even makes it possible for these modes to be turned on or off at specific times of the day. So from the time that you walk into the office to the time you leave, your iPhone can show specific information that you need.
Notifications can be tailored to your liking, as you can ignore everything that doesn’t have to do with work until it’s time for you to leave. But as your contact list grows, or even if you find a new job, you are able to go back through and customize every aspect of said Focus mode.
It’s here where Apple is really letting its software prowess shine through. You don’t need to set up different users or set up different profiles on your device. All of that can be done seamlessly with the help of Focus modes and now, Focus Filters.
Andrew Myrick is a freelance writer based on the East Coast of the US. He enjoys everything to do with technology, including tablets, smartphones, and everything in between. Perhaps his favorite past-time is having a never-ending supply of different keyboards and gaming handhelds that end up collecting more dust than the consoles that are being emulated.
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