How to use Do Not Disturb (DND) on iPhone and iPad

Do Not Disturb (DND) is a handy feature that cuts off iPhone calls, messages, and app notifications for a quiet, distraction-free time. This is useful for meetings, bedtime, breaks, vacations, and more. In iOS 15, the Do Not Disturb feature received an overhaul, making it more convenient. This guide will help you understand how to enable and use DND mode on iPhone.

Important Note: In iOS 15, DND is a part of the new Focus feature. We have a separate guide that shows you how to use the Focus mode.

• How to enable Do Not Disturb on iPhone
  1. Using Siri
  2. Via Control Center
• How to schedule Do Not Disturb or have it turn on automatically
• How to allow notifications during DND from specific people and apps
  • What are Time Sensitive Notifications on iPhone
• How to turn off Do Not Disturb on iPhone

How to enable Do Not Disturb on iPhone

1. Using Siri in iOS 15 and earlier

1. Call the voice assistant by saying, Hey Siri.
2. Alternatively,
   • On iPhone with a Face ID, press and hold the right side button.
   • On iPhone with the Home button, press and hold the home button.
3. Ask it to enable Do Not Disturb.
   
   

Extra info: Sadly, you cannot ask Siri a complex DND command like ‘Enable Do Not Disturb from now to 1 PM.’ If you say this, it will ask you to do that yourself in the Settings app.

2. Via Control Center

1. Bring up the Control Center.
   • Swipe down the screen’s top right corner on iPhones with Face ID.
   • On other iPhone models, swipe up from the screen’s bottom.
2. Method 1 (iOS 15 and earlier): Tap the white crescent moon icon to enable DND.
   
   
3. Method 2 for iOS 15: Tap Focus → Do Not Disturb.
   
   
4. To change duration, long-press the Focus icon (see left image) or tap the three dots icon next to Do Not Disturb (see the center image).
   
   

3. Using Settings in iOS 14 and earlier

1. Open iPhone or iPad Settings and tap Do Not Disturb.
2. Next, toggle on Do Not Disturb.

How to schedule Do Not Disturb or have it turn on automatically

1. Open iPhone Settings and tap Focus.
2. Tap Do Not Disturb.
   
   
3. From the bottom, tap + ADD under TURN ON AUTOMATICALLY.
4. Here, you can choose to enable DND automatically when you:
   • Reach a location (like your office).
   • Open a specific app (like the Books app).
   • Set your custom time. I am going with Time.
5. Set the From and To times. Uncheck the days on which you do not want DND to repeat.
6. Finally, tap Done to automate Do Not Disturb on your iPhone.
   
   

Note: Alternatively, in step 3, you may enable Smart Activation to let the algorithm enable DND automatically at times based on your location, app usages, past acts, etc.

To turn off automatic DND, toggle off Schedule and tap Done. You may also delete the automation entirely.

How to allow notifications during DND from specific people and apps

When Do Not Disturb is enabled on your iPhone, you get no app or call notifications. But you can make DND exceptions for specific apps and people. For example, you might want to get calls from your child or alert notifications from your bank app even during DND. Here is how to do that.

1. Inside iPhone Settings, tap Focus.
2. Tap Do Not Disturb.
3. Tap People or Apps.
4. Now, tap Add Contact, select the desired contacts, and tap Done.
   Follow the same steps to add apps to this exception list.
5. From now, notifications from these apps and people will be delivered like usual even when Do Not Disturb is turned on.
   
   

What are Time Sensitive Notifications on iPhone?

With iOS 15, apps can send you Time Sensitive Notifications, which are crucial high priority notifications that can dishonor your Focus mode/DND settings and be delivered to get your attention (if you enable the option).

For example, if your bank notices a massive charge on your card that it thinks was not made by you, it may send you a Time Sensitive Notification to alert you. Similarly, your Health app may send you a Time Sensitive Notification reminding you it is time for your medicine.

In the iPhone Do Not Disturb Settings page, you may enable the toggle for Time Sensitive Notifications to get these. If you keep it off, they won’t be delivered when DND is on.

How to turn off Do Not Disturb on iPhone

You can disable DND mode on iPhone by calling Siri and asking it to turn off Do Not Disturb. You may also open Control Center and tap the purple crescent moon icon to turn off DND.

This is how you can use Do Not Disturb on your iPhone and iPad. With iOS 15, you can also choose to hide certain Home Screen pages during DND for distraction-free time. Plus, you have options like dimming the lock screen, hiding red notification app badges, or using delayed delivery. We have covered all these here.

If you have any other related questions, feel free to ask via the comments section below.

Finally, I would encourage you to learn about two other exciting related options. They are how to enable DND while driving and how to set emergency bypass on iPhone. These posts are super handy, and you must know about them.

Check out next:

• How to turn on Do Not Disturb on Mac
• Do Not Disturb turning on automatically on iPhone? 7 Ways to fix it!
• Steps to enable Do Not Disturb Bedtime mode on iPhone
• iPhone settings you should change right now

🗣️ Our site is supported by our readers like you. When you purchase through our links, we earn a small commission. Read Disclaimer.