What is Share Focus Status and How this iPhone’s Feature Can Help Improving Your Focus

With the booming technology, We have made various inventions and developments to improve and develop our lifestyle. Similarly, a big tech giant, Apple Inc., has recently introduced a feature called “Share Focus Status” in their iPhones. The feature is available on every iPhone with iOS 15 or above. But what does it mean? Join us to know more about this feature.

What is Share Focus Status?

You might be thinking “what is Share focus Status feature provided by Apple?”. Well, it is not a new thing. It is just a sophisticated version of the Android’s Do Not Disturb feature. This feature comes with various additional perks that Android’s DnD does not include. Currently, this feature is available on Messages and other default apps, but the list of apps supporting this feature can be extended in the future. It also allows you to add your name to display the message to other users.

<alt: display name on share focus mode>

Just like DnD, it mutes the unwanted notifications that may distract you, resulting in wasting your precious time. It comes with multiple modes and profiles like Work, Personal, Do Not Disturb, or Sleeping. It also allows you to share your status with others in case you want to let others know. 

Preset Profiles in Focus Mode

There are 4 modes that you are offered by default. Those profiles are

1. Work: The work profile is specially designed for your work schedule. This profile silences unwanted notifications during your working hour so you can concentrate on your task. You can set up this mode according to your working hours.
   
2. Personal: This mode will silence all the notifications except the selected people or apps that you want to use in your personal time.
   
3. Sleep: In this mode, you can enter your bedtime. During that period, the notifications will be muted except for the selected apps or contacts.
   
4. Do Not Disturb: You can use this mode to silence your phone’s notifications during a meeting or an important gathering where you don’t want to be bothered with your phone calls or message notifications.

Notifications

This feature was primarily introduced to silence the Messages and the Calls notifications. However, you can select some apps or contacts that can still send notifications with your focus mode on. To select those apps or contacts, follow the following steps:

1. Open Focus Mode and Click on Do Not Disturb.

   

2. Click on People or Apps that you want to allow to send notifications even with the focus mode on. You will have to select those apps or contacts and then enter a time period to schedule the focus mode.

   

Is It Important to Share Status?

No, it is not necessary or mandatory to share your status. But just to prevent any kind of misunderstanding with your friends or colleagues, you can turn on your share feature. It just informs the other person who wants to connect with you for any reason. 

Pre-Requisites for This Feature

iOS version

This feature is available on almost every Apple device like iPhones, iPads, and iMacs having at least iOS version 15 on iPhone/iPad or Monterey 12 on iMac or Macbooks.

Apple ID

You must have an official Apple ID to enable this feature

Two-Factor Authentication

You must enable Two-factor Authentication on your account for security purposes to enable this feature.

With all these requirements, you can enable this feature on your device to improve your focus. 

Steps to Enable Share Focus Mode on iPhone or iMac

• On iPhone/iPad:

1. Go to Settings of your iPhone or iPad and then click on Focus.

   

2. Select the profile of your choice.

   

3. In your preferred profile, find Focus Status.

   

4. After that, you will be able to share focus status with others.

   Note: The status remains on by default, You do not need to tap on Focus status if you want to turn on the status.

• On iMac/Macbook

1. On your system, Go to Apple menu.
   

   

2. In the System Preferences, you will find Notifications & Status.
   

   

3. Click on Notifications & Focus.
   

   

4. Now Scroll to the bottom part of the menu where you can enable Share Focus Status and fill in the relevant checkboxes from the menu. 

Share Focus Status with Only Selected Contacts

In case you do not want to share focus status with everyone, there is a way through which you can show your status to only some selected contacts.

Steps to do so are as follows:

1. Open Messages app.

   

2. Go to your selected contact and go to their profile.
   

   

3. Go to the profile of the contact and toggle the Share Focus Status feature. This way contact will be ignored by the restriction.
   

   

Similarly, this way you can also on the Share Focus Status with any contact of your choice. 

Can Share Focus Mode Lead to Any Mishappening?

Now this will be many people’s major concern “can this feature cause any delay of information in case of any emergency?” Well, Apple has a solution for this situation too.

If there is any kind of emergency or any important message that you need to know but your device is on Focus Mode, the sender will be displayed a dialogue box informing that device has notification silenced and ask him/her to notify anyway. 

This feature will prevent the notification of the first text, but after that, you will be notified with further messages or notifications. 

Add Custom Focus Modes 

You can make your own modes by customizing the time schedule, selected contacts, and other settings regarding any part of the day.

For Example: Suppose you don’t want to get bothered by notifications during your lunchtime. Then you can set up your own focus mode for lunchtime and label it whatever you want.

How to Add Custom Focus Modes

1. To add custom focus mode on your iPhone, Go to Settings and open Focus mode.
   
2. On the top-right corner, press the [+] icon to add your custom focus mode. Select the Color and logo that you want to dedicate to your custom mode.
   
3. Give it a name.
   

   

4. Press “next” to finish the process.
   
5. Select the apps or contacts that you want to allow to send the notifications in your focus mode.

Now your custom focus mode is ready.

FAQs