What is the iOS 15 new feature “focus mode”? Introducing the difference between sleep mode and manner mode

With the update to iOS15, a new "concentration mode" function has been added in addition to the "good night mode" function that was installed up to iOS14.

Good night mode was a function that allows you to customize the on/off of notifications while you sleep, but in focus mode, notifications are turned on/off according to various situations such as while you are sleeping, working, cooking, driving, etc. Customizable off.

It may feel similar to Manner Mode, but Manner Mode is just a function to mute notifications and change to vibrate, whereas Concentration Mode can block notifications themselves.

This will prevent iPhone notifications from distracting you or interrupting your private time.

In this article, I will explain each function of such a convenient concentration mode and how to set it.

Focus mode is a function that allows you to customize the on/off of notifications according to the scene. In addition to the existing "Good night mode" and "Sleep", you can distribute notifications and non-notifications of contacts and applications for each usage scene such as "Personal", "Work", "Reading", and "Driving". In addition to the standard scenes, you can create any scene and customize the on/off of notifications.

For example, you can create a scene called "study" to concentrate on studying for qualifications and turn off game app notifications. In addition, if you preset the settings according to your lifestyle, you can shut out unnecessary notifications when you want to concentrate, which will make your tasks easier.

If you turn on focus mode on your iPhone, it will automatically turn on on devices such as AppleWatch and Mac that are logged in with the same AppleID. Even if you use focus mode, it will be useless if the notification arrives on a device other than the iPhone, so this is a very useful function. On the contrary, if you want to cancel the cooperation, you can switch the setting on / off from the [Share between devices] button in [Focus Mode] in the "Settings" app.

From here, I will introduce how to set the focus mode. First, tap [Focus mode] from the "Settings" app.

Then you can set it up in the following three steps.

When the [Focus mode] screen is displayed, select the scene you want to set as the focus mode from [Good night mode], [Personal], [Work], and [Sleep]. If you want to set other scenes, tap the [+] mark. [Games] [Reading] [Driving] and more options are listed.

If you still can't find an option that suits you, you can create a focus mode with any name. Tap [Custom] and decide the name, icon, and color on the [Name focus mode] screen.

The next screen is the Contacts Allowed for Notifications screen. If you want to allow notifications even when focus mode is on, tap [Add], check the contacts registered in Contacts, and tap [Done].

If you tap [Incoming call], you can also set the person to receive the call. Select [All contacts] to allow incoming calls from people registered in your contacts, [Everyone] to allow incoming calls from everyone, including those not registered in your contacts. If you don't want to receive calls, tap [Don't allow anyone]. If you select [Frequently Used Items], you can also allow incoming calls only from people who have been added to [Frequently Used Items] in the [Contacts] app.

By the way, if you turn on [Allow repeated calls], you can set it so that you will only receive a notification if the same person calls you a second time within 3 minutes. After completing the operations on the [Allow incoming calls] screen, tap [Done] ▶ [Allow] or [Allow no one].

On the [Apps that allow notifications] screen, you can select apps that you want to allow notifications from among the installed apps. Tap [App] or [Add App], select any app, and then tap [Done].

You can also turn on/off notifications from apps that have [Immediate notifications] set. [Immediate notification] is a new feature added from iOS15, and is a notification that is specially treated in focus mode. Even in focus mode, apps with instant notifications set will be notified immediately and will continue to be displayed on the lock screen for about an hour. However, even if the app is set for immediate notification, if you turn off [Instant notification] in [Apps that allow notifications], you will not be notified while the focus mode is applied.

This completes the initial settings for focus mode. You can check if the feature is turned on in Control Center. If you are applying concentration mode, the icon set for each mode should be displayed. For example, if Do Not Disturb is on, you'll see a crescent moon icon.

If you want to turn Focus Assist on or off, just open Control Center and tap the Focus Assist icon.

There are several things that can be set as options for the Do Not Disturb Mode feature. Tap [Focus mode] from the "Settings" app. If you select any concentration mode, you can set the following optional functions.

[Share Concentration Mode Status] is a function that informs the surrounding people of your concentration mode status. If you turn on the setting, you can automatically notify the person who sent you a message that you are in focus mode (=cannot receive notifications). However, the displayed text differs depending on the application, and some applications do not support concentration mode. Also, don't worry, it won't send you which concentration mode you're using.

By setting [Home screen], you can display only the specified page from the home screen. In other words, it is possible to hide apps that are not related to focus mode and create an environment where you can focus more on your tasks.

Tap Home Screen and turn on Customize Page. After selecting the home screen page you want to display while in focus mode, tap [Done] at the end.

By the way, tap Hide notification badges to hide notification badges while you're in focus mode.

Furthermore, you can also change the display method of the lock screen only while focus mode is applied. By turning on [Show on lock screen], you can display notifications that are turned off by focus mode only on the lock screen.

If you turn on [Dim Lock Screen], the display of the lock screen will be dark except for the date and clock. It will help prevent distractions while you are immersed in work or study.

There is also a function that can be set to automatically activate focus mode based on the date and time and location information. Tap Add Schedule or Automation and select Time, Location, App, or Smart Activation.

You can set Focus Mode to start automatically during specified days and times. For example, if you want to concentrate on studying between 21:00 and 23:00 at night, if you set the day and time in advance, you should not be distracted by notifications such as entertainment apps.

You can set Do Not Disturb Mode to activate automatically while you are in a specific location. For example, if you want to turn on focus mode when you arrive at work, you can search for your place of work or enter the address and specify the location to avoid touching unnecessary apps while working.

You can set Focus Mode to start automatically while using a specific app. For example, if you turn on focus mode while playing a music game, you won't lose your score by having no notification bars or distracting notification sounds blocking your screen.

Depending on the concentration mode, there is also a function that automatically turns on when a specific action is taken. Tap [Focus mode] from the "Settings" app and add it from the [+] in the upper right.

Focus Mode is turned on when you connect a wireless controller.

Focus Mode turns on when you start a workout on your Apple Watch.

Focus Mode turns on when you start a mindfulness session on your Apple Watch.

When the iPhone detects movement while driving or connects to the in-vehicle Bluetooth or "CarPlay", the focus mode is automatically turned on. Also, if you receive a message while driving, you can send an automatic reply that you are driving.

So, how much does Focus Mode help you stay focused? I would like to report based on my actual experience.

There are cases where a notification arrives during work and you open your iPhone and go off the rails to SNS, Internet surfing, or another application. Therefore, this time, I set the focus mode so that notifications of unnecessary apps are turned off during work.

While allowing incoming calls so that you can receive work calls, turn off all app notifications except for business tools such as Gmail and ChatWork. Now you are ready to start working.

Once you start working on it, it will certainly progress. The big thing is that I am no longer distracted by SNS notifications such as LINE and Twitter from acquaintances. As a result of the reduced opportunities to open the iPhone, screen time, which indicates the viewing time of the iPhone, has decreased by more than 3 hours compared to the previous day and the day before, even if it is not the only factor.

I thought I would rarely get derailed at work, but when I tried to eliminate all notifications like this, I realized that they were unexpectedly distracting me.

Since I realized the convenience of the focus mode, I set up automation so that the focus mode automatically turns on during the working hours of 10:00 to 19:00. Succeeded in improving work efficiency.

Concentration mode, which has expanded the range of customization from the good night mode up to iOS 14, and allows you to make settings that suit your lifestyle. While making full use of optional functions such as automation, you can create an environment where you can concentrate in various situations, such as turning on the concentration mode when you want to study or at work, or linking it with a game app to immerse yourself in your hobbies. I want you to work on it.

Text: Uhiro Sato