Apple in iOS 15 introduced a Focus feature that's designed to let you set up your device to help you be in the moment and zone in on a single thing. When a Focus mode is active, it displays a little customizable emoji/icon in the status bar of your iPhone, next to the time. Setting up a Focus mode can be complicated, but if all you want is to see a symbol in the status bar, it's easy to do once you know how.

iphone status bar emoji
There are over 25 emoji/icons that you can use, including a smiley face, a flame, and a paw print, but to use Focus, your ‌iPhone‌ needs to be running iOS 15. (If you have an iPad, it needs to be running iPadOS 15.) You can check what iOS version you have and update if necessary by going to Settings -> General -> Software Update.

Here are the steps to follow to get a customized emoji/icon in your ‌iPhone‌'s status bar.

  1. Launch the Settings app.
  2. Scroll down and tap Focus.
  3. Tap the + button in the top-right corner of the screen.
    settings

  4. Tap Custom.
  5. Give your Focus a name.
  6. Select the emoji/icon you want to use, then tap Next.
    focus

  7. Select who can send you notifications (you can choose all of your contacts), then tap Allow.
  8. Select all the apps that can show you notifications, then tap Allow.
  9. Tap Done.
  10. Now toggle the switch to enable your Focus mode.

The emoji/icon you selected should now be visible next to the clock in your ‌iPhone‌'s status bar. If you want to change the emoji at any time, simply go into your Focus mode's options and select a different one.

iphone status bar emoji
Note that if you have Location Services on and an app uses your current location, your icon/emoji will temporarily disappear as there won't be room for it in the status bar. If something is using your location all the time (a weather widget, for example) then it won't appear at all, in which case you'll have to go into Settings -> Privacy and toggle off Location Services.

Related Forum: iOS 15

Popular Stories

ios 18 4 carplay

iOS 18.4 Includes a Small But Useful Change for CarPlay

Sunday February 23, 2025 2:23 pm PST by
The first beta of iOS 18.4 is now available, and it includes a small but useful change for CarPlay. As we noted in our list of iOS 18.4 features, CarPlay now shows a third row of icons, up from two rows previously. However, this change is only visible in vehicles with a larger center display. For example, a MacRumors Forums member noticed the change in a Toyota Tundra, which can be equipped...
cook trump

Trump Responds to Apple Keeping Diversity Policies

Wednesday February 26, 2025 6:32 am PST by
In an all-caps post on Truth Social today, U.S. President Donald Trump said Apple should fully end its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies. Tim Cook meeting with President Trump in 2017 "APPLE SHOULD GET RID OF DEI RULES, NOT JUST MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO THEM," he wrote. Trump's post comes one day after Apple held its annual shareholders meeting, during which a majority of...
apple watch ultra snow

6 Features Coming to the Apple Watch Ultra 3

Tuesday February 25, 2025 9:00 am PST by
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is expected to launch later this year, arriving two years after the previous model with a series of improvements. While no noticeable design changes are expected for the third generation since the company tends to stick with the same Apple Watch design through three generations before changing it, there are a series of internal upgrades on the way. By the time the ...
iPhone Fold Vertical Feature

Apple's 2026 Foldable iPhone Has No Visible Display Crease – Report

Tuesday February 25, 2025 2:58 am PST by
Apple is making significant headway on its long-rumored foldable iPhone, with a new report suggesting the company has achieved a major breakthrough by effectively eliminating the screen crease that plagues current foldable devices. According to Korean publication ETNews, Apple is finalizing its component suppliers for the foldable iPhone, with the selection process expected to be completed...
airtag orange

AirTag 2 Rumored to Launch in May or June With These New Features

Monday February 24, 2025 6:11 am PST by
Apple plans to launch a second-generation AirTag in May or June this year, according to a post today from a leaker known as Kosutami. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman previously reported that a new AirTag would be released in mid-2025. May or June would align with that timeframe. Below, we recap three new features rumored for the AirTag 2: With a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip, the...
iOS 18

Apple Says iOS 18.4 Will Be Released in April With These New Features

Wednesday February 26, 2025 7:15 am PST by
In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 18.4 will be released in April. From the Apple News+ Food announcement:Coming with iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 in April, Apple News+ subscribers will have access to Apple News+ Food, a new section that will feature tens of thousands of recipes — as well as stories about restaurants, healthy eating, kitchen essentials, and more — from the...
iphone 17 lineup cad render majin bu

Revealed: Entire iPhone 17 Lineup's Striking New Camera Designs

Monday February 24, 2025 2:49 am PST by
A new CAD render of all the devices in Apple's upcoming iPhone 17 lineup has been shared online by leaker Majin Bu, specifically showing the allegedly different rear camera system designs of the standard iPhone 17, all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air, and the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max models. The leaker Majin Bu has had some hits in the past, but some of his information has been wrong,...
trump iphone dictation issue

Apple Fixing 'Trump' Dictation Processing Bug

Tuesday February 25, 2025 1:18 pm PST by
Multiple iPhone owners today noticed a pronunciation processing issue that causes the word "Trump" to momentarily show up when using dictation to send a message with the word "racist." In some cases, when speaking the word racist through the iPhone's built-in dictation feature, the iPhone briefly interprets the spoken word as "Trump" and "Trump" text shows up in the Messages app before being ...