iOS 16: How to Stop Focus Modes From Sharing Your Status - MacRumors
Skip to Content

iOS 16: How to Stop Focus Modes From Sharing Your Status

by

In iOS 16, Apple has made it easier to control whether apps can let people know that you have a Focus mode activated and are silencing notifications. Keep reading to learn how it works.

iOS 16 Focus Feature
Focus mode is an expansion of Do Not Disturb that allows you to set up different permissions for apps, contacts, and more depending on what you're doing. For example, you can have separate focus modes for when you're at work, when you're studying, when you're at home, and so on. It's a handy way to filter out distractions and give all your attention over to something.

With a Focus on, your apps can display to people who message you that you have notifications silenced. Alternatively, you can block a Focus mode from sharing that information, so people won't be informed that your notifications are off if they try to message you. In iOS 16, Apple has made it easier to control which Focus modes are permitted to share this information by bringing the option for individual profiles into a unified menu. Here's how it works.

  1. Launch Settings on your iOS device.
  2. Tap Focus.
  3. Turn on Share Across Devices (required), then tap Focus Status.
  4. If it's not enabled already, turn on Share Focus Status.
  5. Now you can control which Focus profiles are able to share that you have notifications silenced by using the individual switches.

focus

That's all there is to it. Note that the Settings -> Focus -> Focus Status menu shown above replaces the Focus Status control option that appeared in individual Focus profiles in previous versions of iOS.

Popular Stories

airpods pro 3 pink

New Apple Card Holders Can Get Free AirPods Pro 3, But There's a Catch

Monday May 18, 2026 8:11 am PDT by
Apple today launched a new promotion offering new Apple Card holders the chance to earn back the cost of AirPods Pro 3 through monthly cash rebates, but there is a recurring spend requirement attached. Customers who open a new Apple Card account and purchase AirPods Pro 3 directly from Apple by June 15 will qualify. Starting July 1 and running through April 30, 2027, cardholders can earn $25 ...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature 1

Foldable iPhone Production Stalls Amid Hinge Issues

Monday May 18, 2026 7:29 am PDT by
Trial production of Apple's long-anticipated foldable iPhone, likely called the "iPhone Ultra," has run into a significant engineering hurdle centered on hinge reliability, according to a known leaker. The leaker known as "Instant Digital" posted on Weibo that the foldable device's hinge is consistently failing to meet Apple's quality control standards under conditions of prolonged,...
wwdc apple park in person

Apple Announces WWDC 2026 Schedule, Sends Media Invites

Monday May 18, 2026 10:23 am PDT by
Apple today provided a schedule for its 2026 Worldwide Developers Conference, which starts on June 8 and ends on June 12. Apple also sent out invites to members of the media who have been invited to attend an in-person keynote viewing at Apple Park. Both the invites and schedule confirm that the keynote will begin at the standard time, 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time or 1:00 p.m Eastern Time....