Set up a Focus on iPad

Focus is a feature that helps you concentrate on a task by minimizing distractions. When you want to concentrate on a specific activity, you can customize one of the provided Focus options—for example Work, Personal, or Sleep—or create a Custom Focus. Focus can temporarily silence all notifications—or allow only specific notifications (ones that apply to your task, for example)—and let other people and apps know you’re busy. See Allow or silence notifications for a Focus on iPad.

Likewise, you can customize a Home Screen page that has only apps related to a Focus and make that your Home Screen during your Focus. iPad also suggests Home Screens with apps and widgets that are relevant to the Focus you’re setting up.

Tip: To quickly silence all notifications, open Control Center, tap Focus, then turn on Do Not Disturb.

Set up a Focus

When you set up a Focus, you can select apps and people you want to receive notifications from. For example, you can set up a Work Focus and allow only notifications from your coworkers and the apps you use for work.

Go to Settings > Focus, then tap a Focus—for example, Personal, Sleep, or Work.
For the Focus you select, you can set up the options described in the steps below, but you don’t have to set up all of them.
Specify which apps and people can send you notifications during your Focus. See Silence or allow notifications for a Focus.
Tap Options, then do any of the following:
- Show silenced notifications on the Lock Screen or send them to Notification Center: Turn Show On Lock Screen on or off.
- Darken the Lock Screen during this Focus: Turn on Dim Lock Screen.
- Hide notification badges on Home Screen apps: Turn on Hide Notification Badges.
When you’re finished selecting options, tap at the top of the screen.
To choose a Home Screen page to use with this Focus, tap the miniature Home Screen below Customize Screens, select the screen, tap Done, then tap .
To make changes to the Home Screen to customize it further for your Focus, see Move apps and widgets on the Home Screen.
To share your Focus across your Apple devices, turn on Share Across Devices (you must be signed in with the same Apple ID on all your devices).

After setting up your Focus, you can return to Settings > Focus at any time and change any of the options you chose above.

You can turn a Focus on or off in Control Center, or schedule it to turn on automatically.

When you set up a Sleep Focus, it follows the Sleep schedule you set on iPhone. To add or edit your sleep schedule, open the Health app on iPhone, tap Browse, then tap Sleep.

Add Focus filters

When you set up a Focus, you can add app filters that determine what information apps will show during the Focus. For example, you can choose which mail account or which calendar to use during the Focus.

Go to Settings > Focus, then tap the Focus you want to add filters to.
Tap Add Filter (below Focus Filters).
Tap an app, tap Choose, then select the information from that app you want to see during the Focus:
- Calendar: Choose which calendar you want to show during the Focus.
- Mail: Choose which mail accounts you want to use during the Focus.
- Messages: Choose which message conversations you want to see during the Focus—for example, only conversations from people you’ve allowed notifications from during this Focus.
- Safari: Choose which Tab Group you want to use during the Focus.
Tap Add to add the filter to the Focus.

Create a Custom Focus

If you want to concentrate on an activity that’s different from any of the provided Focus options, you can create a Custom Focus.

Go to Settings > Focus.
Tap at the top right, then tap Custom.
Enter a name for your Focus, then tap Return.
Choose a color and an icon to represent your Focus, then tap Next.
Customize any of the options listed in step 3 of Set up a Focus, above.

Keep your Focus settings up to date across all your Apple devices

You can use the same Focus settings on all your Apple devices where you’re signed in with the same Apple ID.

Go to Settings > Focus.
Turn on Share Across Devices.

Helpful?

iPad User Guide

Set up a Focus on iPad

Set up a Focus

Add Focus filters

Create a Custom Focus

Keep your Focus settings up to date across all your Apple devices