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How to Silence Specific Apps During Focus on iPhone

Use a Focus app silence list to mute selected apps only while that Focus is active; learn how to allow selected apps or disable notifications more broadly.

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To mute only certain apps while a Focus is active, open Settings > Focus, choose the Focus, tap Apps or Choose Apps, select Silence Notifications From, and add the apps. The rule applies while that Focus is on; it does not turn off those apps’ notifications generally.

Silence selected apps in a Focus

  1. Open Settings and tap Focus.
  2. Choose the Focus you want to edit, such as Work, Personal, Sleep, or Do Not Disturb. You can also create a custom Focus.
  3. Tap Apps or Choose Apps. The label can vary; look for the app-selection control inside the Focus.
  4. Select Silence Notifications From, then add the apps you want muted.
  5. Turn on that Focus when you want the rule to apply, or set a schedule if you want it to activate automatically.

When the Focus is active, notifications from the apps on its silence list are silenced. Other notification settings remain separate.

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Choose between silencing apps and allowing only selected apps

The Focus app list offers two approaches. Use Silence Notifications From when you want most apps to remain available but need to mute a few. Choose Allow Notifications From and add apps when you want only a small set to notify you during that Focus. Apple’s Focus notification guide describes both options.

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Check settings that can affect what gets through

Time Sensitive Notifications

A Focus can allow time-sensitive notifications from apps to arrive immediately. If your aim is to suppress interruptions as fully as possible, review the Time Sensitive Notifications option in that Focus and turn it off if appropriate. Not every app supports time-sensitive notifications; availability depends on app support.

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Turn off an app’s notifications at all times

If you want an app muted whether or not a Focus is active, use the app-wide controls instead: open Settings > Notifications, select the app, and turn off Allow Notifications. That screen also provides presentation controls, such as alert locations, sounds, badges, and previews where supported. See Apple’s notification settings guide.

Set a Focus to turn on automatically

To activate the app rule on a routine, configure a schedule for the chosen Focus. Apple supports activation by time, location, or when opening an app. Sleep Focus follows the schedule set in Health. Find the scheduling controls in Settings > Focus, then select the Focus and add or adjust its schedule. Details are in Apple’s guide to turning on or scheduling a Focus.

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Know what Focus filters and device sharing do

Focus filters are separate from the app notification allow and silence lists. Filters customize information or behavior in supported apps and system features—for example, which mail account or calendar is in use. Apple says Focus filters do not sync across devices when Share Across Devices is enabled.

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Share Across Devices can make the same Focus settings available on Apple devices signed in to the same Apple Account. Focus Status is a separate setting: if you share it, people contacting you may see that notifications are silenced. For setup and sharing details, see Apple’s Focus setup guide.

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