What the Tech: Getting the most out of Do Not Disturb mode

LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - The great thing about our smartphones is you can do just about everything with them. But there’s a downside to that. They do so much, they can prevent you from doing things you need to do.

You can put a smartphone on mute, or turn it off, but there’s a better way to keep it from being a distraction. You can put your phone on silent mode with this little switch on the side of an iPhone.

Here’s the problem with that: some phone cases make it almost impossible to get to. You might be able to tell if it’s on or off, or you can forget to turn it back off, missing phone calls, texts, and notifications.

In iOS 16 Apple added “Do Not Disturb” modes and if you’re not using it, you may be disturbed. You’ll find it in the control panel by swiping down and finding “Focus.” Apple added a few to get you started. If you’re driving, your phone won’t ring or show notifications except from the people you choose.

You can allow streaming of your music. If you get a text message, Do Not Disturb will send a reply that you’re driving, and you’ll get in touch when you stop. You can set up focus modes for any of these.

For ‘sleep focus’ add contacts for urgent calls, and allow notifications from your security system or ring the doorbell. This focus mode turns on automatically based on your sleep schedule. You won’t be disturbed by annoying spam texts.

And the “Do Not Disturb” focus mode is great for when you’re at the movies, in church, or at a business meeting. Here’s what I love: when you turn on do not disturb you can set it to turn off at a certain time or when you leave a location. Your phone won’t disturb everyone and you won’t miss a call after you leave the theater.

Android devices have ‘Do Not Disturb’ options too. They’re in settings, though it’s not as easy to control as it is on the iPhone. The good news is you can turn it off by saying “Hey Google” or “Hey Siri” and can turn it on and off just by asking. You and the people you’re next to will be glad you learned about it.

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