Do Not Disturb: What it Does and How to Turn it On

Aug 9, 2021

2 minutes

Do not disturb, often referred to as DND, is a handy feature that allows iPhone users to stay focused on their work, movie, or to-do lists by silencing all notifications on their iPhone while their screen is locked and the do not disturb feature is on or is scheduled.

Do not disturb will send calls directly to voicemail so that callers are not interrupting an iPhone user's workflow. All iMessages, text messages, or other notifications are simply silenced so that they aren't alerted about them. However, once they open their iPhone,they will be able to see the missed calls, messages, and notifications.

Do not disturb is easy to turn on, create a DND schedule, or turn off when iPhone users are ready to receive their notifications and calls. There are also other customizable settings within do not disturb, allowing iPhone users to make DND their own, so that is convenient for their particular uses.

In this guide, I cover how to turn do not disturb on, how to create a do not disturb schedule, how to select and turn on specific DND settings, and how to turn on do not disturb while driving.

iPhone 11 (256GB + Green)

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On your home screen, look for the Settings app and give it a click. It can often be found in the utilities folder.

Click "do not disturb" so that you can turn on the DND feature. This is where you can also turn off DND.

To the right of "do not disturb" there will be a toggle. Click the toggle to turn the DND feature on!

Scheduled DND is great for iPhone users who want their iPhone to be on DND during specific hours such as while at work, while at the gym, get a good night's sleep, or while out for a hike and trying to unplug. You can set the feature to be scheduled for that specific time frame each day.

You can also decide to dim the lock screen instead of not allowing notifications to go to the lock screen as normal DND would function. This allows them to be visible still, but less visible than usual. To try this setting click the toggle next to "dim lock screen."

There are two different settings and features to keep in mind when setting up do not disturb on your iPhone. In this step, I will go over both settings, so that you can decide if you want to customize these settings to your preferences.

You can choose to have incoming calls always silenced or only silenced when your iPhone is on its lock screen. To choose the one that best suits your needs, click the tab and a checkmark will appear next to the one you've chosen.
Allow calls from is set to "everyone" by default. You can set incoming calls to "everyone." "no one," "favorites," or "all contacts" by clicking on "allow calls from" and choosing from the options listed. So, if you want DND to be on, but you want your favorites to be enabled just to make sure your kids can get through, or your work can call you, this is a lovely setting to adjust for those purposes.
Repeated calls will allow someone to call you more than once without silencing the call. This can be helpful in emergencies. If someone keeps calling, they can get through in the event they really need you immediately. This feature is on by default. If you want this feature off, simply click the toggle to the right of "repeated calls."

Do not disturb while driving is a smart feature to have and use. While driving, your iPhone will not bother you with notifications so you can drive safely. Since we all know driving and texting or talking on the phone is extremely dangerous, this feature can be a real lifesaver!

There are a couple of settings to consider when setting up do not disturb while driving.

Activate- Do you want DND while driving to be automatic, to have to be turned on manually each time you drive, or to turn on once the iPhone is connected to your car's Bluetooth. Choose the one you prefer by clicking on "activate" and selecting from the options that appear.
Auto-reply to- This feature will auto-reply to the people only you've selected. You can choose from "no one," "recents," "favorites," and "all contacts." To do this, click on "auto-reply to" and choose from the options given.
Auto-reply- Here, you can customize the message sent using auto-reply. Click "auto-reply" and change the defaulted message to be whatever you prefer.

Once you know how do not disturb works, and you have your settings configured to your liking, you can turn DND on and off the easy way. If you skip the above steps and go straight to this step, all the settings will be on default. Here's how to get it done:

Bring up, or down, your control panel. If you have touch ID, you will swipe up from the lower right-hand corner. If you have face ID, you will swipe down from the upper right-hand corner.
Click the little moon symbol to turn it on or off.