What is Share Focus Status and How to Use It on iPhone?

Focus is an iOS feature introduced in September 2021 to help reduce distractions. You can choose from a list of pre-installed Focus profiles or create a custom one to silence specific notifications and apps.

When you turn on Share Focus Status, iOS users who send you a text on iMessage can see that you have silenced your notifications and can’t see their texts or calls. However, they can still choose to contact you even after being told you’re unavailable by using an option called “Notify Anyway.” This is useful in case of an emergency.

Currently, your Focus status can only be shared on iMessage with other iOS users. It doesn’t work with WhatsApp or other messaging apps.

Note: Focus only works on iOS 15 and above, which means you need an iPhone 6S or later to use this feature.

How to Share Your Focus Status on the iPhone

1. Tap Settings.

   

2. Scroll down and tap Focus.

   

3. Tap on any Focus profile.

   

4. Tap Focus Status.

   

5. Turn on the toggle next to Share Focus Status. Whenever someone sends you a message when you have Share Focus Status turned on, they’ll be notified that you have your notifications silenced.

   

Note: Share Focus Status is turned on by default, even for customized profiles, but you can check other Focus modes to see whether their status is turned on or off.

Sharing Focus Status with Specific Contacts

If you don’t want all of your contacts to know that you have your notifications silenced, you can enable Share Focus Status for specific contacts. This method only works on iMessage, and the person you’re texting must be an iOS user.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Tap Messages.

   

2. Tap the contact who you want to notify about your Focus status.

   

3. Tap the contact’s icon or name at the top.

   

4. Tap Share Focus Status to turn it on.