Why does my Do Not Disturb keep turning off iOS 15

My do not disturb is not turning off it’s been doing that ever since 15.0.2. I have the new version and it’s still doing it. Sometimes it works other times it doesn’t.

Prior to iOS 15, the Do not disturb mode could be found directly in the iPhone Settings. However, if you open settings right now, you will not see the Do not disturb setting. Is Apple getting rid of Do Not Disturb in iOS 15? No, it is not. They simply moved it to a different location. Let’s take a look at where you can find Do Not Disturb on iOS 15 and how to use it.

Where Is Do Not Disturb on iPhone

Do not disturb mode is now part of Apple’s new notification feature known as Focus, which debuted in iOS 15.  Therefore, DND will be found under Focus settings i.e., Settings > Focus > Do not disturb.

Focus modes, for the uninitiated, are a collection of profiles that will assist you in silencing calls, alerts, and notifications on your iPhone based on the conditions specified. There is a Focus profile for Do Not Disturb as well. Other Focus profiles include driving, fitness, reading, meditation, and so on. You can even create your own Focus profile that is tailored to your specific needs. Learn about other notification settings in iPhone.

What Has Changed in Do Not Disturb on iOS 15

Do not disturb mode in iOS 15 works almost identical to how it did previously. It is possible to schedule it, make exceptions, and allow repeated calls. However, the settings may be in different locations, as we will discuss in the tips section below.

An important feature that is missing in iOS 15 is that you cannot keep DND mode disabled while using the phone or when unlocked. This was possible earlier and helped users in getting notifications while using the phone or keeping them silenced when iPhone was locked.

Further, the Do not disturb while driving feature can be found under the Driving Focus now i.e., Settings > Focus > Driving. You must enable and customize it separately from the standard Do not disturb mode.

How to Use Do not Disturb on iOS 15

1. How to Enable or Disable Do Not Disturb

From Settings

Open Settings and go to Focus > Do not disturb. Enable the toggle next to Do not disturb. Turn off this toggle to disable Do not disturb mode.

Tip: When Do not disturb mode is enabled, you will see the crescent moon icon in the status bar, lock screen, and Control Center.

From Control Panel

If you were disappointed by the absence of the Do Not Disturb icon in the Control Center, I have some good news for you. You can still manage Do Not Disturb mode through the Control Panel. The only difference is that you must use the Focus icon to operate it.

Open Control Center and tap on the Focus text to reveal all the available Focus profiles. Tap on the Do not disturb profile to enable or disable it.

Tip: Tap the three-dot icon next to Do not disturb to schedule it for one hour, until evening or until you leave the current location.

If the Do not disturb mode has been used earlier, you will see the crescent moon icon on the Focus button. Tap it to quickly enable or disable it. Please take a close look at the icon. It should only be the crescent moon icon. Other icons represent different Focus profiles.

Lock Screen

Tap on the crescent moon icon on the lock screen to disable Do not disturb mode or to schedule it by tapping on the three-dot icon.

Tip: Check out other ways to turn off Focus modes.

2. Allow Calls and Notifications From Some People

You can allow notifications and calls from specific people even when DND is active by adding them to the exception list.

Go to Settings > Focus > Do not disturb and tap on People under the Allowed notifications sections. On the next screen, tap on the Add button and add contacts to whitelist them from Do not disturb mode.

Similarly, tap on Calls from and choose the groups whose calls won’t be silenced, such as Everyone, No One, Favorites, All Contacts, or Groups.

3. Enable or Disable Repeated Calls

The Allow repeated calls setting is present in iOS 15 as well and you will find it under Settings > Focus > Do not disturb > People > Calls from. Turn on or off the toggle next to Allow repeated calls.

4. Allow Apps to Send Notifications

Similar to contact notifications and calls, you can allow selected apps to send notifications during Do not disturb. For that, tap on Apps under Do not disturb and add the required apps.  

5. Tell People Do Not Disturb Is Active

Focus status, a new feature in iOS 15, will automatically notify others that your iPhone’s notifications are turned off. All Focus modes, including Do not disturb, support focus status. When Do not disturb is active, others will see ‘notifications silenced’ for your contact in compatible apps like Apple Messages.

To enable it, go to Settings > Focus > Do not disturb > Focus status. Enable the toggle next to Share Focus status. Turn off the same toggle to disable it.

Note: Focus status only informs others that notifications are silenced, it doesn’t tell them which Focus mode is active.

6. Customize Home Screen

You can also customize home screen pages based on Focus modes in iOS 15. So when you enable Do not disturb mode, you can hide notification badges and show only certain home screen pages while hiding others. You will find these two options under Do not disturb > Home screen.

7. Customize DND Settings for Lock Screen

Similarly, you get two customization settings for the lock screen. You can dim the lock screen and show or hide silenced notifications on the lock screen. Go to Do not disturb > Lock screen to change these settings.

8. Schedule Do Not Disturb Mode

You can use the Do not disturb mode scheduling feature to have it activate automatically based on time, location, or app. To use these, navigate to Do not disturb and select Add schedule or automation. Select the automation type and enter the criteria.

Tip: Tap on Smart activation to activate Do not disturb automatically based on signals like location, app usage, etc.

9. Share Do Not Disturb Across Devices

If you own multiple Apple devices, you can enable Do not disturb on all of them at once. To enable this behavior, go to Settings > Focus. Enable the toggle next to Share across devices.

Note: The above settings will only apply to Do not disturb mode. You will have to customize each Focus mode separately.

Explore Focus Modes

I hope you were happy to find Do not disturb again in iOS 15. Please make sure to set it up properly, otherwise, notifications might not work properly on your iPhone. Check out other cool tips to use Focus modes and the best iOS 15 features and tips.