The fastest way to toggle Do Not Disturb

Open Control Center by swiping down from the top-right corner of your screen (iPhone X and later) or swiping up from the bottom (iPhone 8 and earlier). Tap the crescent moon icon labeled "Do Not Disturb". The icon lights up when the feature is on, and your phone will stop ringing and vibrating for calls and notifications.

This is the method most people use because it takes one second and works from any screen — even your lock screen. The crescent moon appears in your status bar at the top when Do Not Disturb is active, so you can see at a glance whether it is on.

Key Takeaways

  • Control Center (swipe from top-right or bottom) holds the Do Not Disturb toggle, which silences calls and notifications when ready.
  • You can set Do Not Disturb to turn on and off automatically at specific times through Settings > Focus > Do Not Disturb.
  • Scheduled Do Not Disturb runs on a daily loop, so you can have it silence your phone every night at 10 p.m. without touching it.
  • Calls from people in your Favorites list can ring through even when Do Not Disturb is on if you configure it that way.
  • Do Not Disturb silences notifications but does not delete them — they wait in your notification center until you check them.

Setting up a schedule so Do Not Disturb turns on automatically

Open Settings and tap Focus. Tap Do Not Disturb. Tap Add Schedule at the bottom of the screen. Choose the time you want Do Not Disturb to turn on and the time you want it to turn off. Your phone will follow this schedule every day without you having to do anything.

This is useful if you want your phone silent during sleep, work, or a regular activity. For example, you can set Do Not Disturb to set up at 10 p.m. and deactivate at 7 a.m., and it will happen automatically every night. You can add multiple schedules if you need the phone silent at different times on different days.

Allowing calls from specific people to ring through

Open Settings, tap Focus, then tap Do Not Disturb. Scroll down to the Allowed Notifications section. Tap Calls From and select which contacts can call you while Do Not Disturb is on. Tap Favorites to let only your starred contacts reach you, or tap a specific group or person.

By default, repeated calls from the same number within three minutes will ring through even with Do Not Disturb on — this is meant to catch emergencies. If you change the Calls From setting to Favorites, only people you have starred will be able to reach you. Everyone else goes to voicemail.

The difference between Do Not Disturb and Silent mode

Silent mode (controlled by the physical mute switch on the side of your iPhone) silences ringtones and alerts but still allows vibrations. Do Not Disturb silences both sound and vibration for calls and notifications. Do Not Disturb also hides notifications from your lock screen so you do not see them pop up.

If you want your phone completely quiet and invisible, use Do Not Disturb. If you just want to mute the sound but still feel vibrations and see notifications, use Silent mode. You can use both at the same time — they do not interfere with each other.

Turning Do Not Disturb off when you need to be reachable

Swipe down from the top-right corner to open Control Center and tap the crescent moon icon again. It will turn off when ready, and your phone will resume ringing and showing notifications normally. You can also ask Siri to turn it off by saying "Hey Siri, turn off Do Not Disturb."

If you have a schedule set, turning Do Not Disturb off manually will override the schedule until the next scheduled time arrives. For example, if your schedule says Do Not Disturb should be on until 7 a.m., but you turn it off at 6 a.m., it will stay off. At 7 a.m. the next day, the schedule takes over again.

What happens to notifications while Do Not Disturb is on

Notifications do not disappear — they collect in your notification center and wait for you to check them. You can swipe down from the top to see them all at once. Badges on app icons (the red circles with numbers) still appear, so you know something came in. Sounds and vibrations are just blocked; the information is preserved.

This means you can turn Do Not Disturb on during a meeting or sleep and not miss anything important. When you turn it off or check your notification center, you will see every message, call, and alert that arrived while you were unavailable.

Using Focus modes for more control than Do Not Disturb alone

Do Not Disturb is actually a Focus mode. You can create custom Focus modes in Settings > Focus that silence different apps or contacts depending on what you are doing. For example, you could create a Work focus that allows calls from your boss but silences social media, or a Driving focus that only lets through messages from family.

Each Focus mode can have its own schedule, its own list of allowed contacts, and its own set of silenced apps. Do Not Disturb is the simplest one — it silences everything except what you explicitly allow. If you need more nuance, custom Focus modes give you that flexibility without having to manually toggle settings throughout your day.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will people know I have Do Not Disturb on when they call?

No. Callers will hear a normal ringtone on their end, but your phone will not ring. They may go to voicemail or see a busy signal depending on your carrier, but they will not receive a message saying you have Do Not Disturb enabled. You can send them a text later to explain you were unavailable.

Can I set different Do Not Disturb schedules for weekdays and weekends?

Not with a single schedule. You can create two separate schedules — one for weekdays and one for weekends — but you have to set them up individually. Alternatively, create a custom Focus mode and set it to repeat on specific days of the week, which gives you more control than the basic Do Not Disturb schedule.

What if I want Do Not Disturb on but still see messages from one person?

Open Settings, tap Focus, tap Do Not Disturb, then scroll to Allowed Notifications. Tap Messages From and select that person. They will be able to message you and you will see their notifications even when Do Not Disturb is on. Everyone else's messages will be silenced.

Does Do Not Disturb stop text messages?

Do Not Disturb silences the notification sound and vibration for text messages, but the messages still arrive and sit in your notification center. You will see a badge on the Messages app icon. If you allow messages from specific people, their texts will notify you normally even with Do Not Disturb on.

Can I turn Do Not Disturb on with voice commands?

Yes. Say "Hey Siri, turn on Do Not Disturb" or "Hey Siri, turn off Do Not Disturb." You can also ask Siri to set up a specific Focus mode by name, such as "Hey Siri, turn on Work focus." This works from your lock screen or any app.