Set up a Focus on iPad

Focus is a feature that helps you concentrate on a task by minimizing distractions. When you want to focus on a specific activity, you can customize one of the provided Focus options—for example Work, Personal, or Sleep—or create a Custom Focus. You can use Focus to temporarily silence all notifications—or allow only specific notifications—ones that apply to your task, for example—and let other people and apps know you’re busy.

Tip: To quickly silence all notifications, open Control Center, tap Focus, then turn on Do Not Disturb.

You can also use the Reduce Interruptions Focus, which uses Apple Intelligence to show you only the most important notifications. See Use the Reduce Interruptions Focus.

Note: Apple Intelligence on iPadOS 27 or later is available on an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPad mini (A17 Pro) and iPad models with M1 or later. Apple Intelligence is not available in all languages or regions. Usage limits may apply.

Set up a Focus

Go to the Settings app on your iPad.
Tap Focus, then tap a Focus—for example, Do Not Disturb, Personal, or Work.
For your Focus, you can set up the options described in the steps below, but you don’t have to set up all of them.
Specify which people and apps to allow notifications from during your Focus:
- People: Tap People, then tap Allow Notifications From. Tap , select contacts, tap Done, then tap at the top of the screen. You can also silence specific people by tapping Silence Notifications From instead.
- Apps: Tap Apps, then tap Allow Notifications From. Tap , select apps, tap Done, then tap at the top of the screen. You can also silence specific apps by tapping Silence Notification From instead.
Tap Options, then do any of the following:
- Show silenced notifications in Notification Center instead of on the Lock Screen: Turn off Show On Lock Screen.
- Darken the Lock Screen during this Focus: Turn on Dim Lock Screen.
- Hide notification badges on Home Screen apps: Turn on Hide Notification Badges.
- Dim the Lock Screen during this Focus: Turn on Dim Lock Screen.
- Use Apple Intelligence to allow important notifications to interrupt you: Turn on Intelligent Breakthrough & Silencing. Any notifications specifically allowed or silenced will always be allowed or silenced.
When you’re finished selecting options, tap at the top of the screen.
Specify the Lock Screen and Home Screen options:
- Choose the Lock Screen for this Focus: Tap the Lock Screen preview below Choose a Lock Screen, select a Lock Screen, then tap .
- Choose the Home Screen for this Focus: Tap the Home Screen preview below Choose a Home Screen Page, select a Home Screen page, tap Done, then tap at the top of the screen.
  Note: To make changes to the Home Screen to customize it further for your Focus, see Move apps and widgets on the Home Screen.

After setting up your Focus, you can go back to the Settings app , tap Focus, then change any of the options you chose earlier.

Turn a Focus on or off

You can turn a Focus on or off manually in Control Center or schedule the Focus to turn on automatically.

Add Focus filters

When you set up a Focus, you can add app filters that determine what information apps will show during the Focus. For example, you can choose which mail account or which calendar to use during the Focus.

Go to the Settings app on your iPad.
Tap Focus, then tap the Focus you want to add filters to.
Tap Customize Focus, then tap Add Filter (below Focus Filters).
Tap an app, tap Choose, then select the information from that app you want to see during the Focus:
- Calendar: Choose which calendar you want to show during the Focus.
- Mail: Choose which mail accounts you want to use during the Focus.
- Messages: Choose which message conversations you want to see during the Focus—for example, only conversations from people you’ve allowed notifications from during this Focus.
- Safari: Choose which Tab Group you want to use during the Focus.
Tap Add to add the filter to the Focus.

Note: Focus filters don’t get synced across devices when Share Across Devices turned on. To turn it off, go to the Settings app , then tap Focus.

Create a custom Focus

If you want to focus on an activity that’s different from any of the provided Focus options, you can create a custom Focus.

Go to the Settings app on your iPad.
Tap Focus, tap at the top right, then tap Custom.
Enter a name for your Focus, then tap Return.
Choose a color and an icon to represent your Focus, then tap Next.
Tap Customize Focus, then set up the options for your custom Focus, following the instructions in Set up a Focus.

Keep your Focus settings up to date across all your Apple devices

You can use the same Focus settings on all your Apple devices where you’re signed in to the same Apple Account.

Go to the Settings app on your iPad.
Tap Focus, then turn on Share Across Devices.
Note: When you turn on Share Across Devices and turn on Share Focus Status, your Focus can show that you have notifications silenced. For example, if you silence notifications when you Set up a Focus, people who text you will see that your notifications are silenced. You can change this setting for specific people on their contact card.

Helpful?

iPad User Guide