Do Not Disturb stops calls, texts, and notifications from reaching you

Do Not Disturb (often called DND) is a setting that silences incoming calls, text messages, and app notifications on your iPhone. When it's on, your phone won't ring or vibrate for most alerts — though calls from people in your Favorites list and repeated calls from the same person within three minutes can still get through, depending on how you've set it up.

You may have turned it on without realizing it, or you might have set it to turn on automatically at certain times. Either way, turning it off takes less than a minute.

Key Takeaways

  • Do Not Disturb silences calls, texts, and notifications, but you can still see them when you unlock your phone.
  • The fastest way to turn it off is to swipe down from the top-right corner of your screen and tap the Do Not Disturb icon.
  • If it keeps turning back on by itself, check Settings to see whether a schedule is active.
  • You can allow calls from specific people even when Do Not Disturb is on, so check that setting if you're worried about missing important calls.

Turn it off from the Control Center in seconds

The quickest way is through your Control Center — the panel of quick-access buttons you can reach from anywhere on your phone. On an iPhone with Face ID (iPhone X and newer), swipe down from the top-right corner of your screen. On an iPhone with a home button, swipe up from the bottom of the screen.

Look for the Do Not Disturb icon — it looks like a circle with a line through it. Tap it once to turn Do Not Disturb off. The icon will no longer be highlighted, and your phone will start receiving notifications again.

Check Settings if Do Not Disturb keeps turning back on

If Do Not Disturb turns itself back on at the same time each day, you probably have a schedule set. Open Settings, then tap Focus (on newer iPhones) or Do Not Disturb (on older models). Look for any active schedules listed under the Do Not Disturb section.

If you see a schedule you don't want, tap it and then tap Delete or turn off the toggle next to it. If you want to keep the feature but change when it activates, you can edit the schedule by tapping it and adjusting the start and end times.

Allow calls from people you care about

Even with Do Not Disturb on, you can set your phone to let calls through from specific contacts. Open Settings, then tap Focus or Do Not Disturb. Scroll down to find "Calls From" and tap it. You'll see options like Favorites, Recents, or Contacts. Choose which group should be able to reach you.

You can also allow repeated calls — if someone calls twice within three minutes, the second call will ring through even if Do Not Disturb is active. This is useful if you're worried about missing an emergency. To turn this on, go to Settings, tap Focus or Do Not Disturb, and toggle on "Repeated Calls."

Understand what Do Not Disturb actually blocks

When Do Not Disturb is on, your phone silences the sound and vibration for incoming calls and text messages. Notifications from apps like email, social media, and news apps also won't make noise or vibrate. However, the notifications still arrive — they just don't alert you. When you unlock your phone, you'll see them waiting in your notification center.

This is different from Airplane Mode, which cuts off all network connections, or from blocking a contact, which prevents a specific person from reaching you at all. Do Not Disturb is purely about muting alerts, not about preventing messages from being delivered.

Set up a schedule if you want Do Not Disturb to turn on automatically

If you want Do Not Disturb to set up at certain times — like during work hours or bedtime — you can create a schedule instead of turning it on manually each time. Open Settings, tap Focus or Do Not Disturb, then tap the plus sign to create a new schedule. Choose when you want it to start and end each day.

You can set different schedules for different times of day. For example, you might have one that runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and another from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. every night. Once a schedule is active, Do Not Disturb will turn on and off automatically at those times.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will people know I have Do Not Disturb on?

No. When someone calls or texts you while Do Not Disturb is active, they won't see any message saying your phone is in that mode. The call or text will go through normally — it just won't alert you. They might notice you're slow to respond, but they won't know why.

Can I turn off Do Not Disturb for just one person?

Not directly. Instead, add that person to your Favorites list, then go to Settings, tap Focus or Do Not Disturb, and set "Calls From" to Favorites. That way, calls from your Favorites will ring through even when Do Not Disturb is on, while everyone else stays silenced.

What's the difference between Do Not Disturb and Focus?

On newer iPhones (iOS 15 and later), Apple renamed Do Not Disturb to Focus and expanded it. Focus lets you create multiple profiles — like Work, Sleep, or Driving — each with different rules for who can contact you and which apps can notify you. Do Not Disturb is still available as one type of Focus.

Why does my iPhone show a crescent moon icon?

That crescent moon is the indicator that Do Not Disturb (or a Focus mode) is active on your phone. You'll see it in the status bar at the top of your screen. It disappears once you turn off Do Not Disturb.