To turn off Do Not Disturb on iPhone, swipe down from the top-right corner to open Control Center, tap Focus, then tap Do Not Disturb to switch it off.
This guide covers the Lock Screen, Settings, Siri and Apple Watch routes, why Do Not Disturb keeps turning back on, and how it differs from Silent mode.
How to turn off Do Not Disturb on iPhone (step-by-step)
Do Not Disturb is one of the Focus options on iPhone, so you turn it off from the Focus control. These steps work on every iPhone with Face ID, from iPhone 12 to iPhone 17.
- Wake your iPhone and look at the status bar. The Do Not Disturb icon there, or on the Lock Screen, means it is on.
- Swipe down from the top-right corner of the screen to open Control Center. On iPhone SE, swipe up from the bottom edge instead.
- Tap Focus to show the list of Focus options.
- Tap Do Not Disturb, the Focus that is on, to turn it off.
- Close Control Center by swiping up from the bottom center of the screen, or press the Home button on iPhone SE.
- Check the status bar again. The Do Not Disturb icon is gone once it is off.
Do Not Disturb stays in Control Center after you turn it off, ready for next time. If a different Focus such as Sleep, Work or Driving is the one that is on, tap that Focus instead.
Why is turning off Do Not Disturb confusing on iPhone?
Do Not Disturb is now one Focus among several, and Silent mode quiets your iPhone in a similar way. What you see on screen tells you which one is really active.
| What you see | What is actually on | Where to turn it off |
|---|---|---|
| Do Not Disturb icon in the status bar or on the Lock Screen | The Do Not Disturb Focus | Control Center > Focus > Do Not Disturb |
| Another name in the Focus control, such as Sleep, Work or Driving | A different Focus, which also silences notifications | Control Center > Focus > tap that Focus |
| Silent mode button in the status bar | Silent mode, which is not a Focus | The Silent mode button in Control Center, Settings > Sounds & Haptics, the Action button or the Ring/Silent switch |
| Do Not Disturb comes back at the same time each day | A Focus schedule | Settings > Focus > Do Not Disturb > Set a Schedule |
| Do Not Disturb turns on after you start it on a Mac, iPad or Apple Watch | Shared Focus between your devices | Settings > Focus > Share Across Devices |
| Messages tells people you have notifications silenced | Share Focus Status while a Focus is on | Settings > Focus > Focus Status |
Turning off Silent mode never ends Do Not Disturb, and turning off Do Not Disturb never ends Silent mode. When your iPhone stays quiet, check both.
Alternative ways to turn off Do Not Disturb on iPhone
Control Center is the fastest route, but it is not the only one. For a quick summary of every route, match your situation to a row below, then use the steps in its section.
| Your situation | Use this | Why |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone unlocked and in your hand | Control Center > Focus > Do Not Disturb | Two taps from any screen |
| iPhone locked on a desk or nightstand | Touch and hold the Focus icon on the Lock Screen | Works without unlocking |
| Hands busy or iPhone out of reach | Siri | Voice only, no screen needed |
| Wearing an Apple Watch | Watch Control Center > Focus control | The Focus change carries over to your iPhone |
| You also want to change the Focus itself | Settings > Focus > Do Not Disturb | Schedules, people and apps are on the same screen |
| A Focus you never use keeps switching on | Delete Focus in Settings | Removes that Focus from your iPhone |
How to turn off Do Not Disturb from the iPhone Lock Screen
Use this route when your iPhone is locked. The Focus icon shows on the Lock Screen whenever Do Not Disturb is on.
- Wake your iPhone so the Lock Screen appears.
- Touch and hold the Do Not Disturb icon on the Lock Screen.
- Tap Do Not Disturb in the list that opens to turn it off.
- Or swipe down from the top-right corner of the Lock Screen to open Control Center, tap Focus, then tap Do Not Disturb.
- On iPhone SE, swipe up from the bottom edge of the Lock Screen to reach Control Center.
If Control Center will not open while the iPhone is locked, go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode (or Touch ID & Passcode on iPhone SE) and turn on Control Center below Allow Access When Locked.
How to turn off Do Not Disturb in iPhone Settings
Settings holds the same switch as Control Center. Use it when you also want to change when Do Not Disturb turns on or who can reach you.
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Tap Focus.
- Tap Do Not Disturb.
- Turn Do Not Disturb off.
- Look below Set a Schedule while you are on this screen. Any time, place or app listed there can turn Do Not Disturb back on.
How to turn off Do Not Disturb on iPhone with Siri
Siri can turn any Focus on or off, which helps when your hands are full.
- Activate Siri the way you normally do on your iPhone.
- Say something like "Turn off Do Not Disturb."
- Look at the status bar. The Do Not Disturb icon disappears once Siri has turned it off.
Name the Focus that is actually on. If Sleep is the active Focus, ask Siri to turn off the Sleep Focus instead.
How to turn off Do Not Disturb on Apple Watch
Your Apple Watch uses the same Focus settings as your iPhone, and a Focus you turn on from the watch also turns on your iPhone. The watch is a quick place to end it.
- Press the side button on your Apple Watch to open Control Center.
- Find the Focus control. It shows the active Focus icon while Do Not Disturb is on and turns gray when no Focus is on.
- Tap the Focus control to turn off Do Not Disturb.
- Check the top of the watch face. The Focus icon disappears when no Focus is active.
- Glance at your iPhone status bar to make sure the Do Not Disturb icon has gone there too.
If your watch stays in Sleep Focus after your iPhone has left it, you can fix an Apple Watch stuck in sleep mode on its own.
How to delete a Focus on iPhone
Delete a Focus you never use, such as a Work or custom Focus that keeps switching on. A provided Focus you delete has to be set up again from scratch if you want it back.
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap Focus.
- Tap the Focus you no longer need.
- Scroll to the bottom of the screen and tap Delete Focus.
- To restore a provided Focus later, go to Settings > Focus, tap the add button, and set it up again.
Keep Do Not Disturb itself and turn it off when you are done. It is the Focus Apple uses to silence every notification at once from Control Center.
Why does Do Not Disturb keep turning on by itself?
Do Not Disturb that returns on its own is following a schedule, another Focus or another device. Match what you see to a cause below.
Do Not Disturb turns on at the same time, place or app every day
Do Not Disturb has a schedule, which can use a time, a location or an app as its trigger.
- Go to Settings > Focus > Do Not Disturb.
- Look below Set a Schedule for any time, location or app entry.
- Tap the entry, then turn that schedule off or delete it.
- If Smart Activation is listed, open it and turn it off so Do Not Disturb stops guessing when to start.
Your iPhone goes quiet at bedtime even though you never turned on Do Not Disturb
Sleep Focus follows the sleep schedule in the Health app and silences notifications the same way.
- Open Control Center and tap Focus to see whether Sleep is the Focus that is on.
- Tap Sleep to turn it off for now.
- To change when it starts, go to Settings > Focus > Sleep and tap Open Sleep in Health to edit the sleep schedule.
Notifications go silent every time you drive
The Driving Focus is set to turn on automatically in a moving car, over car Bluetooth or with CarPlay.
- Go to Settings > Focus > Driving.
- Tap While Driving below Turn On Automatically.
- Choose Manually so Driving only starts when you turn it on in Control Center, and turn off Activate With CarPlay if your car uses CarPlay.
Do Not Disturb turns on when you start it on your Mac, iPad or Apple Watch
With Share Across Devices on, turning a Focus on or off on one device does the same on your other devices signed in to the same Apple Account.
- Turn off Do Not Disturb on the device where you started it, and your iPhone follows.
- To keep each device separate, go to Settings > Focus and turn off Share Across Devices.
Is Do Not Disturb the same as Silent mode on iPhone?
No. Silent mode mutes rings, alerts and sound effects, while Do Not Disturb holds back notifications and calls except the ones you allow.
| Feature | Do Not Disturb | Silent mode |
|---|---|---|
| What it silences | Notifications and calls, except allowed people and apps | Rings, alerts and sound effects; iPhone may still vibrate |
| How to turn it off | Control Center > Focus, the Lock Screen icon, Settings or Siri | Control Center, Settings > Sounds & Haptics, the Action button or the Ring/Silent switch |
| Status bar sign | Do Not Disturb icon, also shown on the Lock Screen | Silent mode button, unless Show in Status Bar is off |
| Tells people you are busy | Yes, in Messages, when Share Focus Status is on | No |
| Clock alarms | Still sound | Still sound |
| Runs on a schedule | Yes, by time, location or app | No built-in schedule |
On models with an Action button, press and hold it to switch Silent mode on or off. On models with a Ring/Silent switch, flip it toward the front of the iPhone to turn Silent mode off.
Tips for managing Do Not Disturb on iPhone
You can keep Do Not Disturb and still let the right people and alerts through. Most of these settings live in Settings > Focus > Do Not Disturb.
- Set an end point when you turn it on: in Control Center, tap Focus, tap the options button next to Do Not Disturb, and pick For 1 hour or Until I leave this location.
- Tap People to allow calls and notifications from specific contacts, and turn on repeated calls so a second call from the same person within 3 minutes rings through.
- Tap Apps to allow notifications from chosen apps, and turn on Time Sensitive Notifications so urgent alerts arrive immediately.
- Tap Options to choose whether silenced notifications show on the Lock Screen and whether the Lock Screen darkens while Do Not Disturb is on.
- Link a custom Lock Screen to Do Not Disturb so a glance at your iPhone shows that it is on.
- Go to Settings > Focus > Focus Status and turn off Share Focus Status if you do not want Messages to show that you silenced notifications.
- In Contacts, tap a contact, tap Edit, tap Ringtone or Text Tone, and turn on Emergency Bypass so that person always gets through.
- On an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max or iPhone 16 model or later, turn on Intelligent Breakthrough & Silencing to let important notifications interrupt you.
How to tell if Do Not Disturb is off on iPhone
- Look at the status bar. The Do Not Disturb icon no longer appears.
- Lock your iPhone and check the Lock Screen. No Focus icon shows anywhere on it.
- Open Control Center and tap Focus. Do Not Disturb is no longer selected, and neither is any other Focus.
- Ask someone to text you. The message arrives with its alert, and Messages no longer tells them your notifications are silenced.
- Check for the Silent mode button in the status bar. If it is there, Silent mode is still keeping your iPhone quiet.
Do Not Disturb still not working? Try these fixes
These problems remain after the Do Not Disturb switch itself looks right.
Your iPhone is still silent after you turn off Do Not Disturb
Silent mode is on, or another Focus is still active.
- Look for the Silent mode button in the status bar.
- Turn Silent mode off from Control Center, Settings > Sounds & Haptics, the Action button or the Ring/Silent switch.
- Open Control Center, tap Focus, and tap any Focus that is still on to turn it off.
Calls still ring while Do Not Disturb is on
The caller is on your allowed list, called twice within 3 minutes, or has Emergency Bypass turned on.
- Go to Settings > Focus > Do Not Disturb and tap People.
- Remove the caller from Allow Notifications From, or turn off the call options you do not want.
- Turn off repeated calls if a second call within 3 minutes should stay silent too.
- In Contacts, open the caller, tap Edit, tap Ringtone, and turn off Emergency Bypass.
You cannot turn off Do Not Disturb from the Lock Screen
Control Center access is turned off for a locked iPhone.
- Unlock your iPhone and open Settings.
- Tap Face ID & Passcode, or Touch ID & Passcode on iPhone SE.
- Turn on Control Center below Allow Access When Locked.
There is no Focus control in Control Center
The Focus control was removed while Control Center was being customized.
- Turn off Do Not Disturb from Settings > Focus > Do Not Disturb for now.
- Open Control Center and tap the edit button to start customizing it.
- Tap Add a Control at the bottom of the screen and add the Focus control from the gallery.
- Swipe up from the bottom center of the screen to finish.
When one app's alerts never arrive even with no Focus on, the cause sits outside Do Not Disturb. You can fix missing iPhone push notifications app by app.
Do Not Disturb on iPhone FAQ
How do I turn off Do Not Disturb on iPhone 17?
Swipe down from the top-right corner to open Control Center, tap Focus, then tap Do Not Disturb to turn it off. iPhone 17 models use the same Control Center gesture as every iPhone with Face ID, plus the same Lock Screen and Settings routes.
How do I turn off Do Not Disturb on iPhone 12, 13, 15 or 16?
The steps are the same on all of them. Each has Face ID, so you swipe down from the top-right corner, tap Focus, and tap Do Not Disturb. Only iPhone SE differs: swipe up from the bottom edge to open Control Center.
How do I turn off Do Not Disturb on iPad?
Swipe down from the top-right edge of the iPad screen to open Control Center, tap Focus, then tap Do Not Disturb. You can also touch and hold the Focus icon on the Lock Screen, or go to Settings > Focus > Do Not Disturb.
Does Do Not Disturb silence my alarms?
No. Clock alarms sound even when Do Not Disturb, another Focus or Silent mode is on, and they also play through the speaker when headphones are connected. To silence one, turn off the alarm in the Clock app.
What does the crescent moon icon mean on my iPhone?
The moon is the Do Not Disturb icon. It shows in the status bar and on the Lock Screen while Do Not Disturb is on, and it disappears once you tap Do Not Disturb under Focus in Control Center to turn it off.
Will I still receive calls when Do Not Disturb is on?
Only from callers you allow. In Settings > Focus > Do Not Disturb > People, you can allow specific contacts, groups of callers and repeated calls, meaning a second call from the same person within 3 minutes. Contacts with Emergency Bypass always ring through.
Can I turn off Do Not Disturb without unlocking my iPhone?
Yes. Touch and hold the Do Not Disturb icon on the Lock Screen and tap Do Not Disturb, or open Control Center from the Lock Screen. Control Center works there only when it is allowed under Allow Access When Locked in Face ID & Passcode.
