Option 1: Do Not Disturb (Silence Everything)

  1. 1

    Open Control Centre and tap Focus

    Swipe down from the top-right corner of the screen (iPhone X and later) or swipe up from the bottom (older iPhones). Tap the crescent moon icon or the Focus icon. Select Do Not Disturb. All notifications are silenced — alerts and sounds will not appear while this is active.

  2. 2

    Set a schedule for automatic Do Not Disturb

    Settings → Focus → Do Not Disturb → Add Schedule. Set a time range (e.g. 10pm–7am) for automatic activation. You can also schedule it to turn on at your location or when you open a specific app.

Option 2: Turn Off Notifications for Specific Apps

  1. 3

    Settings → Notifications → select an app

    Open Settings and scroll to Notifications. Tap any app to manage its notification behaviour. Toggle Allow Notifications off to silence it completely. Or keep notifications on but toggle off Sounds (silent delivery), Badges (no number badge on app icon), or adjust the delivery style.

Option 3: Focus Modes (Situational Silencing)

Focus modes (Settings → Focus) let you create custom silencing profiles for different contexts. Work mode: allow notifications from work contacts and work apps only. Sleep mode: silence everything, allow only alarms. Personal mode: silence work emails. Each Focus can have allowed contacts, allowed apps and a custom schedule. When a Focus is active, other people who message you see “[Name] has notifications silenced.”

Option 4: Mute Individual Conversations

In Messages: swipe left on a conversation → tap the bell with a slash (Hide Alerts). That conversation is silenced without affecting any other notifications. Works for individual contacts or group chats.

Summary by use caseAll notifications off temporarily: Do Not Disturb. Specific app always silent: Settings → Notifications → app → Allow Notifications off. Silence during certain hours automatically: Focus schedule. One person or group chat: Hide Alerts on the conversation.

Frequently Asked Questions

By default, Do Not Disturb on iPhone allows calls from your Favourites list through. You can also enable Emergency Bypass for specific contacts (in their contact card → Edit → Ringtone → Emergency Bypass on). Calls that ring twice in 3 minutes are also let through by the repeated calls setting. Alarms are never silenced by Do Not Disturb.
Settings → Notifications → select the app → change Banner Style from Temporary or Persistent to Off. The app can still deliver sound and badge alerts, but no visual banner appears across the top of your screen. Useful for apps where you want the badge count but not the interruption.