Why this may be the best feature coming to iPhones in September – Times of India

Come September and there will be a wave of excitement as Apple’s shiny new iPhones are expected to arrive. The anticipation isn’t restricted to those who want to buy new iPhones but also those who have old iPhones because in tow will be iOS 15. Apple’s latest software update which will bring new features to older iPhones. Now, we have been using iOS 15 public beta for a while now and there is a plethora of new features. However, there is one standout feature of iOS 15 and in our opinion, the best — if not one of the best — one is Focus mode. Here we will tell you all about iOS 15’s best feature in detail.

What is Focus mode?

On the face of it, Focus mode is a take on the do not disturb feature. But Apple has really flipped the template of the feature and made it really different. What Focus mode does is that it allows iPhone users to set filters to notifications, calls, and even messages. Users can get alerts exactly how and when you need at particular times. There’s an auto-reply feature as well which can automatically send messages when you don’t want to use the iPhone. Apple CEO Tim Cook recently said that, “we don’t want people using their phones all the time. This has never been an objective for us.” Focus mode ensures that people don’t use their iPhones all the time.

Apple has given a few presets which can set up Focus mode that makes you look less at your iPhone. However there are a lot of other features it offers and we list out a few of them:

Customised home screens

Once Focus mode is on, there’s an option to customise the home screen as well. Users can only see what’s important to them and not get distracted by other apps in way or form. You can set a custom home screen for personal use — messaging apps, or streaming apps will be visible. If you want a custom home screen for work, then you can tweak the screen to show email app or video call app.

You can set timers

You can silence all notifications for a certain time of the day by activating Focus mode at that particular time. The feature comes in handy if you want to avoid looking at your phone, say after dinner time or an afternoon nap.

More than just Do Not Disturb

Inside the Focus mode you will find Do Not Disturb. Activating this feature will allow only certain contacts or apps whose notifications you can use. With this you can also choose to dim the lock screen and hide all notifications if you want.

Focus mode works on all Apple devices

One of the coolest aspects of being in the Apple ecosystem is the seamless synchronisation between Apple devices. That works with Focus mode as well as it can be applied to all Apple devices at the same time. Like if you turn on the Focus mode on your iPhone it can automatically turn on the iPad, Apple Watch and the MacBook.

The auto-reply feature

If you have the Focus mode activated and you receive a message, then there’s the auto-reply feature. You can toggle it on so that your contact gets an automatic message stating that notifications on your phone have been silenced and that you are busy.

How to set up Focus mode?

For starters, you will need iOS 15. You can download the public beta version but let’s warn you that you might face some bugs as it’s still not the real deal and Apple is still testing it. If you have iOS 15, then here are the steps you will have to follow:

Do note that there are far too many customisation options available, we have chosen to show just one of them.