Do Not Disturb silences calls, texts and notifications on your iPhone. Since iOS 15 it’s part of Focus, so if your iPhone keeps going quiet, the cause could be Do Not Disturb or another Focus such as Sleep, Work or Driving, possibly turned on by a schedule. This guide shows how to turn Do Not Disturb off quickly, stop it from turning back on, and fix it on older iOS versions, including the iPhone 7.
Quick Answer
Swipe down from the top-right corner to open Control Center (swipe up from the bottom on iPhones with a Home button) and tap Focus or the moon icon so it’s no longer highlighted. You can also go to Settings > Focus > Do Not Disturb and turn it off.
Method 1: Control Center
- Open Control Center.
- If the Focus button shows Do Not Disturb (moon icon, highlighted), tap it.
- Tap Do Not Disturb in the list to turn it off.
If a different Focus is active (Sleep, Work, Personal), tap that one instead.
Method 2: Lock Screen
When a Focus is on, its icon appears on the Lock Screen. Touch and hold the icon, then tap it to turn the Focus off.
Method 3: Settings
- Open Settings > Focus.
- Tap Do Not Disturb (or the Focus that’s on).
- Turn off the toggle at the top, if shown, or turn it off from Control Center.
Method 4: Ask Siri
Say “Turn off Do Not Disturb” or “Turn off Focus.”
Stop Do Not Disturb From Turning On Automatically
- Go to Settings > Focus > Do Not Disturb (and check Sleep, too).
- Under Set a Schedule, tap each schedule and turn it off, or tap Delete Schedule.
- Check for Smart Activation and turn it off.
- Go back to Settings > Focus and turn off Share Across Devices if a Focus on your Mac, iPad or Apple Watch keeps turning it on.
- For Sleep Focus, open the Health app > Browse > Sleep and adjust or turn off your sleep schedule.
- For Driving Focus, open Settings > Focus > Driving and change While Driving to Manually.
Also check the Shortcuts app > Automation tab for automations that turn on a Focus.
Older iOS (iOS 14 and Earlier)
- Open Settings > Do Not Disturb.
- Turn off Do Not Disturb and Scheduled.
- Check Do Not Disturb While Driving and set Activate to Manually.
Still Not Getting Calls or Alerts?
- Silent Mode: check the Ring/Silent switch or Action button. On iPhone 15 Pro and later, the Action button may be set to Silent mode.
- Silence Unknown Callers: Settings > Apps > Phone (or Settings > Phone). Calls from numbers not in your contacts go straight to voicemail when this is on.
- Notification settings: Settings > Notifications > the app, and make sure Allow Notifications is on.
- Muted conversations: a crossed-out bell next to a Messages thread means Hide Alerts is on.
- Scheduled Summary: in Settings > Notifications, notifications may be held for a summary.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if Do Not Disturb is on?
A moon icon appears in the status bar and on the Lock Screen.
Why did Do Not Disturb turn on by itself?
Usually a schedule, a Sleep schedule, Driving detection, Smart Activation, or a Focus shared from another Apple device.
Can I let some people through instead?
Yes. In Settings > Focus > Do Not Disturb > People, allow notifications from specific contacts, and turn on Allow Repeated Calls.
Summary
- Open Control Center and tap the active Focus to turn it off.
- Delete or disable Focus schedules.
- Turn off Share Across Devices if it keeps coming back.
- Check Silent mode and notification settings if alerts are still quiet.
Kermit Matthews is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with more than a decade of experience writing technology guides. He has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Computer Science and has spent much of his professional career in IT management.
He specializes in writing content about iPhones, Android devices, Microsoft Office, and many other popular applications and devices.