What the Half-Moon Icons Mean on Your iPhone

March 2024 ยท 3 minute read

With iPhones, there seems to be an endless onslaught of notifications. Between texts, calls, emails, calendar reminders, and interactions on your social media posts, the constant pings and buzzes can get out of hand and be detrimental to productivity at work or even enjoying a nice meal without distractions. 

Signified by a half-moon icon, Do Not Disturb blocks calls, texts, and other notifications. To turn on your Do Not Disturb Mode, you'll need to locate Focus Mode in your settings. 

With Focus Mode, you can customize your settings and choose when you want to receive alerts, notifications, messages, calls while letting other people and apps know when you're busy.

Here's everything you need to know:

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What the moon means on your iPhone and how to turn it off

The half-moon icon is associated with Focus, an iPhone feature that blocks iPhone notifications. It's an amped-up version of Do Not Disturb, with added features like sending automated replies when people text you while you're driving and letting contacts know when you have Focus turned on.

What is Do Not Disturb?

Do Not Disturb is an iPhone feature that mutes incoming notifications from apps, texts, and phone calls. If you find yourself distracted or annoyed by the nonstop pinging or buzzing from your phone, you can turn on Do Not Disturb and check notifications when it's convenient for you. 

Do Not Disturb is a particularly helpful tool to minimize distractions or disruptions while working, driving, or sleeping.

With Focus, there are more options when it comes to Do Not Disturb settings. Now, you can allow notifications from specific people or apps, set a schedule for Do Not Disturb to turn on (at a specific time, location, or when using an app), and even customize what home screens are visible when Do Not Disturb is on.

To set up Focus on your iPhone, select Focus in Settings, tap the plus sign in the top-right corner, choose something to focus on (or Custom), then select which contacts you want to allow calls and texts from. To minimize distractions, select Allow None.

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How to turn off Do Not Disturb on your iPhone

You can turn off Do Not Disturb from your Home Screen or Settings. 

From your Home Screen:

1. Swipe down from the top-right of your screen.

2. Tap the moon icon. 

When the moon is gray, Do Not Disturb is off. Abigail Abesamis Demarest

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From Settings:

1. Open the Settings app. Tap Focus.

Here, you can customize Focus settings for different activities and times of day. Abigail Abesamis Demarest

2. Tap Do Not Disturb.

3. Tap the slider next to Do Not Disturb. 

When the slider is gray, Do Not Disturb is off. Abigail Abesamis Demarest

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How to turn on Do Not Disturb on your iPhone

You can also turn it back on at any time. 

From your Home Screen:

1. Swipe down from the top-right of your screen.

2. Tap Focus, then Do Not Disturb. 

When the moon is purple, Do Not Disturb is on. Abigail Abesamis Demarest

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From Settings:

1. Open the Settings app. Tap Focus.

2. Tap Do Not Disturb.

Do Not Disturb is one of several features available in Focus. Abigail Abesamis Demarest

3. Tap the slider next to Do Not Disturb. 

The slider is green when Do Not Disturb is on. Abigail Abesamis Demarest

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