Alex Ruben
How To Enable Do Not Disturb Mode on iOS 26
Turning on Do Not Disturb mode on your iPhone running iOS 26 is pretty straightforward, but kind of weird how sometimes it doesn’t turn on immediately or behaves oddly. If notifications keep popping up when you want silence, don’t worry, there are a couple of ways to fix that. This walkthrough should help save some frustration.
Step 1: Access the Control Center
First, you gotta get into the Control Center. On most newer iPhones, that’s swiping down from the top-right corner of the screen — simple enough, but on some older models or if you’ve customized things, it might be a bit different. Just swipe down from the top-right, and you should see all those quick toggle buttons. If not, maybe check your settings to confirm Control Center is enabled for your device (Settings > Control Center).
Step 2: Locate the Do Not Disturb Button
Look for that crescent moon icon — that’s the classic Do Not Disturb symbol. But on iOS 26, Apple kind of merged it into the Focus mode, so sometimes you’ll see a Focus button instead. If you see the words “Focus,” tap that, and then look for the Do Not Disturb toggle inside.
Sometimes, it’s a tiny moon icon tucked among other Focus options, so if it’s not obvious, just tap through the Focus menu until you get the hang of what’s what.
Step 3: Enable Do Not Disturb Mode
Once you’ve found the right button, tap it — that’s how you activate the DND feature. On some setups, pressing and holding (or long-pressing) might bring up extra options to customize duration or allow calls from certain groups. If you’re like me, sometimes this fails the first time, then somehow works after a reboot. Weird, but worth trying.
Basically, tap the crescent moon icon or the Do Not Disturb toggle directly. Expect to see the icon turn active, and maybe a little banner confirming the mode is on.
Step 4: Confirm Activation
You’ll notice a moon icon in the status bar once it’s enabled. That means silence is on, and notifications won’t interrupt you. But — and here’s something to keep in mind — if you’ve set it up within Settings > Focus > Do Not Disturb, certain calls or messages can still come through, especially from favorites or emergency contacts.
Step 5: Deactivate Do Not Disturb Mode
Turning DND off is just the reverse. Swipe down again from the top-right, find that Moon icon, and tap it. Don’t forget, if you configured scheduled DND in Settings, it could turn off automatically at a set time, but often a quick toggle does the trick.
On some machines, turning it off took a reboot or a toggle multiple times before it stuck — so don’t get discouraged if it’s a little flaky at first.
Extra Tips & Common Issues
So, if DND feels glitchy — notifications still come through or the icon doesn’t turn off — double-check your focus settings. Head to Settings > Focus and then Do Not Disturb. You can customize exactly what gets through, what’s blocked, and schedule times. Sometimes, you’ve got permissions toggled off that are causing issues.
Another thing that happens: on one setup it worked fine, on another, I had to disable and re-enable Focus settings or restart the device for it to fully stick. Because of course, iOS has to make it harder than necessary.
Conclusion
Enabling Do Not Disturb mode on iOS 26 isn’t super complicated, but it can feel a little inconsistent at times. Checking those settings, toggles, and sometimes rebooting helps make it reliable. It’s a decent way to keep distractions down if you’re trying to focus or just not get bombarded with alerts all the time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I customize Do Not Disturb settings?
Yeah, you can tweak a bunch of stuff in Settings > Focus > Do Not Disturb. You can allow calls from certain contacts, enable or disable notifications from specific apps, and even schedule DND to turn on/off automatically.
What happens to notifications when Do Not Disturb is on?
They get silenced, so nothing pops up on the screen. But if you check your Notification Center later, you’ll see what you missed. It’s kind of handy if you don’t want to be interrupted but don’t want to lose track of alerts altogether.
Will I still get emergency or important calls?
If you set up your DND properly, calls from favorites or emergency contacts will still come through, even when DND is active. That’s the point — you get some peace but not all the interruptions blocked, just the ones you choose.
Summary
- Access Control Center by swiping down from top-right
- Tap or hold the moon icon or “Focus” menu to find Do Not Disturb
- Turn it on, and watch the icon show in the top bar
- To turn off, repeat the steps and toggle off
Hopefully this shaves off a few hours for someone, because dealing with flaky tech is always a joy.