Do Not Disturb vs. Silent Mode on iPhone: Here’s the Difference

There are many reasons why you might want to temporarily turn off notifications on your iPhone, such as if you’re in an important meeting or just need a screen time break. There are two easy ways to do this on iOS: Silent Mode and Do Not Disturb.

Here’s the difference between each setting and when it’s better to choose one over another.

Silent mode

The ideal method for putting your phone on silent is usually the switch located above the volume buttons on the left side of your device.

Depending on your iPhone model, you can either hold down the button Action button (on iPhone 15 or later) or turn on the toggle (iPhone 14 or later) to turn off pings or incoming phone calls. If you have a phone with Dynamic IslandYou will see a text at the top of your phone indicating that you have activated silent mode. Otherwise, a confirmation pop-up will appear on your screen.

If you have an action button, hold it down until you feel haptic feedback. (You can also customize the Action button for other commands, like launching your camera or recording audio.)

Although the ring/silent switch turns off all alerts and notifications (as well as sound effects and in-game audio), your iPhone may still vibrate when you receive a call. And your screen will light up when a phone call or text message arrives. You can stop your iPhone from buzzing when it’s in silent mode by going to Settings > Accessibility > Touchthen press the button next to Vibration to turn it off. (Note that this also turns off vibration during earthquakes, tsunamis, and other emergency alerts.) But you can’t stop the screen from turning on, which brings us to our next section.

Do not disturb

When Do Not Disturb is enabled, your iPhone will remain silent and with its screen off, although there are some exceptions and customizations you should be aware of.

But first, let’s go over the two ways to enable Do Not Disturb. The easiest way is to extract the number from your phone Control center – swipe up from the top right corner of the screen if you have an iPhone X or newer, or up from the bottom edge of the screen on an iPhone SE and iPhone 8 or earlier. Then press the crescent moon button to activate Focus mode. You can also go to Settings > Focus > Do Not Disturb.

The great thing about Focus modes is that you can customize them for different goals and times of day. Want to block TikTok and Instagram notifications while you’re at work to avoid distractions? You can configure this in Work Focus mode to only receive critical notifications from work-related apps. Want to make sure you only receive calls from family members when your Personal Focus mode is enabled? You can also personalize it. Sleep focus mode is great for automatically turning off all notifications to prepare for bedtime so you’re not tempted to stare at your screen.

In Do Not Disturb settings, you can also click People to customize who you allow calls from: Everyone, Allowed People Only (which you select), Favorites, or Contacts Only. You can also tap the button next to Allow repeat calls. This will ring your device if the same person calls back within 3 minutes, so you don’t miss any potential emergencies.

When to Choose Silent Mode or Do Not Disturb Mode

The main distinguishing factor between silent mode and Do Not Disturb is how quiet you want your phone to be. If you want to turn off notifications, calls, and texts but still see them coming, turning on silent mode is probably your best bet. But if you want to completely block all pings and prevent your phone screen from turning on for a while, then you will need to opt for Do Not Disturb.

If you usually keep your iPhone outside – in your hand, on your lap, on a table or desk – then Do Not Disturb is the best option so that your screen suddenly turning on doesn’t distract other moviegoers, your classmates (or more precisely, your teacher or teacher), or those around you at a church service, for example. It’s also a great way to avoid the temptation to pick up your phone every time a notification arrives.