How To Share Focus Status On Mac & iPad

Because smart phones, tablets, and computers have become such a major part of our everyday lives, it can be difficult to find time to step away from them. Days are filled with text messages, e-mails, phone calls, notifications, and so much more that feel inescapable. You could simply turn off your devices, but if you do that, people may be worried or frustrated that you aren't responding to the messages they are sending you.

With all of their major devices, Apple has come up with a mode that fixes this very issue called Focus. With Focus, you are able to schedule certain times of the day — be it at work, asleep, or just personal time — where you can be free from the burdens of your devices, cutting off all notifications, though you are still able to designate certain people whose notifications would push through. This mode also allows you to let others know that your devices are in Focus mode, so if they were to send you a message, they know you would not respond right away.

Making sure that your Focus status is visible to everyone is, thankfully, a rather simple and intuitive process.

Finding out how to share your Focus status with others can be done in the exact same place where all of your Focus settings will be setup. 

1. Go to your settings app, either on your Dock or through your Applications folder if you have removed it from your Dock.
2. Select the Focus setting. This will be where you are able to make your Focus schedules, as well as manage if you need anyone or any app to get their messages through to you even if Focus mode is active.
3. Select the final setting in the initial Focus section: Focus Status. This is what determines whether or not other people know you are currently in Focus Mode.
4. Toggle the Share Focus Status setting to the On position, indicated by a blue switch.

Focus Status also lets you customize which versions of your Focus schedules are visible to others. For instance, you may want to let others know that Focus is on while you are in Do Not Disturb and Sleep modes but not Driving mode. Once you do this, your Focus Status will be visible.

Setting up sharing your Focus status on the iPad works almost identically to how it works  on the iPhone and on the Mac.

1. Open your settings app. Although the settings menu on iPad looks slightly different from the Mac, but it's basically the same setup.
2. Select the Focus tab, which will be sandwiched between Sounds & Haptics and Screen Time. Once you click on that, you can make all of your Focus preferences.
3. Select the Focus Status selection at the bottom of the page.
4. Toggle on the Share Focus Status switch, where it will be a green switch instead of a blue one like the Mac.

You will also notice in the main Focus section that just about the Focus Status selection is a setting that allows you to share your Focus settings across all of your devices connected to your Apple ID. Theoretically, if you turn on your Share Focus Status on one device, it should appear on all of the others. However, it is always good to double check and make sure it did, because technology is not always foolproof.