With iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia, Apple is bringing a new Reduce Interruptions focus mode that prioritizes notifications to minimize distractions while making sure you don’t miss anything important. This is one of the Apple Intelligence features introduced with iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1 Developer Beta. This extremely useful addition allows you to keep your important notifications in view while blocking all unwanted distractions. Read on to learn what Reduce Interruptions focus mode is, how it works, and how to use it on your iPhone or iPad.

What is Reduce Interruptions Focus Mode in iOS 18?

Reduce Interruptions is a new Focus mode in iOS 18 that uses Apple intelligence to show only the important notifications and filter out everything else. When enabled, you’ll only see notifications that may require immediate attention, like alerts about your dentist appointment or an early daycare pickup.

With Interruption Reduction Focus mode, you get more control over the notifications sent to your devices and the freedom to decide who can interrupt you and when. It’s important to know that this feature is only available on devices compatible with Apple Intelligence, so you can only use it on iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, Apple Silicon iPads, and M-series Macs.

How to use Reduce Interruptions focus mode

You can set up and use Reduce Interruptions like any other Focus mode on your iPhone. Just like existing Focus modes, the new feature also gives you control over which apps you can interrupt, which people you can reach, what wallpaper you use, and what lock screen and home screen you want on your device.

While Apple Intelligence does the prioritization, Reduce Interruptions Focus mode also lets you make exceptions. This lets you create a list of people and apps you want to receive notifications from. Here’s how to use and set up Reduce Interruptions Focus mode on iPhone or iPad:

Note:
Reduce interruptions focus mode is only available in iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1 Developer Beta on Apple Intelligence-enabled devices. Because the feature is in beta, it may have some bugs.

• Open the Settings and navigate to focus Section.
• Tap the “+” symbol from the upper right corner.

• Choose Reduce interruptions and tap Adjust focus.

• You see the “Intelligent breakthrough and mute The switch is enabled by default.
• If you want to adjust an existing focus, tap it and activate the Intelligent breakthrough and mute Option.
• To allow/block notifications from specific people, tap People.

• Then select either Mute notifications from or Allow notifications fromand tap Add people
• We recommend selecting “Allow notifications from” instead of Be silent. This way, you will need to select some names from whom you would like to receive notifications.

• Once you have done this, go back, tap Apps, and repeat the same. If you do not want to miss time-critical notifications from an app, turn off the Time-critical notifications switch.

In the future, Apple Intelligence will work in the background and you will only receive important notifications. For example, if you receive an email saying that your dentist appointment is confirmed for today at 4 p.m., that notification will be moved to priority notifications because it has today’s date and needs your attention. You can also choose not to see notifications from one contact or ten apps on your device.

Additionally, just like other Focus modes, you can schedule Reduce Interruptions to run automatically or turn it on and off in Control Center. That’s not all. You can use Focus filters to optimize the behavior of your apps and device when using a specific Focus.

That’s all about Reduce Interruptions in iOS 18. Undoubtedly, it is a useful feature that helps you focus and reduce unnecessary interruptions without missing important notifications.

Have you reduced interruptions on your iPhone or iPad? What do you think about this feature? Don’t forget to leave your opinion in the comments below.