iOS 18.1 and macOS 15.1 have introduced a new Focus mode called Reduce Interruptions, which lets you use Apple Intelligence to reduce distractions without turning off notifications completely. This has been a lifesaver for my workflow, as it allows me to focus on writing while still showing me any urgent updates I might need immediately. If you have a Apple Intelligence compatible device, like an iPhone 15 Pro or higher, here’s how to configure this focus mode to your liking.

How to Enable Focus Mode Reduce Interruptions

On your iPhone, go to Settings > Focus > Reduce Interruptions to start. Scroll down to set up a schedule or trigger for this focus mode. I prefer to turn it on automatically during my weekday work hours, but you can configure it however you want. (You can also enable it manually from the Focus Mode control in Control Center.)

If you are on your Mac, you will find this menu under System Settings > Focus > Reduce Interruptions.

Customize Reduce Interruptions to your liking

Credit: Pranay Parab

Reduce interruptions automatically activates Apple Intelligence Intelligent breakthrough and silencing feature (I don’t even have the option to turn it off here), which is what Apple’s AI uses to decide which notifications are important and which aren’t. It’s a clever way to receive fewer pings, but as with all things AI, success is not guaranteed.

That’s why you can also take a few minutes to manually configure this focus mode, to help the AI ​​a little. Go to Settings > Focus > Reduce Interruptions and select Possibilities. You can now control what notifications you’ll see when this Focus mode is enabled, which will override AI. I enabled everything on this page and set it to turn off notifications when my iPhone is locked. This way all notification badges are hidden, alerts are sent to the lock screen and the lock screen is also grayed out. You can also go back a page and choose how your home screen and lock screen look when Reduce Interruptions is enabled.

Once that’s done, we’re at the final step: deciding which apps and people are allowed to send alerts. Use it to ensure you always see messages from a certain app or person when this mode is active. Select People to configure which of your contacts can contact you when Reduce Interruptions is enabled. Then go to Applications and select the apps you want to allow notifications from when you’re in this focus mode. To make things simple, I set it to let urgent notifications through, but nothing else. My iPhone does a pretty good job of deciding which notifications are urgent, and that’s good enough for me. That’s all the setup you need. You may need to change a few options in this focus mode from time to time, but this should be enough to get you started.

It’s worth noting that other focus modes now also have the Intelligent Breakthrough & Silencing toggle, but you’ll need to enable it to use it with them. It should not be activated automatically like with Reduce Interruptions mode. Limiting it to Reduce Interruptions is a good way to be able to turn AI notification filtering on and off on the fly.