Focus Modes Not Working

[Apple_Robert]

Make sense I suppose. Thanks for that. It’s pretty vague in the settings.

I had the same initial problem with Focus modes. Removing the phone and messages app solved the problem for me.

 

[NoBoMac]

So we’re conceding that Focus doesn’t work as advertised or do what it claims to? Another botched software feature by Apple. What else is new.

I don't know if I would go that far. I always saw Focus as Do Not Disturb 2.0: same basic function but with more flexibility on what can get through. DnD 1.0 was pretty much all or nothing blocking. Example, someone texts you in DnD, went into a black hole until replied.

Could it be better? Yes. The auto-reply feature that's only in the Driving Focus (and was only in Driving DnD pre-15) probably should be an option in other Focuses vs current Focus Status option.

Personally, Focus is just fine for me, as if I'm turning on a Focus, I only want to be interrupted if emergency and only immediate family, closest friends. So not letting anyone know my Focus status in all but one Focus. Life happens (meetings, doctor's appointment, me/family time, etc) and if someone is getting bent out of shape that their email/text was not immediately replied, I'm not going to stress about it.

 

[Itinj24]

I don't know if I would go that far. I always saw Focus as Do Not Disturb 2.0: same basic function but with more flexibility on what can get through. DnD 1.0 was pretty much all or nothing blocking. Example, someone texts you in DnD, went into a black hole until replied.

Could it be better? Yes. The auto-reply feature that's only in the Driving Focus (and was only in Driving DnD pre-15) probably should be an option in other Focuses vs current Focus Status option.

Personally, Focus is just fine for me, as if I'm turning on a Focus, I only want to be interrupted if emergency and only immediate family, closest friends. So not letting anyone know my Focus status in all but one Focus. Life happens (meetings, doctor's appointment, me/family time, etc) and if someone is getting bent out of shape that their email/text was not immediately replied, I'm not going to stress about it.

I gotta play around with it some more. Poor in app explanation and some new findings by members in this thread. Would be great if Apple just explained what takes precedence, allowed/blocked contacts vs allowed/blocked apps and also how time sensitive notifications affect this. I feel like a lot of it was left for the end user to figure out.

The way I understood it, you need messages to be enabled, at least, to allow the allowed contacts to get through and block contacts from there. Apparently, that’s not the case. I was reluctant to blocking messages so I don’t miss those I needed to get.

With the many bugs introduced in iOS 15, I don’t feel I was overreacting in assuming that Focus just wasn’t working properly lol. Maybe it does work but not the way I figured it to and that was my motive for creating this thread.

 

[Illusion500]

I do have a problem with Focus. I use the workout focus, and I have time sensitive notifications turned off for that Focus. Find my is set as time sensitive notifications. When I ride my bike, I get a notification that my wallet was left behind, even though I am in the workout Focus and that app is not allowed through the allowed apps and the time sensitve punch through switch is off.