Disable Focus Sharing Across iPhone and Mac

 

Prevent Your iPhone’s Focus Mode From Affecting Other Devices

First, we’ll handle turning off “Share Across Devices” on your iPhone so that it won’t broadcast its Focus setting to other Apple devices linked to your Apple account. When this is disabled, know that other devices such as an Apple Watch or iPad also won’t synchronize Focus modes with your iPhone.

To get started, open the Settings app by tapping the “Settings” gear icon on your home screen.

In Settings, select “Focus.”

In Focus settings, switch “Share Across Devices” to off.

When asked to confirm, tap “OK.”

After that, close Settings. The next time you set a Focus mode, the status will stay on your iPhone and won’t affect any other linked Apple devices.

Prevent Your Mac from Receiving Focus Events From Other Devices

As discussed above, you can also prevent your Mac (running macOS 12 Monterey or later) from receiving Focus mode changes from other devices linked to your Apple account. By doing this, you will also prevent your Mac’s Focus mode status from affecting your other Apple devices.

First, open System Preferences by clicking the Apple icon in the upper-left corner of the screen and selecting “System Preferences.”

When System Preferences opens, select “Notifications & Focus.”

In Notifications & Focus settings, uncheck “Share Across Devices,” which is located in the bottom-left corner of the window.

When asked to confirm turning off Share Across Devices, click “OK.”

After that, close System Preferences. The next time you set a Focus mode on your Mac, it will stay on your Mac and won’t affect your other Apple devices. Similarly, your Mac won’t receive any Focus change events from other Apple devices either. Happy focusing!