How to use the new Focus Filters on your iPad with iPadOS 16

Focus is a feature in iPadOS that helps you concentrate on a task by minimizing distractions. With version 16, you can set up Focus Filters.

To set up a Focus:

° Go to Settings > Focus, then tap a Focus—for example, Personal, Sleep, or Work. For the Focus you select, you can set up the options described in the steps below, but you don’t have to set up all of them.

° Specify which apps and people can send you notifications during your Focus.

° Tap Options, then do any of the following: 

1. Show silenced notifications on the Lock Screen or send them to Notification Center: Turn Show On Lock Screen on or off.
2. Darken the Lock Screen during this Focus: Turn on Dim Lock Screen.
3. Hide notification badges on Home Screen apps: Turn on Hide Notification Badges.

° When you’re finished selecting options, tap the backward-pointing arrow button at the top of the screen.

° To choose a Home Screen page to use with this Focus, tap the miniature Home Screen below Customize Screens, select the screen, tap Done, then tap the backwards-pointing arrow button.

° To share your Focus across your devices, turn on Share Across Devices (you must be signed in with the same Apple ID on all your devices).

After setting up your Focus, you can return to Settings > Focus at any time and change any of the options you chose above.

When you set up a Sleep Focus, it follows the Sleep schedule you set on iPhone. To add or edit your sleep schedule, open the Health app on iPhone, tap Browse, then tap Sleep.

How to add Focus Filters:

When you set up a Focus, you can add app filters that determine what information apps will show during the Focus. For example, you can choose which mail account or which calendar to use during the Focus.

° Go to Settings > Focus, then tap the Focus you want to add filters to.

° Tap Add Filter (below Focus Filters).

° Tap an app, tap Choose, then select the information from that app you want to see during the Focus: 

1. Calendar: Choose which calendar you want to show during the Focus.
2. Mail: Choose which mail accounts you want to use during the Focus.
3. Messages: Choose which message conversations you want to see during the Focus—for example, only conversations from people you’ve allowed notifications from during this Focus.
4. Safari: Choose which Tab Group you want to use during the Focus.
5. Tap Add to add the filter to the Focus.

(This how-to is based on my experiences and info on Apple’s support pages — where the images sometimes come from.)