The Importance of Setting Focus Mode on Samsung Phones and How to Use It

It’s no secret that smartphones are the biggest distraction in our modern era. Whether you’re studying for tomorrow’s exam, completing a task, or even practicing yoga, one notification, call, or even deciding to browse Facebook for a few minutes can interrupt you. Afterward, you find yourself having wasted a few hours of your time, forgetting your essential tasks. Fortunately, Samsung phones always surprise us with tricks, solutions, and features that are often hidden from us, unfortunately. Samsung has added a solution with “Focus Mode” to avoid distracting you as much as possible during work or study times. This is part of the Google Digital Wellbeing tools added to Android 10. Let’s explain how it works and how to activate it below.

Focus Mode is just a more advanced version of the “Do not disturb” mode. It is more powerful, customizable, and useful compared to the typical Do Not Disturb mode we are used to. It stops notifications from specific apps and also blocks those apps so you cannot use them while the mode is active, but it does not completely shut down the device. This way, you cannot accidentally open an app that distracts you while you are busy with work. However, you won’t lose your notifications, as they will be restored once you turn off the Focus Mode, along with any notifications that came in during its activation.

If you are eager to learn how to effectively use Focus Mode on a Samsung device to increase your daily focus and productivity, discover more in this article.

As mentioned, Focus Mode is part of Digital Wellbeing. It is integrated in the settings menu, under the Digital Wellbeing option. Samsung also provides a quick toggle to turn on/off the mode from the notification center. Simply swipe down the notification panel and look for the Focus Mode button. If it’s not there, click on the edit icon and add Focus Mode to the notification bar.

You can also access its settings by long-pressing on the Focus Mode button, which takes you directly to the Digital Wellbeing menu to set the appropriate Focus Time for you. Scroll down, and you will notice Focus Mode with two built-in modes like “Work Time” and “My Time.” We will explain all of this in detail in the following paragraphs.

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As you might guess, you can activate Focus Mode either by using the default names like “Work Time” or “My Time” or by clicking the (+) icon and creating a custom one. Follow these steps to set up and use Focus Mode on Samsung devices. First, click on the “Focus Mode” button for a long time, or open settings and go to the “Digital Wellbeing” menu > Scroll down to Focus Mode and click on “Work Time,” for example. You can also create a new mode like Study Time, Morning Routine, etc. by clicking on the (+) sign > Work Time comes with six default apps that you can use during Focus Mode.

If you wish to switch them, click the Edit button at the bottom > Choose the apps you want access to during Focus Mode and leave out other distracting apps from the list > click “Done” at the bottom, and set the duration of Focus Mode (until turned off – one hour – 30 minutes, etc.), and you will be ready to start the focus phase. Similarly, you can create multiple modes and customize each one from the app list, as the apps that distract you during study times may differ from the ones during work times!

Now that you have created different focus modes from the list, it’s time to set them in motion. Click on the mode you want to start from and select Start at the bottom. Now go back to the home screen, and you will see only the selected apps activated on the main screen and the app drawer.

After completing your tasks, you need to go to settings > Digital Wellbeing > Focus Mode > Select the active Focus Mode and click on “End Focus Mode” at the bottom. You will see a summary of the current Focus Mode with Start Time, the total minutes focused, and the notifications you may have received during Focus Mode.

If you want to access a specific app during Focus Mode, you don’t necessarily need to end Focus Mode to use the hidden app. As usual, Samsung provides an elegant solution for such situations. Navigate to Focus Mode from the settings menu, and you will see the number of apps available for use during Focus Mode > Click on it and add more apps to the list. Focus without any distractions.

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You can delete the Focus Mode you created at any time from the menu. Open settings > Go to Digital Wellbeing > Scroll down to access Focus Mode > Select the mode you want to delete > Click on the three-dot menu in the top corner and select Delete Mode.

Focus Mode is a welcome addition in addition to the powerful Digital Wellbeing feature to reduce app usage on your smartphone. We advise you not to forget while exploring Focus Mode on a Samsung device to check out the Digital Wellbeing options for setting screen time, app usage, device unlock statistics, and much more. It’s indeed an effective concentration journey to enjoy a distraction-free environment!