How to Turn On Do Not Disturb at Bedtime So Your iPhone Doesn't Wake You

Remember when the family telephone sat on a little table in the hallway, and after 9 o'clock nobody would dream of calling? Those days had a built-in politeness to them. But your iPhone doesn't know it's bedtime — it will happily buzz at 2 in the morning because a store you bought something from six months ago is having a sale.

The good news is your phone has a quiet setting called Do Not Disturb. Flip it on before bed, and your phone stays silent until morning. Here's how to turn it on tonight.

The Quick Way — For Tonight

The fastest way to switch on Do Not Disturb is through something called the Control Center. Think of it as the little dashboard of buttons hiding just off the edge of your screen.

1. Put your finger at the very top-right corner of your screen, above the battery symbol.
2. Slide your finger downward, onto the screen.
3. You'll see a panel of buttons appear.
4. Look for a small crescent moon icon — it looks like the moon on a clear night.
5. Tap it once. It should turn purple.

That's it. Your phone is now on Do Not Disturb. Calls and texts will come in silently — they'll be waiting for you in the morning, but nothing will ring, buzz, or light up your bedroom.

To turn it off, do the same thing and tap the moon again. The purple color will disappear.

(A note: on older iPhones, you swipe up from the bottom of the screen instead of down from the top-right. If sliding down doesn't work, try sliding up.)

Setting It to Turn On Every Night by Itself

If you'd rather not remember to do this every evening, your phone can do it for you — like a thermostat that knows when to turn the heat down at night.

1. Open the Settings app (the gray icon with gears on it).
2. Scroll down and tap Focus.
3. Tap Do Not Disturb.
4. Tap Add Schedule.
5. Choose the times — for example, 10:00 PM to 7:00 AM.
6. Tap Done.

From now on, your phone will hush itself at 10 every night and wake back up at 7. You don't have to lift a finger.

What About Emergencies?

This is the question everyone asks, and it's a fair one. What if one of the children really does need to reach you in the middle of the night?

Apple thought of that. If the same person calls you twice within three minutes, the second call will ring through. That way a true emergency gets past the quiet setting, but a random late-night sales call doesn't.

You can also mark certain people — a spouse, a son or daughter — as always allowed to reach you. In the same Do Not Disturb settings screen, tap People, then Allow Notifications From, and add whoever you'd like. Their calls will always come through.

Try It Tonight

Before you turn out the light this evening, swipe down from the top-right of your screen and tap the moon. Just once, as an experiment. Sleep through the night without a single buzz, and see how you feel in the morning. If you like it, spend two minutes tomorrow setting up the automatic schedule — and you'll never think about it again.

Need a hand with your technology? We're here to help. Give PorchSwing a call or book an appointment, and we'll walk you through it at your own pace — no rush, no jargon.