Author Archives: Dayson Pais

Get into “Focus mode” at work with help from Android

Holding your focus and attention at work can sometimes be a challenge, but Android offers helpful tools so that you can reduce distractions and get work done on your own terms. Whether it’s news alerts, social media, or other apps you find distracting, Focus mode lets you pause apps that could keep you from tackling those important tasks. The work profile also clearly labels work apps in a separate tab, so you can quickly access the important ones you need to get your job done.

Get in the zone with Focus mode

Use Focus mode to pause apps in your personal profile that you find distracting.

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Pause selected apps with Focus mode.

Once you turn on Focus mode, the apps you chose will be grayed out on your screen and their notifications will be hidden. Also, any notifications from those apps are put on hold until Focus mode is turned off.

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With one tap, turn on Focus mode and quiet any potential distractions.

To suit your work hours, you can create a daily schedule with Focus mode so it launches automatically during the time period you specify. If you’re on a lunch break or need to check any of the paused apps, you can take a break from Focus mode to use those apps for a short period.  When the break’s over, Focus mode resumes automatically so those apps won’t bother you.

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Take a break for a while, then Focus mode will turn back on.

Work profile organizes the apps you need

On personally enabled devices, the work profile helps you quickly get to the apps you need. When it’s time to step away from work, you can pause the work profile—work apps will be unavailable and won’t send you any notifications until they’re back on.

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Pause work profile to snooze notifications and apps.

Focus mode and work profile are among the many ways that Android works the way you want. Learn more about what Android can do for you at work.

Minimize distractions and get things done with Android’s Focus mode

It’s that time of the year again—the home stretch before the holidays. It’s when we rally to make end-of-year deadlines or put our heads down to study for final exams. It also happens to be when we plan holiday travels, shop for gifts and coordinate festivities with family and friends, all while trying to balance our daily activities. It can feel like there aren't enough hours in a day to get everything done. And because so much of this planning happens on our smartphones, it's easy to be distracted by notifications and your favorite apps.

Focus mode is a new Digital Wellbeing tool on Android, now out of beta, that helps you get things done by temporarily pausing apps so you can focus on the task at hand. You can select apps you currently find distracting (like social media or games) and if you try to open them, Focus mode will remind you that app is paused. Focus mode will also silence those apps’ notifications until you’re ready to switch out of the mode. This means you can use your phone without interruptions from apps you don't need right away.


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Caption: Pause the apps you find distracting and get in the zone

Over the past few months, our beta testers shared with us how they use Focus mode and how it can be more helpful. Their feedback inspired us to include a few new features with today’s launch. For example, we’ve added an option to automatically turn Focus mode on and off for the days and times that you choose (e.g. from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays). This is especially handy for setting daily schedules; you can minimize distractions during the hours you’re at work, school or home. We also added an option to take a break, which lets you step out of Focus mode to use certain apps and jump back in when you’re ready. And if you’ve completed your tasks early, you can simply turn off Focus mode and it’ll resume as scheduled the next day.

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Caption: You can take a short break from Focus mode

Focus mode is available on all devices that currently have Digital Wellbeing and parental controls settings, including new phones launching with Android 9 and Android 10. 


We hope that Focus mode and our Digital Wellbeing tools help you stay productive, unplug when you need to, and be in control of how and when you use your Android phone—especially during this hectic time of the year. Learn more about our tools at android.com/digital-wellbeing.