Baffled iPhone owner spots mystery ‘pills’ icon as Apple fans share feature that helps you ‘reduce distractions’
Users can set a Focus for work, sleep, and more - here's how to take advantage of the productivity tool
AN APPLE fan was left perplexed when a tiny pill icon appeared on his iPhone – but the internet had answers.
In a post to Reddit on July 24, a user begged other netizens for help identifying a peculiar icon.
“Anybody know what this symbol is?” the user wrote, accompanying the plea with a screengrab from his iPhone.
Next to the time widget was an icon depicting two pills.
While some users joked that he had nefarious intent, others instantly recognized the feature.
“It’s the icon you chose for one of your focus modes,” one user wrote. “When it appears next to the clock it means that it is enabled.”
A different user even affirmed the theory.
“I actually have this icon set as my Focus for when I’m at work because I’m a pharmacy tech!” the Redditor exclaimed.
Focus mode is a little-known feature that has flown under the radar since it was introduced with the release of iOS 15.
Apple bills it as a way to “reduce distractions and set boundaries.”
Users who want to concentrate on a specific activity can select one of the provided Focus options or create their own.
The feature has been touted as an extension of Do Not Disturb, allowing users to establish different permissions for apps, contacts, and more.
With the advent of iOS 16, Focus mode has become even easier.
Users can select which apps and people can contact them when a Focus is turned on using the Silence Notifications function.
Moreover, Apple has added options to allow or silence notifications from select people for the first time.
Focus mode is easy to set up. Start by opening the Settings menu and navigating to Focus.
You can select from pre-programmed options like Do Not Disturb, Personal, Sleep, or Work.
After you specify which people and apps to allow notifications from, an Options link appears that allows further customization.
If you want to concentrate on an activity different from any of the provided Focus options, you can create a Custom Focus.
After navigating to the Focus menu, tap the blue plus sign that appears at the top right of the screen.
Enter a name for your Focus and hit Return. Next, choose a color and an icon to represent your Focus.
Once that’s all set, hit Next, followed by Customize Focus, allowing further personalization.
iPhone tricks to try today
Here are some of the best...
- Typing cursor – When typing, hold down the space bar to turn your keyboard into a trackpad, letting you move around words and sentences more easily
- Close all Safari tabs – To do this in one go, simply hold the overlapped squares in the bottom right-hand corner, and press close all tabs
- Delete lots of photos quickly – Hold down on a photo and then drag your finger diagonally in Photos to select lots of images at once, then hit delete
- Convert currency quickly – Swipe down from the top of your Home screen, then tap in the bar and type a currency (like €200) and it will automatically covert to your local currency
- Check if you’re due a battery upgrade – Batteries inside smartphones degrade over time. Just go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health, and check out the Maximum Capacity reading. Generally a battery is considered worn when you’re down to 80% capacity. If you’re below, you can buy a battery swap from Apple
- Move apps around faster – Hold an app until it starts wiggling, then (while still holding) tap other apps, causing them to stack so you can move them around easier