Distractions can really knock your day off track, especially when you’re at work. That’s why Android devices — like smartphones, tablets and Chromebooks — come with a ‘Do Not Disturb’ mode. But what does “Do Not Disturb” mean? Well, this handy feature lets you mute all (or just some) of your notifications for a certain amount of time. Helping you stay focused on the important stuff.
With DND for Android gadgets, you can silence sounds, stop vibrations, and block any pop-ups. Plus, there are loads of ways to customise your Do Not Disturb settings too. Letting you pick what you want to block out or allow in. Let’s get into it…
How to turn Do Not Disturb on/off on Android phones and tablets
It’s easy to turn off Do Not Disturb or switch it on with your Android phone or tablet. But bear in mind that if you’re using an older version of Android, it might not have a Do Not Disturb mode. If you want to check, just search "Do Not Disturb" in your device’s Settings app.
How to turn Do Not Disturb on/off from your Android’s home screen:
Here’s how to switch Do Not Disturb on or off in a flash on your phone or tablet:
Swipe down from the top of your screen to open up the Notification Centre.
Quickly tap on ‘Do Not Disturb’ to toggle it on or off.
Or, press and hold this button to see and tweak all your Do Not Disturb settings (more on that in a bit though).
How to turn Do Not Disturb on/off from the Android Settings app:
To access Do Not Disturb from your gadget’s Settings app, follow these steps instead:
Open the ‘Settings’ app on your Android phone or tablet.
Scroll down and tap on ‘Sound & Vibration’ or ‘Notifications’ (this can be a bit different depending on the device you’ve got).
Or, just type “Do Not Disturb” into the search box instead.
Press on the ‘Do Not Disturb’ option.
Tap the ‘Turn On Now’ button near the top of your screen to switch on Do Not Disturb.
How to customise your Do Not Disturb settings on Android
Do Not Disturb is definitely a useful feature on your Android tablet or phone. But blocking out all your calls and notifications isn’t always the best idea. What if you’re waiting for a ring back after a job interview? Or a reply to an important work email? You’ll want to make sure that all of those come through.
That’s why Do Not Disturb for Android lets you personalise your settings so that they suit you. Just look below the ‘Turn On Now’ button in your Do Not Disturb menu, and you’ll see that you can manually change your interruption settings.
Choose to block specific people from calling or messaging you while letting others ring you whenever they want. Or select which apps send you notifications. And if you want to block or allow alarms, media, touch sounds, reminders, or calendar events — they’re all customisable too. So, DND on Android does quite a lot!
How to schedule Do Not Disturb on Android devices
With Android’s Do Not Disturb feature, you can schedule DND to turn on and off automatically during different parts of your day. This means that you won’t have to keep manually switching it on or off when you go to bed or start a marathon gaming session.
And it’s really easy to set up too. Just follow these steps:
Open the ‘Do Not Disturb’ menu from your ‘Settings’ app (using our guide above).
Scroll down and tap on the ‘Schedules’ option.
You’ll then be shown a list of schedules, like ‘Sleeping’, ‘Gaming’ and even a ‘Driving Mode’.
Just toggle the switch next to each one to turn them on or off.
Tap the schedule's name to customise it, like changing the time you go to sleep.
How to turn Do Not Disturb on/off on a Chromebook
If you’re rocking a Google Chromebook laptop, you can also do away with distractions with Do Not Disturb. And DND on ChromeOS has pretty much all the same features as Android does.
Here's how to turn it on and customise it on your Chromebook:
Go to the bottom-right corner of your screen and click on the status bar (where the time is).
Turn on Do Not Disturb by clicking on the ‘Notifications’ button on the right.
Click the drop-down arrow just below to customise your DND notifications.
FAQs
How do you stop Android Auto from turning on Do Not Disturb?
Android Auto is a mobile app that lets you beam certain apps from your Android phone onto your car’s display screen. This makes it easy to safely access your favourite apps while you’re driving, with larger buttons and voice commands. Need to call a mate or navigate to somewhere new? Android Auto lets you do it.
When you hook up your phone to your car like this, it can turn Do Not Disturb on automatically. But if you want to disable DND on your phone — so you can still get notifications and calls while you’re using Android Auto — just follow these steps:
Open the ‘Android Auto’ app on your phone.
Tap the menu icon in the top-left corner of the screen.
Select ‘Settings’ from the menu.
Scroll down to the ‘Phone Settings’ section.
Toggle off the switch next to ‘Do Not Disturb’ to disable it.
Disconnect and reconnect your phone to Android Auto so that it’ll work properly.
Can you Do Not Disturb one person on Android?
If there’s one person that’s really getting on your nerves, then you can use Do Not Disturb to mute any notifications from them. Here's how to do it:
Go to the ‘Settings’ app and open the ‘Do Not Disturb’ menu. You can find it using search or it’ll be in ‘Sound & Vibration’ or ‘Notifications’.
Choose ‘Priority Only Allows...’ or ‘Custom’ (depending on your gadget).
Tap ‘Messages’ or ‘Calls’.
Select ‘From Only’ and then choose the person's name or phone number.
Now, when the Do Not Disturb mode is turned on, you won't receive any notifications from that person or number.
Will my alarm go off if Do Not Disturb is activated on Android?
Do Not Disturb mode on Android will mute phone calls, messages, and other notifications while you're asleep or in an important meeting. But luckily, it won’t silence alarms by default. This means that you won’t have to worry about sleeping in on a workday! But you can customise your Do Not Disturb settings so that only certain alarms sound if you want them to.
Any more questions?
You should now be an Android DND expert. But if you want to master more settings on your Android device, check out our piece on how to mirror your Android phone to your TV. Or how about our guide on how to scan a QR code on an iPhone or Android?
