When Apple’s New Focus Feature is Too Much

I like iOS 15, but if not properly managed, Focus can be problematic

Lance Ulanoff
Debugger

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Photo by Bagus Hernawan on Unsplash

As soon as Apple iOS 15 was available, I updated my iPhone (and followed with iPadOS 15 on my iPads). It’s mostly great but I have my reservations about one of the platform’s premier features: Focus.

Sometimes, Focus is just too aggressive. Allow me to share a true short story:

“I called you,” said my friend.

“When?”

“10 minutes ago,” he said, sounding slightly aggrieved.

I pulled the iPhone away from my ear and stared at it.

“That’s not possible,” I argued, “My phone is right next to me and [because I was waiting for his call] I made sure the ring/silent switch was on ‘ring.’”

“Well, I did,” said my friend as if speaking to a small child.

After the call, I checked my recent calls and, sure enough, I had missed his call and, I noticed, a few others.

What else was I missing?

I checked my text messages and noticed that I’d also missed a few from people outside my immediate circle of family and friends.

Everyone who called or texted was getting “Not Available” responses or being sent…

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Lance Ulanoff
Debugger

Tech expert, journalist, social media commentator, amateur cartoonist and robotics fan.