How to Use Do Not Disturb on Android

This article explains how to use Do Not Disturb on Android. Instructions apply to smartphones running Android 13, 12, and 11.

How to Turn On Do Not Disturb

You can turn Do Not Disturb on using Quick Settings or by going to the Settings app, where you can also adjust your preferences. The screenshots below are from Android 13. The menu options may look slightly different depending on your version of Android, but the steps are basically the same.

1. From the top of your phone’s screen, swipe down twice to access Quick Settings. (Swipe down once to view notifications.)

2. Tap Do Not Disturb to turn it on, or long-press Do Not Disturb to go to its settings.

3. Tap Turn on now.

4. Alternatively, go to Settings > Sound and vibration > Do Not Disturb > Turn on now.

   In Quick Settings, tap the Do Not Disturb icon to switch it off.

How to Adjust Do Not Disturb Settings

You can adjust various settings, including when it goes on automatically, exceptions (contacts who can override DND), and notification options settings.

Go to Settings > Sound and vibration > Do Not Disturb. To manage DND settings for calls and messages, tap People. By default, repeat callers are allowed. To change that, tap Calls and turn off Allow repeat callers.

To add app exceptions, tap Apps > Add and choose an app to manage DND settings.

Tap Alarms and Other Interruptions to manage other DND exceptions. Alarms and Media sounds are turned on by default, so you might want to turn them off.

To turn off DND after a set period of time, tap Duration > For 1 hour and tap the plus (+) or minus (-) to adjust the time.

To manage notification settings for DND, tap Display options for hidden notifications. Tap the Settings icon next to Customize for additional options.

How to Manage Schedule and DND Settings

Android's Do Not Disturb has a variety of options to manage its schedule. The mode also supports custom rules based on an event or time of day.

1. Go to Settings > Sound and vibration > Do Not Disturb and tap Schedules.

2. To turn on DND during events on your Google Calendar, tap Event and turn on Use schedule.

3. Tap During events for and choose your Google Calendar or Any Calendar.

4. To automatically schedule DND for a specific time of day, tap Add more under Schedules, then choose Time.

What Is Do Not Disturb?

Do Not Disturb is an Android feature that enables users to pause all or most notifications during a specified period. Since its introduction, Do Not Disturb has been refined in every Android update. The feature is easy to turn on and off, and it has an array of settings you can adjust to your liking.