DEV Community

ayumu kitabayashi
ayumu kitabayashi

Posted on

iPhone Focus for messages only: how to set it up, and what it does to Instagram DMs

#ios #productivity #iphone #focus

I'm the developer of minulo, an iPhone app that hides Reels on Instagram. People often ask me whether a Focus can let only messages through, so here is what I found when I checked Apple's iPhone User Guide (iOS 27) on 2026-10-25. Menu names can change with iOS and app updates.

The short version

A Focus filters notifications by person and by app. You can make one that lets only Messages and your chat apps notify you. Instagram counts as one app, though, so a Focus can't let through only its DMs. And a Focus filters notifications only. It does not stop you from opening an app.

Set up a messages only Focus

  1. Open the Settings app and tap Focus.
  2. Tap an existing Focus such as Personal or Work, or tap + and then Custom to make a new one. Give it a name, a color and an icon, tap Next, then Customize Focus.
  3. Tap Apps (or Choose Apps), tap Allow Notifications From, tap +, and pick Messages and the chat apps you need, for example WhatsApp or LINE. Add Instagram only if you want its DMs (more on that below).
  4. On the same screen, turn off Time Sensitive Notifications. Apple says this setting lets all apps send time-sensitive notifications immediately, so leaving it on means apps you didn't choose can still reach you.
  5. Tap People (or Choose People) and add anyone whose calls and messages should always reach you.
  6. Optional: choose a Home Screen page without social apps, or tap Add Schedule so the Focus turns on at a set time, at a place, or while you use a certain app.

One thing to know: if you turn on Share Focus Status, people who try to contact you, in Messages for example, may see that you have notifications silenced. You can change this in Settings > Focus > Focus Status.

What happens to Instagram DMs

A Focus decides app by app. Apple's guide shows how to allow or silence an app, and it doesn't describe a way to allow only some notifications from one app. So you get one of two results:

  • Instagram not in the allowed list: DMs are silenced along with likes, comments and everything else from Instagram while the Focus is on.
  • Instagram in the allowed list: DMs come through, and so does every other notification Instagram sends.

To get close to DMs only, allow Instagram in the Focus and then turn off the notification types that aren't about messages inside Instagram, under your profile > Menu > Notifications. Instagram has no single "DMs only" switch, and those settings apply all the time, not only during the Focus.

About the People list: Apple describes it in terms of your contacts, calls and Messages. I couldn't confirm how it treats Instagram DMs, so don't count on it for that.

Focus filters let apps change what they show during a Focus, for example which mail account is used. I couldn't confirm that Instagram offers one.

A Focus doesn't block apps

Apple describes Focus as a way to silence or allow notifications and to let people know you're busy. Nothing in the Focus settings stops an app from opening, so you can still open Instagram and end up in Reels. Linking a Home Screen page to the Focus moves the icon out of sight, but the app is still in App Library and search. To actually block an app, use Screen Time or an app blocker.

Where minulo fits, and where it doesn't

minulo opens Instagram's official website inside the app with the Reels and Explore tabs and suggested posts hidden, so you can read and reply to DMs without landing in Reels. With Every tab but DMs on, only DMs and notifications stay. Hiding is free.

Some limits, to be clear:

  • minulo sends no notifications of its own, so adding it to a Focus won't give you DM alerts. If you want Instagram DM alerts, keep the official Instagram app unlocked and allowed in the Focus.
  • If minulo locks the official app with Screen Time, that app's notifications don't arrive while it's locked, and a Focus can't change that.
  • Locking is free for up to 2 hours per block. minulo Pro adds schedules by day and time, longer blocks, Hard Mode and multiple block lists.
  • minulo is iPhone only, and the official Instagram app itself doesn't change.

Sources

  • Apple: Set up a Focus on iPhone
  • Apple: Allow or silence notifications for a Focus on iPhone

The full guide, with a comparison table and FAQ, is here: https://minulo.app/en/focus-mode-messages-only.html?ref=devto-en-focus-1025g

Top comments (0)