Want your iPhone to silence itself automatically at a workplace, university, or the library? While the Silent switch or the new Action button (iPhone 15 Pro) can do the trick, there’s a clever way to automate this. Let’s see how to silence your iPhone based on your location.
There are two ways to do it natively on iPhone: schedule a Focus mode and create an automation in the Shortcuts app. Both will automatically mute your iPhone when you arrive at a particular location. Let’s check out both methods in detail.
1. Schedule Focus Mode Based on Location
On iPhone, Focus mode helps you focus by muting calls, texts, and alerts. You can schedule a Focus mode to activate based on location, time, or app use. Here’s how to automate it based on a location:
1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone. Tap on Focus and choose Work. You can also choose other Focus modes. But if you plan to use this one for your office, we’ll go with Work.
2. Under Set a Schedule section, tap Add Schedule.
3. From the pop-up, tap on Location. Next, look up the address in the search box or choose a spot on the map. You can adjust the activation radius and add more locations if needed.
4. After that, customize your Focus mode:
- Silence Notifications: Choose which apps and people can notify you. Add important work contacts and apps like Slack, Google Drive, Gmail, Calendar, etc.
- Customize Screens: Set a custom lock screen for Focus mode, a visual reminder of the location and focus.
- Smart Activation: Your iPhone can auto-enable Focus based on location, app usage, and other signals.
- Add Filters: Set filters for Calendar, Messages, and Safari to see what’s relevant while Focus is active.
iPhones also have a built-in Focus Status feature that appears mostly when you text someone in Messages app. Enable it in Settings > Messages > Focus. Your contacts can see that a Focus mode is active on your iPhone and it won’t notify you of their messages.
The Messages app also displays a Notify Anyway option to force-send urgent messages. That allows contacts to bypass Focus mode restrictions whenever necessary.
2. Turn On Silent Mode Automatically Using Shortcuts
For iPhones without Focus mode (iOS 14 or older) support or those who prefer a simpler approach, you can silence your iPhone using the Shortcuts app. Here’s how:
1. Open Shortcuts app and go to the Automation tab.
2. Tap + on the top-right corner. Choose Arrive.
3. Choose your location (search for it), adjust its radius, and tap Done.
4. Set the options to run Any Time and Run Immediately and hit Next.
5. Since this is a new Automation, tap New Blank Automation under Get Started section.
6. Tap Add Action. Search for Get Silent Mode and select it from the results. If you get an error that says “This action is not compatible with your iPhone,” search for Set Volume instead.
7. Next, tap on Media and select Ringtone. Then, tap on the volume level slider and drag it down to 0%.
8. Finally, hit Done to save your automation.
You can tap the Play button in the bottom-right corner to test your automation.
Whenever you arrive at this location, your iPhone will automatically silence the ringer volume. Similarly, you can set another automation that reverts the volume to 100% when you leave that location.
Tip: You can also silence your iPhone automatically when you connect to your workplace Wi-Fi network. In the step 2 above, choose Wi-Fi and select the workplace network.
Beauty of Automation
The Focus mode or Shortcuts app is a good enough option to politely put your phone on silent without touching the ringer or Action button. The benefit of the Focus mode is that you don’t have to touch the Action button at the side any more. However, the Shortcut method seems more efficient if you travel often and don’t have to worry about missing any calls, texts, or messages.
