Do Not Disturb blocks notifications and sounds, but not calls from your contacts
Do Not Disturb silences alerts, notifications, and ringtones on your phone — but it does not block calls entirely. On both iPhone and Android, calls from people in your contacts still come through. The exact behavior depends on which device you use and how you set it up, because Do Not Disturb has different modes and exceptions you can customize.
If you want to block calls completely, Do Not Disturb is not the right tool. You need the blocking feature built into your phone's phone app, or a separate blocking app. Do Not Disturb is meant to silence your phone while keeping important calls reachable.
Key Takeaways
- Do Not Disturb silences notifications and ringtones but allows calls from contacts to ring through by default on both iPhone and Android.
- On iPhone, you can set Do Not Disturb to allow calls only from people in a specific contact group, or block all calls except emergency contacts.
- On Android, Do Not Disturb has a "Priority" mode that lets you choose which contacts can call through, and a "Total Silence" mode that blocks everything.
- To completely block a caller, use your phone's built-in block feature in the phone app, not Do Not Disturb.
- Repeated calls from the same number bypass Do Not Disturb on both platforms, which is designed to let emergencies reach you.
How Do Not Disturb works on iPhone
On iPhone, Do Not Disturb silences calls, texts, and notifications, but calls from people in your contacts still ring through. When you turn on Do Not Disturb, your phone will not light up, vibrate, or make a sound for incoming calls or messages — except from the people you have allowed.
By default, iPhone allows calls from anyone in your Contacts app. You can change this by opening Settings, tapping Focus (on iOS 16 and later) or Do Not Disturb (on iOS 15 and earlier), and selecting which contacts or contact groups can reach you. You can also set it to allow calls only from Favorites, or from a specific group like "Family".
If someone calls you twice within three minutes, the call will ring through even if they are not in your allowed contacts. This is Apple's emergency override — the idea is that a repeated call signals something urgent.
How Do Not Disturb works on Android
On Android, Do Not Disturb has two main modes: Priority and Total Silence. Priority mode lets you choose which contacts, apps, and alarms can interrupt you. Total Silence blocks everything except alarms.
To set up Priority mode, open Settings, go to Notifications, and tap Do Not Disturb. Select Priority Only, then choose which contacts can call through. By default, this includes all contacts, but you can narrow it to specific people or groups. Total Silence blocks all calls and notifications except alarms and emergency alerts.
Like iPhone, Android allows repeated calls from the same number to break through Do Not Disturb after a set time, usually three minutes. This is a safety feature to ensure emergencies can reach you.
The difference between Do Not Disturb and blocking a caller
Do Not Disturb and blocking are two separate features that do different things. Do Not Disturb is temporary — you turn it on when you need quiet time, and turn it off when you want to receive calls normally. Blocking is permanent until you unblock the person.
When you block a caller on iPhone, calls from that number go straight to voicemail, and you do not see a missed call notification. On Android, blocked calls are sent to voicemail and logged separately in your call history. The blocked person does not know they are blocked — the call just fails to reach you.
If you want to prevent a specific person from calling you, use your phone's block feature. If you want to silence your phone temporarily but stay reachable to important contacts, use Do Not Disturb.
How to block a caller instead
On iPhone, open the Phone app, find the number or contact you want to block, tap the info button (the circle with an i), scroll down, and tap Block This Caller. You can also block someone from a text message or FaceTime call the same way.
On Android, open the Phone app, find the number or contact, tap the three dots or info button, and select Block Number. On some Android phones, you can also long-press a contact and choose Block.
To unblock someone, go back to the same menu and select Unblock. On iPhone, this is in Settings under Phone > Blocked Contacts. On Android, it is usually in the Phone app under Settings > Blocked Numbers.
When Do Not Disturb turns on automatically
Both iPhone and Android let you schedule Do Not Disturb to turn on at certain times. On iPhone, you can set it to turn on during sleep hours, work hours, or driving. On Android, you can create a schedule in Settings under Do Not Disturb.
You can also set Do Not Disturb to turn on automatically when you arrive at a location, like work or home. This is useful if you want your phone silent during meetings without having to remember to turn it on manually.
When Do Not Disturb is scheduled, your phone will still allow calls from your chosen contacts to ring through, unless you have set it to Total Silence on Android or a more restrictive mode on iPhone.
What happens to calls and texts while Do Not Disturb is on
Calls from people not in your allowed contacts go to voicemail. You will not see a notification on your lock screen or home screen, and your phone will not ring or vibrate. However, the call is logged in your call history, and you can see it later.
Text messages are handled the same way — they arrive, but you do not get a notification until you turn off Do Not Disturb or check your phone. On iPhone, messages from contacts in your allowed list will still notify you. On Android, this depends on which contacts you have set as Priority.
If you have Do Not Disturb set to allow calls from specific contacts, those people will hear the phone ring normally and can leave a voicemail if you do not answer. They will not know that Do Not Disturb is on.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can someone tell if I have Do Not Disturb on?
No. When Do Not Disturb is on, a caller hears the phone ring normally and has no way to know whether you are ignoring the call or have Do Not Disturb enabled. The call goes to voicemail the same way it would if your phone was off or you declined the call manually.
Will Do Not Disturb block calls from unknown numbers?
Yes, unless you have set Do Not Disturb to allow all calls. By default, both iPhone and Android allow calls only from contacts, so unknown numbers go to voicemail. If you need to receive calls from unknown numbers, you can change this in Do Not Disturb settings.
Does Do Not Disturb stop text messages?
Do Not Disturb silences text notifications, but the messages still arrive on your phone. You will not see a notification until you turn off Do Not Disturb or unlock your phone. On iPhone, texts from allowed contacts will still notify you.
What if I need to reach someone who has Do Not Disturb on?
Call them twice within three minutes. On both iPhone and Android, a second call from the same number within a few minutes will ring through even if Do Not Disturb is on. This is designed to let emergencies reach people.
Can I set Do Not Disturb to block all calls except one person?
On iPhone, yes — set Do Not Disturb to allow calls from a contact group with only that person in it, or create a custom Focus. On Android, create a Priority mode and add only that contact to the allowed list. All other calls will go to voicemail.