You can let specific people reach you on Do Not Disturb by using iPhone’s Focus settings and (optionally) Emergency Bypass for truly critical contacts.

How it works now (iOS Focus)

Modern iPhones (iOS 15 and later) use Focus modes instead of the old, simple Do Not Disturb toggle. Do Not Disturb is now just one type of Focus, and each Focus can have its own “allowed people” list.

When you add people to this list, their calls and messages can come through while everyone else is silenced.

Method 1: Allow specific people in Do Not Disturb

Use this if you want a handful of contacts (family, partner, boss) to always ring through when Do Not Disturb is on.

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Tap Focus.
  3. Tap Do Not Disturb (the purple moon).
  1. Under Allow Notifications , tap People.
  1. At the top, make sure Allow Notifications From (or similar wording) is selected, not “Silence”.
  1. Tap Add People (or use the + button).
  1. Choose the contacts you want to allow and tap Done.

Now, when Do Not Disturb is on, calls and notifications from those people will still come through.

Method 2: Use Favorites + “Allow Calls From Favorites”

If you prefer, you can manage exceptions via your Favorites list in the Phone/Contacts app.

Step A – Add key people to Favorites

  1. Open Phone or Contacts.
  2. Pick a contact you always want to reach you.
  3. Tap Add to Favorites (or Add to Favorites in the contact card), then choose Call and the number.

Repeat for each important contact.

Step B – Let Favorites bypass Do Not Disturb

  1. Open Settings → Focus → Do Not Disturb.
  1. Tap People under Allow Notifications.
  2. In the Phone calls section, set Allow Calls From to Favorites.

Now any call from someone in Favorites will ring, even in Do Not Disturb.

Method 3: Emergency Bypass for truly critical contacts

Emergency Bypass is for the must-always-get-through people (for example, kids, parents, or a partner on night shifts).

It works per contact and can override both Do Not Disturb and Silent mode for calls, messages, or both.

To turn on Emergency Bypass for calls:

  1. Open Contacts and select the person.
  2. Tap Edit.
  3. Tap Ringtone.
  4. Toggle Emergency Bypass to On.
  5. Tap Done.

For messages, you can similarly go to Text Tone in that contact and toggle Emergency Bypass there.

After this, that person’s calls and/or texts will alert you even if Do Not Disturb is on and your phone is on silent.

Quick HTML table: Options at a glance

html

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Method</th>
      <th>Where to set it</th>
      <th>Who can reach you</th>
      <th>Best use case</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>Allow people in Focus</td>
      <td>Settings → Focus → Do Not Disturb → People[web:1][web:10]</td>
      <td>Only contacts you add to the allowed list[web:1][web:8]</td>
      <td>Simple, small list of important people</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Favorites + Allow Calls From Favorites</td>
      <td>Favorites in Contacts/Phone + Focus People settings[web:1][web:5][web:9]</td>
      <td>Everyone in your Favorites list[web:5][web:9]</td>
      <td>If you already use Favorites for close contacts</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Emergency Bypass</td>
      <td>Open contact → Edit → Ringtone/Text Tone → Emergency Bypass[web:1][web:3]</td>
      <td>That single contact, always (even on Silent)[web:1][web:3]</td>
      <td>Critical people who must always reach you</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

Small example scenario

Imagine you want to stay focused at night but still let family reach you:

  • Put your closest family in Favorites.
  • In Do Not Disturb , set allowed calls to Favorites.
  • Turn on Emergency Bypass only for your child’s contact, so they always ring through even if you also flip the mute switch.

This way you stay mostly undisturbed, but you don’t miss anything truly important. TL;DR:
Use Settings → Focus → Do Not Disturb → People to add allowed contacts, set Allow Calls From Favorites if you like managing via Favorites, and enable Emergency Bypass in a contact card for anyone who should always get through.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.