7 smart ways Android’s Modes can help you
Setting your phone on silent sure ain’t what it used to be.
If you’re among the smart and enlightened animals embracing Android and you’re rockin’ a device that’s been updated to the current Android 16 software, you’ve no doubt noticed a new series of options surrounding your phone’s primary silencing function.
Or, heck, maybe you haven’t. The system is actually kinda convoluted and confusing, and most folks I’ve heard from since the time of Android 16’s arrival either find it to be completely befuddling or, on the flip side, haven’t even found it at all.
The system of which we speak is a snazzy little somethin’ called Modes, and it’s actually an impressively powerful new way to think about controlling exactly how your phone does — and doesn’t — disturb you in different scenarios.
It’s basically like a souped-up, completely customizable version of the traditional Android Do Not Disturb setup. But it takes some serious sleuthing and careful consideration to wrap your head around it and figure out how to best put it to use.
Not to fear, though: I’m here to help. Below, I’ve got seven specific ways to embrace Android’s new maze of Modes magic and get your brain a-buzzin’ about how it can work for you.
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Android Modes 101
Before we dive in, let’s back up for one quick sec and explore how, exactly, the Android Modes system even operates and how it differs from Do Not Disturb, in its more traditional sense.
The Modes feature, in the simplest possible explanation, is a series of states you can create to tell your phone how you want it to act at different times.
The traditional Android Do Not Disturb mode, then, is basically just one such mode that tells your phone not to interrupt you with any non-pressing notifications (and, if you weren’t already aware, you can quite easily create Do Not Disturb exceptions on Android that allow certain types of alerts or alerts from certain high-priority people to come through even when that mode is active).
But now, you can create other similar modes that exist alongside that and have their own separate rules for how your phone behaves. So instead of just a single all-purpose Do Not Disturb, in other words, you could have one version of Do Not Disturb for your workday, another for your weekend, and another for when you’re sleeping and/or eating salami — each with its own set of sensible rules to match the occasion and your needs for that specific scenario. (I don’t know about you, but I never want to be interrupted whilst eating fermented meats.)
As for how to actually activate both Do Not Disturb and the other custom modes we’re about to create:
In Google’s standard Android implementation (what’s present on Pixel devices and other phones whose manufacturers don’t overly meddle with the interface)…
You can activate the standard Do Not Disturb mode by tapping the circle-with-a-line icon in your Quick Settings (which you can see by swiping down from the top of your screen).
And you can see the Modes menu and select any of your custom modes by pressing and holding that same icon for about a second.
srcset=”https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/android-modes-google-pixel.webp?quality=50&strip=all 800w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/android-modes-google-pixel.webp?resize=269%2C300&quality=50&strip=all 269w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/android-modes-google-pixel.webp?resize=768%2C855&quality=50&strip=all 768w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/android-modes-google-pixel.webp?resize=626%2C697&quality=50&strip=all 626w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/android-modes-google-pixel.webp?resize=151%2C168&quality=50&strip=all 151w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/android-modes-google-pixel.webp?resize=75%2C84&quality=50&strip=all 75w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/android-modes-google-pixel.webp?resize=431%2C480&quality=50&strip=all 431w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/android-modes-google-pixel.webp?resize=323%2C360&quality=50&strip=all 323w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/android-modes-google-pixel.webp?resize=224%2C250&quality=50&strip=all 224w” width=”800″ height=”891″ sizes=”(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px”>Activating Android’s Modes options, as seen in the standard Google Android (Pixel) interface.JR Raphael, Foundry
In Samsung’s Android 16 setup, meanwhile…
You can activate the standard Do Not Disturb mode by tapping the circle-with-a-line icon in your Quick Settings (which, notably, is now accessible only if you swipe down from the upper-right area of your screen — and also, by default, you may have to swipe down on the box showing all quick-action icons to expand it and see the Do Not Disturb icon).
And you can see the Modes menu and select any of your custom modes by tapping the separate Modes button within that same Quick Settings section.
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Got it? Good. Now, let’s get to the good stuff.
1. Android Modes: For work
First and foremost, how ’bout a specific version of Do Not Disturb for your workday — whenever and wherever that may transpire?
By creating a mode for this particular purpose, you can leave the standard Do Not Disturb setup — the one that’s easiest to activate, with just a single tap (as we went over a moment ago) — in its purest, most pristine state, with no exceptions and a complete and total silencing of any and all interruptions.
Then, when you’re working, you could allow notifications to come in from work-related apps like your email, Slack, and anything else that might be pertinent for that part of your life but pause interruptions from more personal apps and messaging services. You could even get super-nuanced and specify exactly which contacts are allowed to interrupt you with titillating texts in Google Messages, if you want to limit the missives that distract you during the day.
To create this mode:
In Google’s standard Android implementation…
Head into the Modes section of your system settings, tap “Create your own mode” at the bottom of the screen, then select “Custom.”
Name the mode “Work” and give it any icon you like, then scroll down at tap “Done” at the very bottom of that screen.
You can give your custom modes any name and icon you like.JR Raphael, Foundry
Now, think about if you want the mode to activate automatically during certain days and times or if you’d rather just activate it manually on your own, as needed. If you want a set schedule, tap “Set a schedule” to create it.
Then, tap “Apps” to tell your phone exactly which apps should be allowed to alert you whenever that mode is active.
You’ll want to be sure “Selected apps” is active, then tap the gear-shaped icon alongside that to pick the apps you want — and, if you’re feelin’ especially ambitious, get even more nuanced to pick exactly which types of notifications each app is allowed to push through.
Your custom modes can even allow and prohibit specific types of notifications within apps.JR Raphael, Foundry
Next, tap “People” to set up which contacts can text or call you and interrupt when your work mode is active. If you want all messages or calls to come through, be sure to select “Anyone” for each of those categories.
And finally, tap “Alarms & other interruptions” to confirm you’re allowing alarms, media sounds, reminders, and calendar events to arrive while this mode is on.
And that’s it: You’ll now see your spiffy new work mode within the Android Modes Quick Settings list, and whenever it’s active, you’ll see the icon you selected for it in the status bar area at the top of your screen.
Our first custom mode, for work — all set up and active.JR Raphael, Foundry
In Samsung’s Android setup…
March into the Modes and Routines area of your system settings and tap “Add mode” at the bottom of the screen.
Name the mode “Work” and give it any icon you like, then tap “Done” at the bottom of that screen.
If you want the mode to activate itself automatically, tap the “Turn on automatically” box.
Samsung has actually expanded the options here in some interesting ways: In addition to selecting a consistent day and time for your mode to come on, you can specify a physical location as well as a Bluetooth connection and all sorts of other useful conditions to act as triggers for making the mode enabled.
Samsung has some interesting extra options for how your modes can be activated.JR Raphael, Foundry
Tap “Stay focused” and then “Do not disturb” to set up restrictions around what kinds of calls and messages as well as app-generated notifications can get through whenever this mode is active.
You can set up specific notification rules on a Samsung device, too — just with a slightly different presentation and place.JR Raphael, Foundry
And with that, the basics are all in place — and just like with the standard Android interface, you can now activate your new mode anytime and see its icon in your status bar whenever it’s active.
2. Android Modes: For focus
For our next custom Android Modes option, why don’t we create a separate setup for times of intense focus?
While your standard workday mode might allow lots of work-related (and maybe some personal) interruptions, your focus mode could be much more restrictive and meant for moments when you’re deeply zoned in on something important. It could also add in options to limit distractions beyond just the basic calls, messages, and notifications we set up in our work version.
The steps for starting and setting up the mode are exactly the same as above, so I won’t repeat myself and go over all of that again. Instead, here are the types of Modes settings you might think about within those same areas for this purpose:
Fewer safe-listed people for messages and calls
Fewer apps and specific types of alerts for notifications
No reminders or media sounds
And, within the “Display settings” area of the Modes configuration (or the “Other actions” area, in Samsung’s interface), options such as:
Hiding notification dots on app icons
Hiding status bar icons at the top of the screen
Not popping up notifications
Keeping your screen in grayscale
Keeping your always-on displayed powered off
Restricting distractions is simple with any custom Android mode you create.JR Raphael, Foundry
Samsung’s interface tucks some of those same options away within a separate “Add action” menu and doesn’t offer all of the same choices. But no matter what kind of phone you’re using, you’ll find plenty of helpful possibilities for making this mode worthwhile.
3. Android Modes: For meetings
Perhaps one of the most useful Android Modes paths to ponder is a mode made specifically for moments when you’re in a meeting — be it in person, on a voice call, or via one of the zillions of Zoom-like video chatting services we all see on our calendars each and every day.
The beauty of how Android’s Modes system handles this is that you can just tell your phone to automatically activate your meeting mode anytime an event is occurring on your connected calendar(s).
To make that happen, in the standard Google Android setup, you’ll select “Set a schedule” and then “Calendar events.” You can then tap that same line once more to limit the events to a specific category within your calendar as well as a specific status for the event.
The ability to connect custom Android modes to specific types of calendar events? Yes, please!JR Raphael, Foundry
Puzzlingly, Samsung’s Android interface doesn’t seem to offer any similar option — in spite of the many varied possibilities it does possess. (Sorry, Galaxy pals.)
On any other Android device, though, you can then review the various variables to decide precisely what sorts of interruptions you do and don’t want to allow whenever you’ve got an event going and rest easy knowing nothing else will bother you during those meeting-oriented moments.
4. Android Modes: For driving
Distracted driving is one of the worst ways phones have affected our lives — but Android’s Modes setup offers an enticing way to help avoid the harmful (and quite possibly also illegal) temptation to take your eyes off the road and to make your device more actively useful whenever you’re behind the wheel.
Google’s standard Android setup and Samsung’s Android interface both offer a premade driving mode that uses a combination of motion and Bluetooth connections to automatically detect when you’re driving and then adjust your phone’s behavior as a result. Just look for the pre-existing “Driving” option within your Modes settings screen to activate and configure it.
Samsung’s setup is actually the more advantageous one here, as in addition to limiting alerts, it’ll also offer to automatically read any incoming notifications aloud for you as they arrive anytime your driving mode is active.
Samsung’s driving mode will even automatically read incoming notifications aloud for you as they appear.JR Raphael, Foundry
You can achieve a similar effect with any device via Android Auto and its connection to your car — provided the vehicle supports it — but having that built directly into the operating system as a part of the mode itself is a pretty nifty touch.
5. Android Modes: For the weekend
So far, we’ve focused mostly on making your device as optimal as possible for when you’re working or otherwise actively invested in some sort of specific activity. So how ’bout a custom Do Not Disturb mode for the weekend, when you’re trying to avoid doing anything productive but might still want to see personal messages, reminders, and perhaps (perhaps) some particularly pressing work-related alerts?
Create a weekend mode and set it up with those specific parameters, and you can easily tune out as much as possible and avoid thinking about work whenever you’re unwinding.
And remember: You can opt to have this mode automatically activate itself from Friday night through Monday morning — or whenever your weekend occurs — if you want to save yourself the trouble of even having to think about it at all.
6. Android Modes: For vacation
Vacation mode is — or at least should be — even more unfocused than an average weekend. So while we’re mulling over all the modes worth making, take a moment to make yourself a vacation-specific setup that you can activate whenever the time comes to fully shut down the ol’ noggin for an extended hiatus.
Your vacation mode might be extra-restrictive on the types of work-related alerts it allows and the apps it blocks from being present. Only you know how far you can take it, of course, but if you think about it proactively and get the mode ready to roll now, you’ll be ready to hibernate and avoid all unnecessary distractions as soon as that time arrives.
7. Android Modes: For sleeping
Last but not least, now that we’re reframed the standard Android Do Not Disturb mode as a state where nothing gets through and interrupts you, it might be practical to create a separate custom mode for sleeping — with whatever settings suit you for those hopefully zoned-out hours.
Once more, you’ll find a ready-made starting point to work from — “Bedtime,” in Google’s standard Android implementation, and “Sleep” in Samsung’s. Tap that within the Modes area of your system settings, then think carefully about exactly which interruptions you want to allow and what settings would work best for that purpose.
Aside from the obvious people and notification exceptions, be sure to look through the other options that could be relevant and useful here — such as:
Ensuring alarms will always still sound even when this mode is active
Implementing a grayscale, dimmed-wallpaper, and/or dark-theme state and telling the screen never to illuminate when you aren’t actively using it
And deactivating alerts for anything that wouldn’t be urgent enough to warrant waking, including media sounds, calendar events, and reminders
All that’s left is to get your brain to follow suit and stop interrupting your slumber — and that part, I’m afraid, is squarely on your sleepy shoulders.
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