What's the Difference Between Do Not Disturb, Airplane, and Silent Mode on iPhone

Over the past decade, people have primarily used phones for calling and sending messages. Eventually, smartphones started to become more than that. Smartphones today tend to be overwhelmed with all the barrage of random notifications. Sometimes it becomes necessary to take a break from your smartphone. You have three options on your iPhone and iPad: silent mode, airplane mode, and do not disturb (DND) mode. While they serve a similar purpose, there are times when you think for a second when you have to choose between these three options.

Many users are often confused by three options on their phone. They wonder, “Is airplane mode the same as do not disturb mode” and “Why use DND mode instead of putting iPhone on silent?” In this article, we’ll answer all of that confusion around the differences between airplane, silent, and do not disturb mode on iOS and iPadOS.

Let’s check the purpose of each mode, followed by which one to use and when.

What is silent mode on iPhone

Quiet Mode is the basic feature you should know about. It makes notifications inaudible or silent, thus putting your phone in silent mode. Notifications can come from a call, message, chat apps, email, social apps, etc. All types of notifications are disabled. However, the device screen will turn on whenever you receive a notification. The notification banners will also display, but the tone will not be audible.

Usually, your iPhone vibrates in silent mode, but you can turn it off by going to Settings> Sound. Turn off the toggle for Vibrate on Silent.

Pro tip: iOS 13 and above offers a special feature called Silence Unknown callers. To activate it, go to Settings> Phone. Activate the toggle for Silence unknown callers.

How to turn silent mode on and off

To turn silent mode on or off, open Control Center on your iPhone or iPad. Tap the bell icon to activate it. When the bell icon is red, it means your phone is in silent mode. Tap the icon again to turn silent mode off. You can also reduce the ringer volume to a minimum.

What is do not disturb mode on iPhone

Do not disturb mode is the customized version of silent mode. It is a silent mode with additional features. In addition to disabling notifications, the device screen does not turn on. The phone does not vibrate. No notification banner will appear when you receive a notification in DND mode.

When you turn on DND, you won’t see or hear incoming alerts. But if you check your notification panel or the lock screen, any notifications received during DND time will happily sit there waiting for you to act on them. Essentially, with DND mode enabled, you won’t be bothered with your current task. Do you understand the idea behind the name? Do not disturb.

Note: The alarms will continue to operate when do not disturb mode is activated. So don’t worry about it.

As for the features of Do not disturb mode, you can customize DND to allow calls from certain contacts. Use it to silence everyone except those on your favorites list. You can even schedule NPD to turn on and off automatically at a specified time. Interestingly, you get a repeat call setting where a second call from the same person will be heard within three minutes. It comes in handy in an emergency if your phone is turned on in do not disturb mode. You’ll find all of these customizations under Settings> Do Not Disturb.

Quick fix: Are you receiving calls when do not disturb mode is on? Find out how to fix this problem on iPhone, iPad, and Android.

How to turn do not disturb mode on and off

To enable do not disturb mode, go to Settings> Do not disturb. Turn on the toggle for Do Not Disturb. Otherwise, tap on the crescent moon icon in the control center. You can also program the mode to activate automatically.

When enabled, you will see the crescent moon icon on your iPhone’s status bar, if there is room for it depending on the size of the notch on your phone. You will also see the DND notification on the lock screen. To deactivate it, repeat the steps and deactivate the mode.

What is airplane mode on the iPhone

Primarily designed for flight – hence the name airplane or flight mode, this mode should be enabled in flight for safety reasons to avoid interference with aircraft signals. But you can also use it in your daily life.

Unlike silent or do not disturb modes which do not affect your network connections, anything that requires a signal is turned off by activating airplane mode. Thus, your cellular network, your Wi-Fi and your Bluetooth connections are automatically deactivated.

Note: On iOS 13 and above, Bluetooth connections remain active when airplane mode is on. This is done to keep your paired Bluetooth devices connected such as Bluetooth headsets. You can listen to music in airplane mode.

However, you can manually turn on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth after turning on airplane mode. This means that you can use your Wi-Fi at your home, office or during flights (if available). But your cellular network cannot be activated.

How to turn airplane mode on and off

Similar to DND mode, airplane mode can be activated from the control center and settings. In the settings you will find the airplane mode. Activate the toggle next to it or tap the airplane icon in the Control Center. When enabled, you will see an airplane icon in the notification bar. Then repeat the steps to turn it off.

Point: Airplane mode could be one of the reasons the iPhone is not receiving calls. Check Other Ways To Fix iPhone Not Receiving Calls Issue

Difference between silent, do not disturb and airplane mode

If you still don’t know what happens to the most important functions of your phone – messages, calls, notifications and data, here are your answers.

You will receive your messages, calls and notifications from other apps normally in silent mode and do not disturb mode. But you will not be alerted in silent mode or DND mode. You can create exceptions in DND mode. You can use your phone as you normally would in both modes. You can still access all the apps and data they contain. You can even listen to music in both modes. To sum up, do not disturb mode is silent mode on steroids.

On the contrary, airplane mode is a toned down version of shutting down your phone. Unlike shutting down the phone, you can still view your photos, notes, and other data offline. However, you will be disconnected from the rest of the world when you activate airplane mode. Once you turn off the mode, you will receive the missed alerts depending on the app.

Pro tip: If you are also an Android user, learn the difference between silent, DND, and airplane modes on Android.

When to use modes

Silent mode comes in handy when you want to quickly turn off alerts on your phone. Use silent mode when you want to turn everything off on your phone without any exceptions. For example, you can use it in a cinema while watching a movie or a play.

Use do not disturb mode when you don’t want to be disturbed at all, not even because of the display lighting. This mode can be used when you are working or when your phone is on the table next to the computer. Putting your phone on DND will prevent it from turning on frequently and notify you of incoming notifications. You can work in peace without any distractions. The DND feature can also be used at night or when you want to allow alerts from specific people only while keeping others on silent.

Airplane mode has several advantages. For starters, use it when you want to take a break from the internet or calls. Airplane mode also helps save battery life as most signal receivers are turned off. It also comes in handy when traveling to another country where roaming charges are higher. Putting your phone in airplane mode will help you save money. Finally, airplane mode is useful for solving various problems on your iPhone or iPad. If you’re having trouble with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or mobile, turn airplane mode on and off to resolve them.

Which one to use

The answer depends on your need. If you just want to turn off your phone, choose between silent or do not disturb mode. But if you want to completely disconnect from the outside world, go for airplane mode. I like the do not disturb mode compared to others because it offers customizations. DND mode lets you choose how and when you want to disconnect from the world. The power is in my hands.