How to use Do Not Disturb on Android

The short answer

Swipe down from the top of your screen, tap the Do Not Disturb tile in Quick Settings, and your phone will silence all calls, texts, and app notifications.

How to turn it on

There are two ways to enable Do Not Disturb (DND):

Quick toggle

  1. Swipe down from the top of your screen twice to open the full Quick Settings panel
  2. Look for the Do Not Disturb tile (may show as “DND”)
  3. Tap it once to turn it on

Through Settings

  1. Open Settings
  2. Tap Sound & vibration (or just Sound on some phones)
  3. Tap Do Not Disturb
  4. Tap Turn on now

How to customize it

The real power of DND is in the exceptions. Inside Settings > Sound & vibration > Do Not Disturb, you can control:

  • People — allow calls or messages from starred contacts, specific people, or anyone in your contacts
  • Apps — let certain apps (like alarms or reminders) break through the silence
  • Alarms and other sounds — choose whether alarms, media, and touch sounds still play
  • Repeat callers — automatically allow someone through if they call twice within 15 minutes (useful for emergencies)

How to schedule it automatically

You do not have to remember to turn DND on every night. Set a schedule instead:

  1. Go to Settings > Sound & vibration > Do Not Disturb
  2. Tap Schedules
  3. Tap Sleeping (or create a new schedule)
  4. Set your start time, end time, and days

You can create multiple schedules — one for bedtime, another for meetings, and so on.

Tips for getting it right

  • Check your alarms still work — by default they do, but verify this in DND settings if you rely on them
  • Use “Priority only” mode if available on your phone to allow important contacts through while blocking everything else
  • Long-press the Quick Settings tile to jump straight to DND settings for faster customization