Phone declutter: 7 settings that cut distractions in under 15 minutes

Most phones arrive noisy by default. A few careful switches quiet the chatter and give you back blocks of focus time.

Start with a clean Home Screen. Keep only essential tools on page one—calls, messages, calendar, maps, camera. Move everything else to the App Library or a second screen. Fewer icons mean fewer impulse taps. If you keep folders, label them by action (“Read,” “Create,” “Move”) rather than by app type; your brain will go to the task instead of wandering.

Notifications are the main drain. Turn off badges and lock-screen alerts for social apps, shopping, and games. Keep time-sensitive channels—messaging, rides, deliveries—but silence the rest to “deliver quietly.” Audit app by app: disable promotional emails, “new follower” pings, and “someone posted” nudges that don’t need your immediate attention. Set a daily Notification Summary so low-priority items batch into one digest. Set a Do Not Disturb schedule. Mute overnight and carve a protected focus block during work or study hours. Whitelist the three people who truly need to break through in an emergency. Add Focus Filters so, during work, only work calendars and work email accounts show up; during personal time, hide them.

Tame banners next. Switch social and promo apps from “persistent” to “temporary” alerts or disable banners entirely. If something is important, it will still be there when you choose to look. Also turn off badges for apps that tempt you to “clear the red dot.” You’ll cut mindless opens by more than you expect.

Trim widgets. Weather and calendar can stay; news tickers and attention traps should go. One glance should give utility, not rabbit holes. Consider a single Smart Stack with only glanceable, non-enticing cards (calendar, reminders, battery). Avoid anything that updates constantly or invites swiping.

Rearrange quick settings. Put airplane mode, hotspot, flashlight, and focus modes within one swipe. Hide screen recording and rarely used toggles so you don’t hit them by accident. If your phone allows it, add a Focus toggle with one-tap presets: Work, Study, Driving, Sleep.

Tune the Lock Screen for calm: disable “Show Previews” for sensitive apps, turn off “Live Activities” for sports or deliveries if they hijack your attention, and pick a background that doesn’t clash with notifications. Consider Silence Unknown Callers and limit vibration patterns so only true priorities feel different.

Finally, set app limits for the biggest time sinks. Start modest—30 minutes total for social—and review the weekly report. Many users see a double-digit percent drop in daily pickups after the first week, with no loss of what matters. Combine limits with an app timeout after bedtime so late-night taps meet a soft block.

If you want an extra push, grayscale mode after 9 p.m. reduces late scrolling. Pair it with a hard “phone out of the bedroom” rule and a charging spot in another room. Within days, notifications shrink, sleep improves, and you reclaim attention for the things you actually care about. Small levers, big peace.