Focus Modes on iPad

It may have happened to you...you have your device projected in class and a personal iMessage pops up, an app notifies you or the kids get distracted by the different apps you have on your screen. I use my iPad Pro for everything - teaching, administration, preparation, planning and play. This is great - I feel like I can live my whole life on my iPad Pro, but it does also come with some tensions. How do you prevent personal and professional lives colliding? Focus Modes is the answer!

My iPad is often shared with others or displayed on the screen while I am teaching in the classroom. I use different Focus Modes to control what is seen and configure the screen layout to suit my needs. Each Focus Mode has its own wallpaper and layout to maximise my productivity. I can also control which apps and people can send me notifications in different Focus Modes. This allows me to be completely uninterrupted while teaching or prevent work apps from disturbing me in my downtime.

The release of iPadOS 17 brings with it the ability to customise your lock screen on iPad and create wallpaper pairs. These work perfectly with Focus Modes and allow you to switch wallpapers that suit the way you are working. Check out the video I made about it below.