Woman focused on a mobile football game

The fastest way to stop notifications during a game is to turn on Do Not Disturb or a Focus mode before you start, and to let only the people and apps you truly need break through. On iPhone that is a Focus. On a Samsung Galaxy it is Game Booster’s “Block during game” switch. On Windows it is Focus. Each takes about a minute to set up, and a good setup runs automatically every time you launch a game.

Below you will find the exact steps for each platform, how to keep urgent calls coming through, how to switch everything back on afterward, and why this matters most in games that are decided in fractions of a second.

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Keep Your Focus on the Match
Vladers pairs quick reaction duels with squad strategy, so you can put your notification settings to the test in real-time football matches.

TL;DR

Table of Contents

Why notifications hurt more in some games than others

In a turn-based game, a banner sliding across the screen is an annoyance. You tap it away and carry on. In a real-time game, it can decide the result.

Take a reaction duel. Each round comes down to who taps first. If a message preview drops from the top of the screen at the wrong moment, your tap lands on the banner or you lose a beat while your eyes jump to it. That is the whole round gone, and in a ranked match one round can swing the final score.

Notifications also cause trouble in less obvious ways:

The fix is not to disconnect from the world. It is to decide in advance who and what gets through. The sections below show how.

Block notifications on iPhone with Do Not Disturb

Apple’s own support page explains that in iOS 15 and later, Do Not Disturb is a Focus option that silences calls, alerts and notifications on your iPhone. That makes it the quickest way to get a quiet screen.

Turn it on in seconds

  1. Open Control Center by swiping down from the top-right corner (or up from the bottom on older models with a Home button).
  2. Touch and hold the Focus button.
  3. Tap Do Not Disturb.

Apple also lets you set a schedule under Settings > Focus > Do Not Disturb, according to the same Apple support page. A schedule suits players who always sit down for a match at a similar time, such as an evening session after dinner.

Build a dedicated Gaming Focus

Do Not Disturb is a blunt tool. If you play often, a custom Focus is better, because it can switch on by itself. On iPhone you can configure a Focus in Settings so that it silences notifications from specific apps or people while it is active.

A practical setup looks like this:

  1. Go to Settings > Focus and tap the plus button to add a new Focus. Choose Gaming if it is offered, or Custom and name it yourself.
  2. Under People, allow only the contacts you would never want to miss, such as family or your manager.
  3. Under Apps, allow only what is essential. For most players that means nothing at all, or a single calendar or messaging app.
  4. Add a Smart Activation or app-based trigger so the Focus starts when you open your game, if your iOS version offers it.

The result is a phone that goes quiet when the match loads and wakes up when you leave. You never have to remember.

Block notifications on a Samsung Galaxy with Game Booster

Samsung builds the feature right into its phones. According to Samsung’s US support page, “Block during game” stops certain notifications from appearing whenever a game is open.

The steps

  1. Open the Gaming Hub app.
  2. Tap the More options icon (three vertical dots).
  3. Select Game Booster.
  4. Turn on “Block during game”, then tap the switch next to Notifications.

Samsung notes that some alerts can still get through, specifically system alarms and alerts from certain integrated messaging apps, as described on the same Samsung support page. If one particular app keeps breaking through, open that app’s own notification settings and tighten what it is allowed to send.

Newer Galaxy phones: Modes and Routines

On Galaxy devices running One UI 7, Samsung says you can set up Game modes in Modes and Routines to manage Do Not Disturb and other settings specifically for gaming. If your phone has it, this is the more flexible route. You can pair a quiet-notifications rule with other game-time preferences in one place.

Other Android phones

Android is not one system but many, and each manufacturer names its tools differently. Some phones ship with a built-in game mode or game launcher that mutes pop-ups when a game opens. If yours has one, look for it in Settings or in a pre-installed games app.

If not, you have two general options:

Sometimes the interruption comes from the platform rather than a message. If a Google Play Games pop-up or achievement banner keeps appearing, open your phone’s Settings, go to Apps, find Google Play Games and check its Notifications page. Exact menu names depend on your device and Android version, so look for the app’s notification toggles and switch off the categories you do not want.

Block notifications on Windows

PC players have the same problem, with banners sliding in from the corner of the screen. Microsoft says its Focus feature, reachable from the taskbar or Settings, turns on Do Not Disturb automatically to silence notifications for a session you choose.

Microsoft also documents that Focus assist can be set to start on its own when you play a game in full-screen mode, configured under Settings > System > Focus assist, in the same Microsoft guide. Menu names can differ between Windows versions, so if you do not see Focus assist, look for Focus under Settings > System.

One caution: full-screen detection works best when your game really runs full screen. A windowed or borderless game may not trigger it, so start a manual Focus session if banners still appear.

Stay reachable without the noise

Silence is only useful if it does not cost you something important. The answer is an allow list.

On iPhone, go to Settings > Focus > Do Not Disturb and choose which people and apps may notify you, as Apple describes on its Do Not Disturb support page. Start with a short list: a partner, a parent, your kid’s school, your boss if you are on call.

On Samsung, remember that “Block during game” is a flexible tool and that some system alarms still come through by design, per the Samsung support page. That is a feature as much as a limitation: an alarm you set for a reason is not silenced by accident.

Everywhere, think in tiers:

Tier Who or what What to do
Must reach you Family, on-call work, medical or school contacts Add to the allow list
Can wait Group chats, social apps, email Silence during play
Never needed mid-match Promotions, game offers, news, shopping Turn off permanently in app settings

The third tier is the quiet win. Every promotional alert you switch off for good is one fewer thing to configure around later.

Turn notifications back on after gaming

If you started the mode by hand, end it the same way. On iPhone, turn off Do Not Disturb or whichever Focus is active in Control Center, as Apple explains. On Samsung, “Block during game” only applies while a game is open, so closing the game ends it. On Windows, end the Focus session from the same place you started it.

A quick habit helps: when you finish a session, glance at the top of your screen. A moon icon on iPhone or a muted-bell icon on Android tells you the mode is still on. Many players have missed a message because they forgot to switch it off.

Our perspective: protect the moment that matters

We build Vladers around one idea: a match should be decided by you. In Vladers, every round is a reaction duel where you tap faster than your opponent to win possession, then build your attack. Squad choice, formation, card stats and special powers matter, but so does the half-second at the start of each round.

That is why we think about notifications differently from most game makers. A pop-up during a turn-based game costs you a few seconds. A pop-up during a duel can cost you the round. When we design the experience, we want nothing standing between your thumb and the screen.

So our advice is simple and practical:

We also designed Vladers to be easy to start and easy to leave. Controls are simple taps, so there is nothing to learn about menus mid-match. Our rewarded ads are entirely optional, which means you decide when to watch one, not the game. Your attention is the thing a duel runs on, and we want to respect it.

— Julien

Try a distraction-free match in Vladers

Once your phone is quiet, you are ready for the kind of game that rewards full focus. Vladers is a free-to-play football collectible card game where you open packs, build a four-card squad with an attacker, midfielder, defender and goalkeeper, choose a formation, and win real-time reaction duels. You can climb divisions in Vladers League, take on a fresh set of teams in Weekly Clash, work through the fire, water, earth and wind trials in Story Mode, or challenge a friend head-to-head.

It is available in English, French and Spanish. Set your Focus, then see the game at Vladers and put your squad on the pitch.

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A quick pre-match checklist

Before you start a ranked or competitive session, run through this list. It takes under thirty seconds once your modes are set up.

  1. Start your quiet mode. Gaming Focus, Do Not Disturb, Game Booster or Focus, depending on your device.
  2. Check your allow list. Is everyone who must reach you on it?
  3. Silence the sound too. Banners are only half of it. Vibration and ringtones count as interruptions.
  4. Charge up or plug in. A low-battery warning is a notification you cannot always block, so avoid it by starting charged.
  5. Close what you do not need. Fewer background apps means fewer things that can interrupt.
  6. Tell people. If you live with others, a quick “I’m in a match for fifteen minutes” avoids the walk-in interruption that no setting can stop.

The goal is not perfection. It is to make the most common interruptions impossible, so the rare ones do not feel like a disaster.

Common mistakes that let notifications back in

Even with a quiet mode on, a few habits let alerts slip through.

Setting a mode but never linking it to the game. A manual Do Not Disturb works, but you will forget it on a busy day. An automatic trigger, such as an app-based Focus on iPhone or Samsung’s block-during-game switch, is more reliable.

Allowing too many apps. An allow list with ten apps is just your normal phone with extra steps. Keep it to what you would genuinely leave a match for.

Forgetting that system alerts are separate. Samsung notes that system alarms and some integrated messaging alerts can still appear, according to its support page. Check your alarms before a long session so an old reminder does not go off mid-duel.

Leaving the mode on all day. If you forget to turn it off, you risk missing real messages. Use a schedule or a trigger tied to the game so the quiet mode ends when you do.

Ignoring the app that keeps breaking through. If one app still gets through, open that app’s own notification settings and refine what it can send. Fixing the source beats fighting the symptom.

Common mistakes that let notifications back in

FAQ

How do I stop notifications during gaming?

Turn on your device’s quiet mode before you start. On iPhone that is Do Not Disturb or a custom Focus, on Samsung it is “Block during game” in Game Booster, and on Windows it is Focus. Add an automatic trigger if your device offers one so you never have to remember.

What is the difference between Do Not Disturb and Focus mode?

On iPhone running iOS 15 or later, Do Not Disturb is itself one of the Focus options, so the two work together. A custom Focus lets you choose exactly which people and apps can reach you. On Android, Focus mode is described as a simpler cousin of Do Not Disturb, usually switched on by hand.

Why do some notifications still appear on my Samsung phone while I play?

Samsung says that even with “Block during game” on, system alarms and alerts from certain integrated messaging apps can still come through. Check those apps’ own notification settings and adjust your alarms before you start a session.

How do I let important calls through while I game?

Use the allow list in your quiet mode. On iPhone, open Settings > Focus > Do Not Disturb and pick the people and apps allowed to notify you. Keep the list short so it stays meaningful.

How do I turn notifications back on afterward?

Reverse what you did to start. On iPhone, switch off Do Not Disturb or the active Focus in Control Center. On Samsung, closing the game ends the block. On Windows, end the Focus session from the taskbar or Settings.

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