Facebook is adding a new feature “Quiet Mode” to its main mobile app. The company announced this on Thursday.
The Quiet Mode is designed to pause “most” push notifications and remind users that it’s turned on when they try to open the software on their phone while the mode is still active.
The company has not clarified what notifications will be exempted from the new mode but it says some, like privacy updates, it is legally required to send out. This new mode is also not to be confused with the existing “mute push notifications” setting that lets you stop only push notifications, but not those within the app, for a designated amount of time.
Rather, this new Quiet Mode will be found under Facebook’s “Your Time on Facebook” dashboard, which it added back in November 2018, following a push for major platforms and device makers like Apple and Google to promote digital wellness apps.
This Quiet Mode is part of a larger update to the dashboard that Facebook says will add week-over-week trends, usage tracking for daytime versus night, and a counter for total number of visits. It’s rolling out now to iOS users and will arrive for Android users in May, the company says.
The new feature will work both manually and on a set schedule if a user so chooses. It will pause notifications from within the app, like those obnoxious Facebook Watch badges, and on a system level, so you won’t see numbered badges on iOS either.
An update from Facebook reads, “As we all adjust to new routines and staying home, setting boundaries for how you spend your time online can be helpful. Whether it’s to help you focus on your family and friends, sleep without distraction or manage how you spend your time at home, we have tools that can help you find the right balance for how you use Facebook.”
In addition to Quiet Mode, Facebook says it’s also added new shortcuts to the notification settings and News Feed preferences panel, so “you can make the most of your time on Facebook by controlling the type of posts you see in your News Feed as well as the updates you receive.”
