Skip to main content

Bad timing: Apple launches ad for iPhone’s Do Not Disturb mode on the same day it’s hit by a bug

If you’re going to put out an ad, you’re at the very least going to want to check that the product you’re shouting about actually works properly.

You see, Apple has just launched an ad for iOS 6’s Do Not Disturb feature, which allows you to silence calls, alerts and notifications between scheduled times.

The trouble is, for many iPhone users waking up on New Year’s Day – and also January 2 – the feature is still showing as enabled (with the crescent-moon icon displayed at the top of the screen) despite being outside of the scheduled times. This means users won’t be alerted to potentially important incoming calls or announcements, depending on how they’ve configured the feature.

While Apple might argue it was simply helping us to get some extra sleep on January 1 following the likely excesses of the previous evening, it appears the bug is not going away, with some iOS users reporting the continuation of the issue into January 2 (and quite possibly beyond).

The problem came to light via posts on a number of forums, though it appears it’s not affecting all iOS users.

As for the ad, talk about bad timing. The 30-second production (below), released on January 1, features tennis stars – and sisters – Venus and Serena Williams. It involves narrator Jeff Daniels having “a really cool dream” about him playing table tennis against the pair. It’s so cool, he says, that he doesn’t want to be disturbed. Cue explanation of the Do Not Disturb feature.

Until Apple issues a fix, users of Do Not Disturb affected by the bug will have to operate it manually by jumping over to the Settings menu on their iOS device and switching it on and off there.

[Featured image: Oria / Shutterstock]

Editors' Recommendations

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
Best iPhone 14 deals: Unlocked and refurbished
The Apple iPhone 14 Pro's camera module

While the iPhone 15 may be Apple’s most recent iPhone release, that only makes the iPhone 14 a better way to save. The iPhone 14 isn’t far removed from being among the best phones on the market, and it’s still a powerhouse option for most smartphone users. There are a lot of ways to save on an iPhone 14, with shopping refurbished models being one of the best. You'll get a good warranty and a large return window shopping refurbished with most major retailers, which makes them some of the best iPhone 14 deals you'll find. With so many to take advantage of right now, we thought we’d do the heavy lifting and put all of the best iPhone 14 deals together in one place. Reading onward you’ll find some impressive savings on all models of the Apple iPhone 14.
Apple iPhone 14 -- from $479, was $699

With the Apple iPhone 14 you’re getting what is still one of the most popular smartphones on the market. This is the iPhone 14 model that’s meant for everyone. It holds back a few features you can only get on the Pro model, but it still has an impressive 6.1-inch display, an impressive camera, and dozens of ways to personalize your iOS experience with widgets and fonts. The phone can reach up to 26 hours of battery life on a single charge, and it’s powered by Apple’s A15 Bionic chip. Face ID, emergency SOS via satellite, and super fast 5G cellular connectivity round out the top features of the Apple iPhone 14.
Buy Refurbished at Amazon — from $479

Read more
How to turn off call forwarding on iPhone and Android
A person holding the Apple iPhone 15 Plus, showing the camera.

If you’re mysteriously missing calls on your iPhone or Android smartphone, it may be because call forwarding is activated on your line. In that case, all your incoming calls could be going somewhere else.

Call forwarding shouldn’t typically be active unless you’ve specifically turned it on, but another person or app may have done so without your knowledge. And since call forwarding is a carrier feature, it could still be enabled on a line you inherited from someone else, even if you’ve swapped their SIM card into your phone or transferred it to a new account.

Read more
iPhone 16: news, rumored price, release date, and more
A person holding the Apple iPhone 15 Plus and Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

We're more than six months removed from the launch of the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro, so you know what that means: iPhone 16 rumors are in full force. Talk is heating up about everything from design leaks and rumored specs to camera changes and more.

Read more