How to set up Do Not Disturb and auto-reply on your phone after hours

Schedule Do Not Disturb on your iPhone or Android to silence notifications after your chosen cut-off, then pair it with an auto-reply that acknowledges the customer's message and confirms when you will respond. The customer gets an instant acknowledgement, the lead stays warm, and you stay off the tools until morning.

Updated 26/10/2026

Why does every tradie need an after-hours phone boundary?

When your mobile is your office, your customers assume you are available around the clock. The ping at 9pm about a quote, the missed call at 6am on a Saturday, it never stops unless you make it stop.

The problem is not the customers. They text when it suits them, which is usually after their own workday ends. The problem is having no boundary between their convenience and your downtime.

• Burnout compounds quietly. Answering every after-hours message trains customers to expect it, which means more messages, later at night, and less recovery between jobs.
• Silence loses leads. Ignoring a 9pm text until 7am the next day means the customer has already messaged two other tradies. An auto-reply bridges the gap without you lifting a finger.
• A boundary is professional, not rude. Stating your hours and confirming when you will reply sets expectations clearly. Most customers respect it.

The fix takes under five minutes: schedule Do Not Disturb so your phone goes quiet at a set time each evening, and attach an auto-reply so the customer knows their message landed. Here is how to do it on both platforms.

How do I set up Focus mode on iPhone for after-hours?

iPhone Focus modes can be scheduled to activate automatically at a set time each day and allow calls only from chosen contacts. Apple introduced Focus in iOS 15 and it has been refined in every release since. Here is the setup, step by step.

1. Open Settings, then Focus. Tap the plus icon in the top right corner and choose Custom. Name it something clear like "After Hours" or "Off the Tools".
2. Choose allowed contacts. Add anyone who should still be able to reach you: family, your apprentice, your business partner. Everyone else is silenced until the Focus lifts.
3. Allow repeated callers. Under People, turn on "Allow Repeated Calls". If the same number rings twice within three minutes, the second call comes through. This catches genuine emergencies.
4. Set a schedule. Tap "Add Schedule", choose Time, and set it to activate at 5pm (or whenever you knock off) and deactivate at 6:30am. Choose which days of the week it runs.
5. Turn on Focus Status. Under Focus Status, enable "Share Focus Status". When someone messages you in iMessage, they see that you have notifications silenced. They can still send an urgent message that breaks through if they choose to.

The auto-reply piece on iPhone works natively in iMessage (the recipient sees "[Name] has notifications silenced") but does not send a custom SMS to non-iMessage contacts. For a custom text auto-reply to every SMS, pair this with your job management app's auto-responder or a missed-call text-back service.

How do I schedule Do Not Disturb on Android?

Android's Do Not Disturb has been built into every version since Android 6. The exact menu path varies by manufacturer (Samsung, Google Pixel, Oppo) but the logic is the same.

1. Open Settings, then Sound and Vibration (or Notifications), then Do Not Disturb. On Samsung devices this is under Notifications, then Do Not Disturb. On Pixel it is under Sound and Vibration.
2. Tap Schedules. Create a new schedule, name it "After Hours", and set the start and end time. Most tradies set 5pm to 6:30am on weekdays and all day Saturday and Sunday, adjusting for their actual hours.
3. Set exceptions. Under People, allow calls from Starred Contacts and from Repeat Callers. Under Apps, allow any app that handles genuine emergencies (your alarm, your security system).
4. Enable auto-reply (Samsung and Pixel). Samsung's One UI includes an auto-reply option under Do Not Disturb settings. Stock Android on Pixel does not have a built-in SMS auto-reply, so pair DND with your job management app or Google Messages' auto-reply if available on your device.

If your phone does not support a native SMS auto-reply, a job management app fills the gap. ServiceM8, Tradify, Fergus and simPRO all support business-hours auto-responders that reply to SMS, email and web enquiries in one place. See how AI text-back works for tradies for the dedicated options.

Which method suits your situation?

There are three layers to after-hours phone management and you can stack them. The table below compares what each one does, what it costs, and where it falls short.

Most tradies start with the free phone DND to get the boundary in place, then add the app auto-responder when they are ready. The AI text-back layer is worth it once you are losing enough after-hours leads to justify the spend. For a deeper comparison of missed-call handling options, see our dedicated guide.

What are the Spam Act rules for auto-reply texts?

Under the Spam Act 2003, commercial electronic messages require consent, must identify the sender, and must include a functional unsubscribe honoured within five business days. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) enforces it, and penalties for breaching the Spam Act 2003 can reach approximately $2.1 million for repeat offences (statutory maximum, indexed, verify current).

The good news: a straightforward transactional auto-reply is generally not considered a commercial electronic message. If all it does is confirm the message was received and state your business hours, the Spam Act does not apply.

The line moves the moment you add any promotional content. A discount code, a "book now and save" link, a referral incentive, any of these turn the auto-reply into a commercial message. As the ACMA states: "A commercial electronic message must include accurate information about the person or organisation that authorised the sending of the message."

• Safe: "Thanks for your message. Our hours are Mon to Fri, 7am to 5pm. I will get back to you first thing in the morning."
• Crosses the line: "Thanks for your message! Book this week and save on your first job. Reply BOOK to lock it in."

Keep your auto-reply transactional and you stay clear. If you want to promote, do it in a separate follow-up message with proper consent, identification and an unsubscribe link. For more on automation for tradies and how to wire these layers together safely, see our full guide.

This is general information, not legal advice. If you are unsure whether your auto-reply is a commercial message, check with a lawyer or the ACMA.

Morning routine: clear the queue in 15 minutes

The real payoff of DND plus auto-reply is not just a quiet evening. It is a clean, sorted queue waiting for you in the morning.

1. Check the queue before you drive. Open your job management app (or your messages) and scan the overnight enquiries. The auto-reply already told each one when to expect your response.
2. Triage by urgency. Emergency callouts (burst pipe, no power) get a call back first. Quote requests get a text confirming you will send the quote today. General enquiries get a personal reply.
3. Log every lead. Even if you cannot take the job, log the enquiry. A "thanks, we are booked out this week, try [referral]" reply keeps your name professional and earns word-of-mouth.

A 15-minute morning routine replaces the scattered, reactive scramble of answering messages all evening. The boundary protects your downtime and the system protects the leads.