There are many icons that appear on the iPhone and each one has a specific meaning. Some of them make a lot of sense while others can be a bit of a puzzle.
The moon symbol is one of these symbols and it can mean a variety of different things. Let’s look at what the moon symbol means on iPhone text messages.
It means Do Not Disturb
Technology never ceases to surprise us, whether it’s the new emoji that appeared in the iPhone X update or the half moon symbol that shows up on your status bar or in iMessage. But it can be confusing to figure out what each of these icons means, and how you can modify them to your liking.
The half-moon icon that appears next to a conversation thread in Messages is usually a sign that you have muted that chat or enabled Do Not Disturb mode for the specific contact. This will prevent you from getting alerts for that particular discussion, but it doesn’t mean that you won’t receive any messages in the conversation.
If you don’t want to mut a specific conversation, you can turn off Do Not Disturb for that chat by simply swiping left on it in the list view and tapping the “Show Alerts” button. Once that is done, the moon symbol for Do Not Disturb mode will no longer appear in Messages.
While Do Not Disturb is a great feature that limits the amount of interruptions you get on your phone, it can also be annoying if you accidentally activate it. Luckily, it’s easy to disable Do Not Disturb on your iPhone, either by using the widget in the Control Center or by going into Settings.
In the latter case, you can also change the schedule for Do Not Disturb to turn on at certain times and in certain locations. This feature is called Smart Activation, and it works behind the scenes to decide when it’s time for Do Not Disturb to come on.
Once you have Do Not Disturb turned on, it will hold all notifications until you disable it. This includes incoming calls, text messages, and other types of notifications, like banners.
If you want to turn off Do Not Disturb mode for all of your conversations, open the Settings app on your iPhone and go to Focus settings. Here you can turn on Do Not Disturb for a specified time period, set it to tune on automatically, and even enable Focus mode for specific contacts or groups.
It means Hide Alerts
The moon symbol is a ubiquitous symbol on iOS, appearing in status bar and next to text messages. It means Do Not Disturb (DND) mode, which limits interruptions to the device.
Alternatively, it can be used to indicate that Hide Alerts is enabled for the contact. However, this option is not enabled by default. It can only be activated by accident, or by someone enabling it at the wrong time.
When you see the moon symbol next to a conversation in the Messages app, it means that Hide Alerts has been activated for that thread. This will stop you from getting any alerts from the contact for that particular message, but you will still receive all of their other texts.
You can remove the moon icon by swiping left on that specific conversation without opening it, or you can swipe up and tap the bell. This will also disable Do Not Disturb for that conversation, but it won’t stop all of your notifications from the contact from coming in.
Another way to remove the moon symbol is by switching off the Do Not Disturb (DND) or Hide Alerts feature for that thread in the Messages app. To do this, open the Messages app and select the thread with the crescent moon in it.
Once you’ve selected the thread, click on the “i” enclosed in a circle or Details button, which is located on the top right corner of the screen. This will open the details screen, where you can toggle off the Do Not Disturb or Hide Alerts feature.
A blue crescent moon means you’ve got a new, unread message waiting for you to read it. It’ll turn gray once you have read it. Similarly, a grey crescent moon means that the contact has muted their notifications for that thread. That’s the moon’s main function, but there are a few other things it does. If you’d like to know what they all mean, check out our guide below.
It means Silent Messages
Many iPhone users are no strangers to the moon symbol, as it appears on your home screen in the form of a crescent moon and is a good indicator of Do Not Disturb mode being active. However, this is not the only place the moon symbol appears on your iOS device.
The moon symbol also makes an appearance on the Messages app, where it will appear next to the most recent message from that contact. It is a nice little feature and is one of the few ways Apple allows you to mute certain messages without arousing your suspicion.
In the Messages app, it is a little more complicated to turn off the moon symbol but it is still possible to do so by swiping left on a conversation thread in the list view and tapping on ‘Show Alerts’. It is well worth the effort as you will no longer see the moon symbol for that particular message.
Similarly, the half moon / crescent moon iCon in the Messages app and on your status bar is also a pretty neat feature that is worth the time it takes to figure out what it does. If you have a particularly obnoxious contact you may want to unmute their chats for good measure, or you could even use it as a way to keep track of your most important messages.
It means Muted Conversations
Technology never ceases to surprise us, and we often wonder what some of the icons mean. It’s no different for iOS; the moon symbol is one that many users have trouble understanding.
The moon icon on iPhone is used to indicate that Do Not Disturb mode has been activated, which helps you limit the amount of interruptions on your device. It will also prevent you from receiving alerts for phone calls, text messages, and notifications from apps unless there’s an exception.
When Do Not Disturb mode is active, you won’t receive alerts from your phone for incoming messages or notifications from apps, though your screen will still be able to vibrate and make sounds. This will help you avoid missing crucial conversations with friends, family or colleagues.
However, this does not mean that you won’t hear from the person in the chat. The half-moon next to a conversation means that you’ve muted the contact or that the person has turned on Do Not Disturb for that chat.
If you want to get rid of the half-moon, then you’ll have to disable Do Not Disturb mode for that conversation. You can do so in the Control Center or the Settings app.
Once you’ve disabled Do Not Disturb for a conversation, the half-moon will turn gray and you’ll no longer see it next to that chat. If you’re unsure whether you’ve disabled Do Not Disturb, try unmuting the contact and checking your notifications again.
You can mute individual threads in Messages, too. To do this, tap and hold the conversation you want to mute for a few seconds and you’ll see options appear on the right side of the screen.
For example, if you have the Blue or Green Half Moon on your Messages app, it means that you’ve muted a specific contact and no new messages are coming from them. If you have the Gray Half Moon, it means that you’ve received a new message from that contact, but you haven’t read it yet.
You can also mute the entire chat by clicking the bell at the bottom of the list view. Just don’t forget to re-enable the Do Not Disturb mode before reopening the conversation.