Would you like to know how to clear the half-moon on your iPhone?
Let’s discuss what it means and how to clear it.
Half-moon on iPhone means you won’t receive message & call notifications. To clear it:
- Open a conversation with a half-moon.
- Tap the “i” icon at the top-right.
- Look for Hide Alerts, and disable it (Do Not Disturb for iOS 10 and earlier).
- Select Done at the top-right of your screen.
Navigating through iPhone problems is frustrating, especially when you feel like you’ve tried every solution.
Fortunately, the fix is much simpler than finding the solution. Although it differs slightly depending on your iPhone’s operating system, it’s very straightforward.
The steps above are easy to follow, even for those unfamiliar with technology, and guarantee you’ll remove the half-moon.
What Does Half Moon Mean On iPhone?

When you see the crescent moon icon for the first time, don’t be alarmed – it’s completely normal, and there are no issues with your iPhone’s software or hardware.
The half-moon icon functions as a Do Not Disturb feature. It appears beside a contact’s name in the Messages app, indicating that you selected not to receive notifications about new calls or messages from that contact. Similarly, if you use the half-moon setting on your device, you will not receive new calls or message notifications.
The only way to know if a contact with a half-moon sent you any messages is to navigate to them on your contact list. In other words, you can still see an indication that they sent you a message, but you won’t receive a sound queue or vibration notification.
Remember, the opposite is also true: If they have a half-moon icon next to their name, they won’t receive call or message notifications from you, either.
How Do You Turn Off The Half Moon Setting?
It takes less than a minute to disable the half-moon feature, here’s how:
- Go to your Messages app and open the conversation with the contact that has a half-moon icon.
- Tap the “i” icon at the top-right of your screen.
- Look for the Hide Alerts feature, and disable it (Do Not Disturb for iOS 10 and earlier).
- Select Done at the top-right of your screen.
Why Does The Half Moon Appear?
There is a good chance the half-moon setting switched on accidentally while your phone was in your pocket or bag, or you may have switched it on intentionally and forgot about it.
It could also be that you wanted to switch on a similar setting, perhaps a mute setting, but turned on the Hide Alerts feature instead.
How Is The Half Moon Setting Useful?
Since the half-moon setting mutes messages, calls, and calendar notifications, it can prevent people from bothering you when you want to rest or sleep.
If you have someone on your contact list who enjoys sending you messages or calling you at 03:00 a.m., the half-moon setting is ideal if you don’t want to block them but want to sleep peacefully.
Conclusion
The half-moon on the iPhone doesn’t block messages or calls, but it will mute any sound queues or notifications that indicate a new message or call.
It will only apply to the contact in the Message app that has a half-moon icon. Of course, you can use a half-moon the same way you remove it if you don’t want to receive notifications from a specific contact. It’s an excellent tool for personal privacy and peace of mind.