Checking a text message while driving at 60 miles per hour means you are travelling the entire length of a football field while totally blind to the road ahead. Despite knowing the dangers, the compulsion to glance down when the iPhone screen lights up with a notification is incredibly difficult for many people to resist.
To help combat distracted driving, Apple includes a dedicated “Driving” Focus mode built directly into iOS. When activated, this mode silences all incoming texts, calls, and app notifications. Crucially, it can also send an automated text message reply to anyone trying to contact you, letting them know you are behind the wheel and will respond later.
This guide explains how to set up and automatically enable the Driving Focus on your iPhone.
How to Set Up the Driving Focus
The Driving mode is part of Apple’s overarching “Focus” system, which replaced the old “Do Not Disturb” settings.
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Scroll down and tap on Focus (represented by a purple moon icon).
- If you do not see “Driving” in the list of available Focus modes, tap the plus sign (+) in the top right corner and select Driving from the template list.
- Tap on the Driving Focus to enter its settings menu.
How to Configure Allowed Notifications
You may not want to block everyone. For example, you might want your spouse’s calls to break through in an emergency.
- Inside the Driving Focus menu, look under the “Allow Notifications” section and tap People.
- Tap Add People and select the specific contacts from your address book who are allowed to ring your phone while you are driving.
- Below that, ensure the “Allow Repeated Calls” toggle is turned on. This ensures that if anyone (even someone not on your allowed list) calls you twice within three minutes, the second call will break through the silence, assuming it is an emergency.
How to Set Up the Auto-Reply Message
The best feature of the Driving Focus is its ability to handle your texts for you.
- Go back to the main Driving Focus menu and tap on Auto-Reply.
- First, choose who receives the auto-reply. You can select “No One,” “Recents,” “Favorites,” or “All Contacts.” (Selecting All Contacts is usually the best approach).
- In the text box at the bottom, type your custom auto-reply message. (e.g., “I’m currently driving. I will see your message when I get to my destination.”)
How to Turn It On Automatically
The system is useless if you forget to turn it on every time you start the car. You must set it to trigger automatically.
- In the main Driving Focus menu, scroll down to the “Turn on Automatically” section and tap While Driving.
- Select your preferred trigger method:
- Automatically: The iPhone uses its internal accelerometers and GPS to detect when you are moving at car speeds and turns the mode on. (This is slightly flawed, as it will also turn on if you are just a passenger in an Uber).
- When Connected to Car Bluetooth: This is the most reliable method. The mode only activates when the iPhone connects to your specific vehicle’s stereo system.
- With CarPlay: If your car has Apple CarPlay, select this option. The mode will turn on the instant CarPlay boots up on your dashboard.
Once configured, you can put your phone in the cup holder and focus entirely on the road, knowing your iPhone is handling your notifications safely.