Starting with iOS 11, Apple introduced a Do Not Disturb While Driving Feature that's designed to mute incoming calls, texts, and notifications while you're driving to cut down on accident-causing distractions.

Do Not Disturb While Driving is not a feature that's enabled automatically, but you will see a popup prompting you to turn it on when Apple detects the motion of a car after installing iOS 11 or later for the first time. Despite the notification, you'll still need to choose how you want to use the feature if you miss the initial setup process.

donotdisturbdriving
Do Not Disturb can be set to turn on manually, automatically when the iPhone detects a car's acceleration, or when an iPhone connects to a car's Bluetooth.

Enabling Do Not Disturb While Driving

  1. Open the Settings app.
  2. Tap Do Not Disturb.
  3. Scroll down to "Do Not Disturb While Driving." donotdisturbwhiledrivingsetup
  4. Tap on "Activate" to choose how you want Do Not Disturb While Driving to be turned on. If you don't want to use Do Not Disturb While Driving, set it to manual.

Whenever Do Not Disturb While Driving is activated, you'll see a bar at the top of the screen letting you know incoming notifications are being muted.

Do Not Disturb While Driving Control Center Toggle

If you don't want to have Do Not Disturb While Driving turn on automatically but still want to use it, there's a Control Center setting for activating it.

  1. Open the Settings app.
  2. Choose Control Center.
  3. Select Customize Controls. dndcontrolcenter
  4. Add Do Not Disturb While Driving, which has an image of a car.

This adds the Do Not Disturb While Driving toggle to your Control Center. To turn it on or off, you just need to swipe to open the Control Center and tap it.

If You're a Passenger

When the automatic setting is enabled, Do Not Disturb While Driving will turn on whenever your iPhone detects the acceleration of a vehicle. This can be inconvenient if you're a passenger, so you'll need to turn it off through the Control Center or by tapping the persistent Do Not Disturb While Driving popup at the top of the display to let Apple know you're a passenger.

donotdisturbwhiledriving

Choosing Your Auto Reply Options

When you're driving, all of your incoming text messages are muted. You can choose an automatic text message that lets people know you're in the car and will text later, and you can customize who sees the message.

dndtextcustomization

  1. Open the Settings app.
  2. Choose Do Not Disturb.
  3. Scroll down to "Auto-Reply To" and tap it.
  4. You can choose for automatic texts to be sent to Recents, Favorites, All Contacts, or No one, if you would rather not have your phone send automatic replies.

Customizing Your Auto Reply

  1. Open the Settings app.
  2. Choose Do Not Disturb.
  3. Scroll down to "Auto-Reply" and tap it.

Apple sets a default message in this section, but you can change it to say whatever you want. This is the message people will receive when texting you when Do Not Disturb While Driving is enabled.

If there's an urgent issue and someone needs to get in contact with you immediately, they can break through Do Not Disturb While Driving by texting you "urgent." This will override your Do Not Disturb settings and will notify you of the text immediately.

donotdisturbwhiledrivintext
An ideal setup is to set auto replies to your favorites, which likely translates to close friends and family. This will let them text you in an emergency situation, but will prevent other less urgent messages from being a distraction.

Phone Calls

If your iPhone is connected to your car's Bluetooth system, iOS is smart enough to know you have a hands-free calling method available. In this situation, calls will continue to come through even when Do Not Disturb While Driving is enabled. Texts and notifications from apps will continue to be muted, though.

If you're not connected to Bluetooth and have no hands-free accessory, calls will be blocked like text messages and notifications.

Parental Restrictions

For parents of teenagers, there's an option to enable a restriction that will prevent Do Not Disturb While Driving settings from being changed or toggled off, guaranteeing children are using the feature whenever they're in the car. Here's how to turn it on (iOS 12 or later):

  1. Open the Settings app.
  2. Choose Screen Time.
  3. Tap on Content & Privacy Restrictions.
  4. Tap on the Content & Privacy Restrictions toggle to turn on restrictions.
  5. Scroll down to Do Not Disturb While Driving and tap it.
  6. Choose Don't Allow.

On devices running an earlier version of iOS, there are different steps to follow to access device restrictions. Open the Settings app, choose General, scroll down to Restrictions and then tap it. Enter your passcode and then find the "Do Not Disturb While Driving" option and choose "Don't Allow Changes."

Top Rated Comments

soupcan Avatar
97 months ago
I have a way shorter version.

Step 1: put phone on silent.
Step 2: put phone in pocket and keep it there.
Step 2: ???
Step 3: profit.

And if you're the kind of person who can't keep his hands off of his phone and thinks it's more important than paying attention to the road then you shouldn't even have a drivers licence.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Westside guy Avatar
97 months ago
This has happened to me twice now. You are not alone.
It makes me think of Microsoft Office back when they implemented Clippy.

"IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE DRIVING A CAR!" :confused:
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Peel Avatar
97 months ago
Do Not Disturb while Driving sounds good, but it's a bit infuriating. If I could decide which features to turn on it would be great, but as it is, it's all or nothing. I'm tired of getting in the car and saying "Hey Siri, open Waze", only to get a reply, "I'm sorry, I can't do that while you're driving." Well, if I can't open a navigation app while driving, that's pretty useless. I mean, when else would I want to open that app?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sandman42 Avatar
96 months ago
I like the idea of this feature, but not the way that it now contradicts and completely invalidates using my phone for navigation once I’m underway, even hands-free. I access Siri hands-free, “give me directions to X”, and get the expected response “getting directions to X”, then... nothing happens. Why update navigation with lane guidance, etc, then do this? I hope they fix this with a setting. Seems like at the very least I should be able to get “eyes free” audio only directions.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheCannonator Avatar
97 months ago
I have a way shorter version.

Step 1: put phone on silent.
Step 2: put phone in pocket and keep it there.
Step 2: ???
Step 3: profit.

And if you're the kind of person who can't keep his hands off of his phone and thinks it's more important than paying attention to the road then you shouldn't even have a drivers licence.
Excuse me Mr. Perfect it lets people know you are driving so they don’t bother you.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jimmy Bubbles Avatar
97 months ago
I assume this can't be set up to continue receiving calls but mute the notifications and text messages?
Actually, yes it can if you have those contacts added to your favorites. From there, your Do Not Disturb settings will allow the calls to go through if you have that setting enabled.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Coming Next Week With These New Features for Your iPhone

Friday February 14, 2025 6:18 am PST by
The first iOS 18.4 beta for iPhones should be just around the corner, and the update is expected to include many new features and changes. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects the iOS 18.4 beta to be released by next week. Below, we outline what to expect from iOS 18.4 so far. Apple Intelligence for Siri Siri is expected to get several enhancements powered by Apple Intelligence on iOS...
iPhone 17 Roundup Feature 2

iPhone Design to Change 'Significantly' This Year

Monday February 17, 2025 7:09 am PST by
Apple is set to "significantly change" the iPhone's design language later this year, according to a Weibo leaker. In a new post, the user known "Digital Chat Station" said that the iPhone's design is "starting to change significantly" this year. The "iPhone 17 Air" reportedly features a "horizontal, bar-shaped" design on the rear, likely referring to an elongated camera bump. On the other...
Apple Maps 2024

Apple Maps Might Start Showing Ads

Sunday February 16, 2025 7:22 am PST by
Apple is "exploring" the idea of showing search ads in the Apple Maps app, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Back in 2022, Gurman said software engineering was "already underway" to display ads in the Apple Maps app, but Apple did not move forward with the idea at the time. Today, he said Apple is "giving this notion more thought" again. This time around, he said Apple has yet to...
apple launch feb 2025 alt

What to Expect From the 'Apple Launch' Next Week

Thursday February 13, 2025 11:48 am PST by
Apple has yet to announce any new devices this year, but that could change starting next week. Apple CEO Tim Cook today said to "get ready" for a "launch" on Wednesday, February 19. "Get ready to meet the newest member of the family," said Cook, in a social media post. The post includes an #AppleLaunch hashtag, along with a short video featuring an animated Apple logo inside of a circle....
m2 pro mac mini

Apple is Now Selling a Refurbished Mac Mini for Just $319 (!)

Saturday February 15, 2025 9:58 am PST by
A few days ago, we reported that Apple's refurbished Mac mini pricing had a problem, and it appears that Apple has taken note. Apple was offering a refurbished Mac mini with the M2 chip, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage for $559, which was $50 more than a refurbished Mac mini with the M4 chip, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. All other key specifications were equal. That's no longer...
iPhone 17 Pro Render Front Page Tech

iPhone 17 Pro With All-New Camera Bar Design Allegedly Revealed

Thursday February 13, 2025 5:49 pm PST by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro will feature three rear cameras arranged in a familiar triangular layout, but the cameras will be housed in an all-new rectangular camera bar with rounded corners, according to YouTube channel Front Page Tech. iPhone 17 Pro camera design render created by Asher for Front Page Tech In a video uploaded today, Front Page Tech host Jon Prosser said the camera ...
Tim Cook Apple Park

10+ Announcements Apple Could Have Rolled Into a February Event

Saturday February 15, 2025 8:00 am PST by
Apple appears to have enough upcoming product announcements to justify a full event this month, yet all signs indicate these reveals will be handled through a series of press releases instead. There are a multitude of rumors from reliable sources about specific announcements in the coming weeks, so here's everything that Apple could have feasibly included in a hypothetical February event: ...
iPhone SE 4 Thumb 1

Apple's Next iPhone SE Launching on Wednesday - Here's What We Know

Friday February 14, 2025 4:04 pm PST by
Apple CEO Tim Cook teased an Apple announcement that's coming on Wednesday, February 19, and it's looking like that mystery announcement will be the next-generation iPhone SE. We've been hearing about the iPhone SE 4 for quite some time now, and we essentially know everything to expect. If you want a sneak peek at what's coming, read on. Naming Apple first introduced the iPhone SE in...