How to Auto-Reply to Texts on Your iPhone While Driving

* This post is part of iPhone Life's Tip of the Day newsletter. . *

Do Not Disturb While Driving disables text message notifications on your iPhone while you drive, but did you know that you can set up an auto-reply to respond to text messages while Do Not Disturb is on? To send an auto-reply text while driving, open the Settings app, go to Do Not Disturb While Driving, and create and enable an auto-text response. Read on to learn more.

Related: How to Let Emergency Contacts Reach You When Do Not Disturb Is Turned On

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You can turn on Do Not Disturb manually at any time, or enable Do Not Disturb to auto-engage while driving. Whether you enable the setting manually or have car mode set to auto-engage, it's easy to create an auto-reply to answer texts without having to disable Do Not Disturb while you drive. 

How to Auto-Reply to Texts While You’re in Drive Mode

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Select Do Not Disturb.
  3. Under Do Not Disturb While Driving, tap Auto-Reply To.


     
  4. Here, you can choose to send auto-replies to No One, Recents, Favorites, or All Contacts.
  5. Tap Back once you've made your selection.​


     
  6. Now select Auto-Reply. If you prefer to customize the default reply message, you can do that here.

That’s it! When Do Not Disturb While Driving is turned on, the contacts you selected will automatically receive the message you customized if they try to reach you via text.

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Author Details

Conner Carey's picture

Author Details

Conner Carey

Conner Carey's writing can be found at conpoet.com. She is currently writing a book, creating lots of content, and writing poetry via @conpoet on Instagram. She lives in an RV full-time with her mom, Jan and dog, Jodi as they slow-travel around the country.