How to customize the auto-reply response of your Driving Focus mode on iPhone

Learn how to customize the automatic replies that can be sent when the Driving Focus mode is enabled on your iPhone.

Driving Focus auto-reply response on iPhone

Driving Focus — which is one of the various Focus modes available on your iPhone — is an important step towards minimizing interaction with your phone behind the wheel and, more widely, an asset for road safety.

The Auto-Reply feature inside Driving Focus mode automatically sends a message to your favorite or selected contacts when they message you while Driving Focus is turned on. The default auto-reply message is “I’m driving with Focus turned on. I’ll see your message when I get where I’m going.

If the above default message doesn’t sound like your kind of jargon, follow these simple steps to personalize the stock reply.

Customize auto-reply for Driving Focus on iPhone

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone and tap Focus.
  2. Select the Driving Focus.
  3. Tap Auto-Reply.
  4. Tap the Auto-Reply Message field and adjust the note to your liking with custom text and emojis.
Customize auto-reply for Driving Focus on iPhone

Incidentally, your Auto-Reply does not seem to be capped by a (tight) character limit. I have not been asked to shorten my rather lengthy message yet, which indicates that if there is a limitation, it’s far beyond the traditional 140-character threshold.

If you are employing an iPhone for business purposes, you could also consider filling the Auto-Reply box with a business card-like message similar to a signature supplementing your emails. In that event, be sure to adjust the Auto-Reply To box from Favorites to All Contacts.

That’s all there is to know! Be safe on the roads.

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