Author: Jonny Hatch
Service Technician for Allgaier Consulting
When Apple came out with iOS 11, I was so excited for the “Do Not Disturb While Driving” feature. I was hoping this would help me never be distracted by my phone while on the road again! Unfortunately, I quickly realized that my phone acts as my GPS. I need my Maps App (whether you use Waze, Google Maps, or Apple Maps), to be active on my phone! And that does not happen when “Do Not Disturb While Driving” is enabled.
So, if you prefer not to use this feature while driving, what else can you use it for? We will discuss exactly that in this post.
Automated Text Responses
Sometimes, I go on vacation. Not very often, because I am still a college student, but most email providers allow you to send an automated response to anyone who emails you while you are out of office for a time. “Do Not Disturb While Driving” can be configured to act similarly for short periods of time when you do not want to be disturbed.
You might be thinking, “What do you mean Jonny? How can it be used similarly to an automated email response?” Let me give an example:
You are on a date with your spouse. You are so busy at work, your kids are busy with school, and you desperately need undisturbed time to talk and be together. You turn on “Do Not Disturb While Driving.” You son, Billy, can’t find the Mac and Cheese, so he sends you a text. He receives a response back that says, “Hi! I am currently on a date with my spouse. Once we are home, I will check my phone and get back to you. (I’m not receiving notifications. If this is urgent, reply “urgent” to send a notification through with your original message.)”
If Billy has an emergency greater than an inability to locate curly, cheesy, noodely bliss, he can still reach you via phone call or by texting you the keyword “urgent.” But now, he will think twice before texting you too many times on your date.
While this is just one example, you could use “Do Not Disturb While Driving” for while at Church, while doing homework, while working on a time sensitive project. The possibilities are endless!
How Do I Set Up “DNDWD”
To set up DNDWD, navigate to Settings > Do Not Disturb > Auto-Reply. Here, you can edit the default response: “I’m driving with Do Not Disturb While Driving turned on. I’ll see your message when I get where I’m going.” The second half of the default response will always remain the same: “(I’m not receiving notifications. If this is urgent, reply “urgent” to send a notification through with your original message.)”
You can then turn on DNDWD manually by adding it to your Control Center. Do this by going to Settings > Control Center > Customize Controls.
