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Apple’s ‘hidden’ iPhone feature is designed to help you stay focused when driving Credits: Social Media
By Paul Fogarty

Apple’s ‘hidden’ iPhone feature is designed to help you stay focused when driving

By Paul Fogarty

Getting distracted while behind the wheel is one of the biggest causes of fatal car accidents in America according to a study by the CDC but a feature on Apples iPhone that many users may not know about is designed to help you focus when driving.

Apples Driving Focus feature on iPhone

Introduced with iOS 15 and available on later versions of the software, Driving Focus is essentially a do-not-disturb setting that activates while youre driving and is designed to help you stay focused on the road.

It can be very easy to glance at your phone when a notification pops up, but the Driving Focus feature has the ability to silence or limit text messages and other notifications depending on how you customize it.

If you receive a particularly urgent message, you can have Siri read replies to you so you dont have to look at your iPhone. You can use this feature to send an Auto-Reply which informs contacts that youre driving should they attempt to get in touch.

Additionally, the feature means that incoming calls are silenced unless your iPhone is connected to a CarPlay/car Bluetooth system or a hands-free tech accessory.

It should be noted that on its support site, Apple warns that Driving Focus is not a substitute for following the rules that prohibit distracted driving and you should still take care even when using the feature.

Close up woman driving and using touch screen smart phone in car
Amr Bo Shanab via Getty Images

How to turn Driving Focus on

To set up Driving Focus on your iPhone, follow these steps:

  • Settings > Focus > Tap + at the top right, then tap Driving.
  • Tap Customize Focus
  • Follow onscreen instructions to customize the notification settings you prefer

Once Driving Focus is set up, you can either turn it on manually via the Control Center or have the feature engage automatically when your iPhone detects its in a moving car.

To have Driving Focus come on automatically, from the Driving Focus setup page:

  • Tap While Driving (below Turn On Automatically), then select when you want the feature to activate from the following options:
  1. Automatically: When iPhone detects you might be driving.
  2. When Connected to Car Bluetooth: When your iPhone is connected to a cars Bluetooth system.
  3. Manually: When you turn it on in Control Center.
  4. Activate With CarPlay: Automatically when iPhone is connected to CarPlay.
Driving Focus setting page on iPhone
Apple | Paul Fogarty – The Focus

What if youre a passenger?

If your iPhone attempts to activate the Driving Focus feature while youre the passenger in a car, you can dismiss the notification according to the Apple support page.

This is done by simply tapping the Im Not Driving option.

While youre a passenger in a moving car, you can still receive calls, messages and notifications even when Driving Focus is turned on.