Open Control Center, touch and hold Focus, then tap Driving to turn on Driving Focus. If Driving is missing, set it up first under Settings > Focus. On current iOS versions, Driving is a Focus mode rather than a separate “Do Not Disturb While Driving” button you must add using the old Settings instructions.
Before You Start
Driving Focus is available on iOS 15 and later. It replaced the older Do Not Disturb While Driving setting.
Decide whether you want to activate Driving manually or have it start when the phone detects driving or connects to the car. Setting up the mode and switching it on are separate tasks. If a paired Apple Watch taps your wrist at every turn, that is a separate Maps setting; see how to stop Maps directions on Apple Watch.
Apple says Driving Focus silences or limits text messages and other notifications. Incoming calls are allowed only when the iPhone is connected to CarPlay, a car Bluetooth system, or a hands-free accessory.
Set Up Driving if It Is Missing
- Open Settings.
- Tap Focus.
- If Driving is listed, tap it to see its settings.
- If it is not listed, tap the Add button, shown as a plus sign.
- Tap Driving.
- Tap Customize Focus and review the available options.
- Configure the people and auto-reply settings you want to use.
Apple documents the setup and activation choices in Use the Driving Focus on your iPhone. You do not need to create a custom Focus named Driving when Apple already supplies this mode.
Turn Driving On in Control Center
- On an iPhone with Face ID, swipe down from the top-right corner of the screen. On an iPhone with a Home button, swipe up from the bottom edge.
- Find the Focus control.
- Touch and hold Focus to show the available modes.
- Tap Driving.
- Check for the Driving indicator in Control Center and on the Lock Screen or status area.
If another Focus is active, the control may show that mode’s name or icon. Expand the control to choose Driving. Tapping a crescent-moon icon without expanding the list may activate Do Not Disturb instead of the mode you intended.
Turn Driving Off
Open Control Center again, expand the Focus control, and tap the active Driving mode to turn it off. Check that the Driving indicator is no longer active.
This ends the current session. It does not necessarily remove an automatic trigger. If Driving turns on again when you connect to the car or start moving, review While Driving and Activate With CarPlay in Settings.
Choose How Driving Starts Automatically
- Open Settings > Focus > Driving.
- Under Turn On Automatically, tap While Driving.
- Select the activation method you want.
- Review Activate With CarPlay separately if you use CarPlay.
Automatically: The iPhone tries to detect when you may be driving. Because it is detecting movement rather than identifying who is at the wheel, check what happens when you ride as a passenger.
When Connected to Car Bluetooth: Driving starts when the iPhone connects to a car’s Bluetooth system. Make sure the phone actually connects to your car; turning Bluetooth on isn’t enough by itself.
Manually: You decide when to activate Driving through Control Center. This is useful when automatic detection does not suit your routine.
Activate With CarPlay: Driving turns on when the iPhone connects to CarPlay. This trigger is separate, so turn it off too if you picked Manually and want full control.
Apple’s Driving Focus user guide lists these methods. There is no sensitivity setting for driving detection, so choose Manually or Car Bluetooth if automatic detection turns on too often.
Choose Who Can Notify You
To choose whose notifications get through:
- Open Settings > Focus > Driving.
- Tap People.
- Choose Allow Notifications From to list only the people who can reach you, or Silence Notifications From to list the people to mute.
- Tap Add People, select contacts, and tap Done.
Calls follow the separate Driving rule above: they come through only when the iPhone is connected to CarPlay, a car Bluetooth system, or a hands-free accessory.
Set Up an Auto-Reply
- Open Settings > Focus > Driving.
- Tap Auto-Reply.
- Choose who gets the reply: No One, Recents, Favorites, or All Contacts.
- Edit the auto-reply message if you want a different explanation.
- Read the finished text and check who will receive it.
Contacts who get the auto-reply can reply with urgent to send a notification through, according to Apple.
Auto-Reply comes with Driving Focus. If your main goal is general quiet time, see our Do Not Disturb guide.
Focus Status can tell people using supported apps that your notifications are silenced. It does not tell them the name of the specific Focus you are using.
Apple’s Driving support article says to enable Share Across Devices before configuring shared Focus Status. Review Settings > Focus > Focus Status, enable sharing if desired, and choose the Focus modes whose status you want to share.
Troubleshooting
Driving is not in Control Center: Expand Focus and check the list. If it is missing, add Driving under Settings > Focus.
It turns on when you are not driving: Check the automatic motion, car Bluetooth, and CarPlay triggers. Choose Manually if that works better for you.
It starts again after you turn it off: Turning off a session does not disable future triggers. Review the activation settings.
Contacts do not receive the auto-reply: Confirm Driving is active, the contact is in the selected audience, and Auto-Reply is configured. The status-sharing notice is not the same as an auto-reply message.
Your screen looks like an older tutorial: Check your iOS version. On iOS 15 and later, Driving is part of the Focus control, not a separate Control Center button.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where did Do Not Disturb While Driving go? Apple replaced it with Driving Focus in iOS 15. You turn it on from the Focus control in Control Center.
Can someone reach me in an emergency? Yes. People who get your auto-reply can reply with the word urgent to send their message through.
Is Driving the same as Do Not Disturb? No. Both are Focus modes, but Driving can turn on when your iPhone detects driving or connects to your car, and it can send an auto-reply.
Matthew Burleigh is the founder, head writer, and editor of Solve Your Tech, which he launched in 2012. He has written technology tutorials since 2008 and worked in IT since 2003, including small-business support, IT management, and consulting. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science from Arizona State University.
Matthew writes practical guides for Windows, iPhone and iPad, Microsoft Office, Outlook, Google apps, and Android. Solve Your Tech’s guides are checked step by step against the device or app maker’s own documentation and tested on his own devices whenever he has the hardware or software, with clear steps, sources, and update dates.
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