Here's How iOS 11's Do Not Disturb While Driving Feature Works

[MacBoy88]

Wow...people are freaking out!

Let me clarify a couple things:
1: It’s optional. Not on by default. I got a pop up a little while after installing iOS 11 asking if I wanted to try it.

2: You can unlock you phone at any time. After pressing the home button, you get a prompt that says I’m a passenger or cancel.

3: After you shut off you car (I’m using the Bluetooth setting) your notifications come in or you get a notification saying you didn’t have any notifications while driving.

There is room for improvements. For example it only works on the lock screen. If I’m using Waze (phone unlocked), notifications still come in. If I use Apple Maps on the lock screen, they do not come in. (I mainly use Waze, so this is a bummer) 3rd party messaging apps should get an API as many have mentioned.

4: If you don’t want to use it, don’t. I happen to really like this. I really try not to use my phone while driving, but feel obligated to respond sometimes. I’ve found this to remove the temptation. If your awesome and never use your phone, good for you. For others this is badly needed.

used this for a week. One thing I didn't like was that I didn't know I got text messages because the notifications were gone since it auto-replied.

As the betas progress, I hope they are able to implement the DND while driving while allowing the notifications to show up once you're done driving.

 

[splitpea]

It looks like you have no idea what truck drivers do while driving. I have seen people brush teeth while watching tv, read newspapers, read books, eat and watch tv etc., not to mention that trucks have big blindspot and even if they pay attention something bad can happen.

Stop making texting while driving the root of all evil.

Just because they do other crap that they shouldn't while driving doesn't make texting while driving ok. Every distraction we eliminate means lives saved.

 

[Weaselboy]

How are you connected to project fi on an iPhone?

From this article it looks like you can activate the Project Fi SIM on a supported phone, then move it over to an unlocked iPhone.

 

[MMcCraryNJ]

Does anyone know if this works in conjunction with the Apple Watch? One of my annoyances with it, and one of the reasons I returned my Series 2, was because while driving with it on, every single text/notification would light up on my wrist, and at night it was extremely distracting, borderline dangerous IMO

 

[Paul Dawkins]

Just because they do other crap that they shouldn't while driving doesn't make texting while driving ok. Every distraction we eliminate means lives saved.

No it's not ok, but there are many more dangerous activities people engage in while driving. No need to blow this out of proportions.

 

[gnasher729]

What about Ford Sync? If I get in an accident Sync will call 911 if my airbags are deployed. Would this interfere with emergency calls?

I think there are some legal provisions about emergency calls. I think you can emergency calls from a locked phone. So if I have a heart attack, and you don't have a phone, you can use my iPhone to call 911 for help even if the phone is locked. I would hope that emergency calls override this feature. Otherwise that would be a severe bug and most likely Apple would be legally required to fix it.

 

[alexgowers]

I find this feature absolutely needed for those who don't want to be disturbed while driving. It's basically I'm out of office for most forms of communication however time sensitive 3rd party apps are left out in the cold.

Most people seem to have construed it as a freedom or rights issue, when it is merely opt in and a convenience thing. It isn't mandatory and most people won't use it anyway.

It seems there is a brand of offended/outraged people we now have to just live with, whom seem to react to everything as if a personal attack was levelled against their very existence!

 

[gnasher729]

How come everyone is (rightly) praising this yet when the rumors about Apple putting TouchID on the back of the iPhone were around everybody moaned "how do I use it while driving"?

I have seen many posts complaining about TouchID on the back, and I think itself that this is about the worst place for it, but I haven't seen one single post that used the argument "how do I use it while driving". And the answer to the question would be obviously "you don't".

 

[imnotthewalrus]

Are we that stupid nowadays that we need an app that will remind us that using a phone while driving can be dangerous?

I dont need this, I just use my common sense.

Apparently, yes "we" are that stupid if you look at the accident (including fatal) statistics where texting or other device distractions were involved. I applaud any attempt to reduce those statistics. PS - "Common sense" is practically an oxymoron these days.

 

[gnasher729]

It looks like you have no idea what truck drivers do while driving. I have seen people brush teeth while watching tv, read newspapers, read books, eat and watch tv etc., not to mention that trucks have big blindspot and even if they pay attention something bad can happen.

Stop making texting while driving the root of all evil.

In the UK: Saw one truck driver doing all of that and was pretty shocked. Then I figured out that the truck was from the continent, and the driver was actually sitting on the other side. Passenger was reading the newspaper.

 

[Wowereit]

This is the biggest problem with this. Since the computer can't know if the device is being used by the passenger or driver, government will eventually force the phone to be disabled at all times while the device is in motion to "save the children".

That's my concern as well.

 

[user7c]

The workflow or routine that I would like to have to is to be able to say "Hi Siri, start Carplay mode" Then my iphone will work like the current Carplay mode where all function is by voice ONLY - no typing allowed (no need to unlock via touch ID or code) till you say "Stop Carplay mode". While in Carplay Mode, offer limited access for security and auto disengage when the phone detects you are not driving anymore and ask for confirmation. IMHO, I think this would be a more balanced option.

 

[spazzcat]

Disabling the screen while driving and deferring text messages while driving should be entirely separate features, because there are legitimate situations in which adults would want one without the other. If this feature really does prevent you from activating the screen, then it is fundamentally defective by design, as that would prevent a lot of things that you could otherwise do safely while driving, including:

• Using third-party navigation apps (glancing at traffic, using turn-by-turn, etc.)
  
• Listening to music or other content with third-party apps (pausing, skipping to the next song/program, etc.)
  
• Doing very nearly anything while stopped at a three-minute traffic light

Anyone who regularly does any of those things, assuming I'm understanding correctly, will be forced to disable this feature and will thus lose the benefits of its main behavior—auto-replying to texts and other messages and delivering them upon arrival.

What the heck is Apple thinking? What possible sane reason could they have for tying these two completely unrelated behaviors to a single setting?

You can turn the screen on, if your using GPS your going to have your screen on already. The screen will not turn on if you get a phone call or notification.
[doublepost=1498918820][/doublepost]

Some of the reactions to this are supprisingly idiotic.
If you can't see this as a good step towards safety then you need to rethink how you drive, and for the people claiming that some will disable it, yes, but they are the people who will crash due to lack of attention from sticking a pen lid into their ears whilst driving, the phone isn't the problem, its the moron holding (or not) the wheel and law needs to deal with them by removing them from the road permanently.

The people freaking out about this are the ones texting and driving.
[doublepost=1498919033][/doublepost]

No it's not ok, but there are many more dangerous activities people engage in while driving. No need to blow this out of proportions.

I would argue that people that are texting and driving are worse then drunk drivers. I don't know how many times I seen people swerving in a lane only to see their phone in their hands...

 

[stevefeinstein]

Are we that stupid nowadays that we need an app that will remind us that using a phone while driving can be dangerous?

Statistics say yes, we are that stupid.
[doublepost=1498923604][/doublepost]

Why not just turn your phone off. Pretty lame I think. Like others have said the ones that don't care will disable it anyway.

Navigation. That's why. I guess I could use a paper map. But when I used to have those they would get in the way of the steering wheel, and block the windshield. And they were so hard to fold.

 

[Paul Dawkins]

You can turn the screen on, if your using GPS your going to have your screen on already. The screen will not turn on if you get a phone call or notification.
[doublepost=1498918820][/doublepost]

The people freaking out about this are the ones texting and driving.
[doublepost=1498919033][/doublepost]

I would argue that people that are texting and driving are worse then drunk drivers. I don't know how many times I seen people swerving in a lane only to see their phone in their hands...

I guess it will depend on a person, but i have seen people do make up, eat, sleep (tesla) read books, watch video on a tablet and even talk on the phone, but i can't recall seeing someone text and zig zag the lanes. So from my experience there bigger evils that people do that can't be solved buy disabling notifications.

 

[BruceEBonus]

I am marketing a new device which works in ALL cars and is universal. You take your mobile. Open the device door. Place phone in the device. Close door. Forget. Sorted.

I shall call it The iGlove (Compartment). Expect to see one in a car near you. NOW!.

In other words. Act like a responsible adult and switch the bloody thing off. No. Really. See. What it is you don't NEED a phone when driving. Your brain does that part and it needs 100% attention.

But if you think you can circumvent the law and the family whose relative you killed whilst being distracted because your mobile phone is your right and you need it at ALL times else you will die - then fair enough.

Otherwise put it away just for half an hour? Please? No? Oh. Ok then. Phone, text and drive it is.

 

[Paul Dawkins]

In the UK: Saw one truck driver doing all of that and was pretty shocked. Then I figured out that the truck was from the continent, and the driver was actually sitting on the other side. Passenger was reading the newspaper.

Well i see truck DRIVERS do that every day. They just put the wheels on the lane markings on the right side so that they can feel the vibration and just do stuff while driving.

 

[BruceEBonus]

In the UK using a mobile phone while behind the wheel of a car is a controversial and incredibly dangerous issue, one which the Prime Minister herself has pledged to make as socially unacceptable as drink-driving.
Due to growing media attention and increased lobbying from the RAC the Government has taken drastic action to change the law on using mobile phones while behind the wheel of a car.

You are allowed to use fully hands-free phones while driving but you are forbidden from touching or picking it up, even for a moment.

Police still have the power to stop drivers if they believe that they are distracted by their hands-free mobile phone.

The RAC Report on Motoring says “it is difficult to say to what extent the distractions from hand-held mobile phone use cause accidents, or whether this problem has become more acute, but it is likely that official statistics understate the problem”. In other words, however alarming the stats are here, the reality is probably even worse still.

 

[Plutonius]

But you can force it on a teen who doesn't always make the best decisions.

I would feel better if we could also force it on millennials .

 

[charlituna]

iOS 11 introduces a new Do Not Disturb While Driving feature that's designed to block incoming calls, texts, and notifications while you're driving, with the aim of cutting down on distractions to prevent accidents.

all of this is incoming. what's to stop 16 year old Junior from grabbing his phone and making a call, typing a text etc.

nothing that I can see which means this fixes only have the problem
[doublepost=1498925369][/doublepost]

But you can force it on a teen who doesn't always make the best decisions.

its not just teens. I don't have a car at the moment and pretty much every time some yahoo almost ran me down due to distraction it was an adult.

 

[AppleZilla]

Any chance this will stop Maps from repeatedly producing distracting pop-ups in CarPlay to use highways, when I have specifically told Maps NOT to use highways?

 

[mkldev]

It doesn't prevent you from unlocking and using your phone and apps. It simply prevents notifications from coming through similar to the current DND and auto-replies to messages to let the sender know you will reply to them after your drive. It will allow those in your 'whitelist' to reply with URGENT to still breakthrough if needed and send a notification. It allows you the option to auto-detect drives, manual control through control center, or you can turn it off completely. When it is set to auto-detect, it has an option to select if you are a passenger.

According to several articles I've read, you can't actually unlock the phone and use your phone and apps while keeping the do-not-disturb feature turned on. The feature doesn't start functioning until you actually lock the device (or it auto-locks), so if you're getting turn-by-turn directions, the feature isn't active. And once locked, the only way to unlock it is to tap "I'm a passenger", which temporarily disables the feature, thus making it useless for anyone who wants to avoid distractions beyond their control while retaining the ability to perform safe actions on the phone at appropriate times.

Preventing notifications while driving and preventing unlocking while driving are two entirely unrelated behaviors with vastly different target audiences and should be two separate switches. You should be able to prevent notifications while driving even with the phone fully lit and usable. If you can't (as all the articles suggest), then the feature is defective by design.

 

[MachCrit]

Are we that stupid nowadays that we need an app that will remind us that using a phone while driving can be dangerous?

I dont need this, I just use my common sense.

You are one of the few...

 

[sudo1996]

Any bets on how long until the government starts requiring this for all phones? When they do, I bet you have to disable it manually every time, you won't e able to opt out.

You could just not pair your phone over Bluetooth.

 

[MachCrit]

This is the biggest problem with this. Since the computer can't know if the device is being used by the passenger or driver, government will eventually force the phone to be disabled at all times while the device is in motion to "save the children".

So no, I don't and will never support this no matter how many crazy idiots claim it improves safety. There are lots of ways to die, and the only way to stop them all is for the government to lock each person in a padded room with automatic light based on time of day, no electric outlets, TV turned to the government channel, and finally to push liquid nutrients under the door. You would sleep on the floor so you don't fall too far. And even with all of this, I'll bet some people will find a way to die.

Dying is a perfectly normal way for nature to get rid of idiots. We should let nature do its job.

You have no problem when these idiots kill others?