Apple Reveals 'Do Not Disturb While Driving' iOS 11 Feature to Hide Unnecessary Notifications - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple Reveals 'Do Not Disturb While Driving' iOS 11 Feature to Hide Unnecessary Notifications

by

A new safety feature is coming to iOS 11 this fall called "Do Not Disturb While Driving," which will block unnecessary notifications to your iPhone when it's connected via Bluetooth to a vehicle. Apple said it'll also be able to use speed-detection to know if a user is in a car while it's moving.

dnd while driving ios 11

iOS 11 introduces a new way to help drivers stay more focused on the road with Do Not Disturb while driving. iPhone can detect when you may be driving and automatically silence notifications to keep the screen dark. Users have the option of sending an auto reply to contacts listed in Favorites to let them know they are driving and cannot respond until they arrive at their destination.

When you're driving, Messages will auto-reply with a specific text message to those trying to reach you that you currently can't reply to their text. Users who are passengers will be able to tell iOS 11 and grant full notification access to their iPhone.

Related Forum: iOS 11

Top Rated Comments

Icestyle Avatar
115 months ago
They could make it so it senses a vehicle in motion even if it's not connected and disables the phone. They could easily make it so you can't disable it. If the customers don't like it they can go get an Android phone. It would make Apple a leader in safety.
Great idea... I don't have a car. Now what? Am I not allowed to use my phone in a train or tram or bus?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
115 months ago
If only this feature was forced...
There Would be legalities behind forcing something like this. But nonetheless, this is an outstanding feature to promote safety and a hands-free approach on the roadway and keep your eyes focused on the road. Do Not disturb while driving should have debuted sooner.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
zorinlynx Avatar
115 months ago
Disabling it by indicating that you're the passenger should require granting access to the rear camera. If it sees the steering wheel, it won't allow you to turn off DND. If the AR they demoed could identify a table, surely it could tell if you're driving.
Why do you yearn to be ruled by your technology rather than to be in charge yourself?

Every time I see this attitude it scares me.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
zorinlynx Avatar
115 months ago
Auto reply has been a feature of Android along with do not disturb. Speed sensing when connected to car Bluetooth is good. The stack knows because each vendor has a unique ID. On the other hand, what happens if I'm in the car and my phone is connected and I'm thenpassenger? Also, let's.face it, if you are the kind to text and drive you just won't connect or you will bypass.
Yup, that's just it. I actually LIKE this feature, because I often have my phone in a cradle while I'm driving providing me GPS navigation. It's nice for alerts to NOT come in automatically during that time. If I'm not using GPS navigation my phone is in my pocket out of sight and doesn't distract me.

(a buzz in my pocket is not as distracting as a notification bubble popping down with text on it in my field of view)

However I have a big problem with attitudes like DakotaGuy's, which cripple functionality while driving. I'm not always driving when I'm in my car, and don't want to have to implement annoying workarounds to be able to use my phone.

Keep these awesome features OPTIONAL, damnit.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
115 months ago
If only this feature was forced...
If only some people had common sense, this wouldn't even be needed.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
zorinlynx Avatar
115 months ago
It might take a long time to be fully implemented, but possibly there would a way for the phone to tell it's in a passenger vehicle so you could still use it other places. It'll probably take forced Government regulation to come up with something that will force disable a phone for a motor vehicle operator.
You sound like quite the authoritarian.

Why don't you just let people do what they want to do with their devices?

Note that I absolutely LOVE features like this as long as they are optional.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.4 Adds Two New Features to CarPlay

Tuesday March 24, 2026 1:55 pm PDT by
iOS 26.4 was released today, and it includes a couple of new features for CarPlay: an Ambient Music widget and support for voice-based chatbot apps. To update your iPhone 11 or newer to iOS 26.4, open the Settings app and tap on General → Software Update. CarPlay will automatically offer the new features so long as the iPhone connected to your vehicle is running iOS 26.4 or later....
Apple Business hero

Apple Unveils 'Apple Business' All-in-One Platform

Tuesday March 24, 2026 8:53 am PDT by
Apple today announced Apple Business, a new all-in-one platform that unifies device management, productivity tools, and customer outreach features. The service is designed to be a consolidated replacement for several of Apple's existing business-focused offerings, including Apple Business Essentials, Apple Business Manager, and Apple Business Connect. It provides organizations with a single...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 3, AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4

Tuesday March 24, 2026 12:31 pm PDT by
Apple today released new firmware for the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and the AirPods 4. The firmware has a version number of 8B39, up from 8B34 on the AirPods Pro 3, 8B28 on the AirPods Pro 2, and 8B21 on the AirPods 4. There is no word on what's included in the firmware, but Apple has a support document with limited notes. Most updates are limited to bug fixes and performance...