Hey Reader! 👋

😖 The issue

Many parents struggle with distractions while driving. Constant notifications and calls on their iPhones make it worse. These distractions can divert your attention from the road and put you and your family at risk.

The usual way to deal with notifications is to ignore or mute them. This is hard to do and often doesn't work. This leads to interrupted drives and a higher chance of accidents.

There’s a better way.

The key to safer driving lies in using the Driving Focus feature on your iPhone. This feature minimizes distractions automatically and helps you focus on the road.

The Driving Focus feature silences your phone. It also blocks notifications so you won't feel the urge to check them when they arrive.

Let’s dive into how this system works and how you can set it up in just a few minutes.

👇 Give it a try

STEP 1: Set Up a Driving Focus

This step is crucial because it lays the foundation for a distraction-free driving experience.

The first step is to set up a Driving Focus on your iPhone. Without it, your phone will continue to interrupt you with notifications, calls, and alerts.

Here’s how to set it up:

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone and tap on Focus.
2. Tap on Driving and then Set Up.

This tells your iPhone to limit notifications while you drive, ensuring you focus on the road.

If you skip this step, you’ll miss out on the most effective way to block distractions.

STEP 2: Turn the Driving Focus On or Off

This step lets you control when your Driving Focus is active.

Turning the Driving Focus on or off is straightforward. Once you’ve set it up, you can easily toggle it as needed.

Here’s how to do it:

• Manually: Swipe down from the top-right corner of your iPhone to open Control Center. Tap the Focus button and select Driving.
• Automatically: Set it to turn on based on your location or when you connect to your car's Bluetooth.

The purpose of following this process is to ensure that you’re always focused on the road when driving.

STEP 3: Customize Your Notifications

Customizing your notifications reinforces the impact of your Driving Focus setup.

To allow or silence notifications from certain people:

1. Go to Settings > Focus, then tap Driving.
2. Under Allowed Notifications, tap People.
3. Tap Allow Notifications From or Silence Notifications From.
4. Tap Add People, then select the contacts that you want to allow or silence notifications from.

Customizing your Driving Focus can take a few minutes to complete. But, once this step is done, managing notifications while driving will be a breeze.

STEP 4: Share Your Focus Status

Sharing your Focus status tells others you're driving and may not respond right away. This helps manage expectations and reduces pressure to reply instantly.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Go to Settings > Focus.
2. Tap on Driving and toggle on Focus Status.

STEP 5: Turn On Auto-Reply

Auto-Reply sends your contacts a message. It tells them you're driving and will reply when it's safe.

Here’s how to do it:

• In the Driving Focus settings, tap Auto-Reply. Then, customize the message sent to your contacts.

✨ One more thing

Steal my auto-reply message

🤖 👋 Hi! {Your name}'s iPhone, here.

{Your name} is driving right now and not getting any message notifications. I'll make sure {he/she/they} gets the message once {he/she/they} arrives safely.

Thanks!

. . . . .

Here's how it looks when someone sends you a Message with Driving Focus on:

By following these steps, you’ve made a big step toward safer, more focused driving. Keep this system, and driving will be calmer and safer for you and your family.

P.S.