How the iPhone's Do Not Disturb While Driving Feature Works

Apple’s Sage Driving Mode

The `Do Not Disturb While Driving’, safe driving mode had been announced by Apple in June at the Worldwide Developer Conference, a feature that is focused in fighting the hazardous practice of using the device for safe driving which tends to switch off other alerts, enticing users in viewing their phones while on the run.

People distracted while driving has become a safety crisis since the entry of smartphones and as per statistic from U.S. Department of Transportation, around 10% of deadly crashes, 15% of injury crashes and 14% of overall police-reported motor vehicle traffic crashes are the result of distracted driving. Utilising your device while on the move especially while driving could be a dangerous issue and for the first time, Apple had now introduced a safe driving mode for iPhone in iOS 11.

The feature disables the users from receiving messages and calls forsafe driving and provides their contact with the awareness that the recipients are occupied. The safety addition,`Called Do Not Disturb While Driving’, would be added to all phones running iOS 11. The new mode has received the approval of the police and road safety advocates who state that this could help in the prevention of accidents due to the distraction of people while driving. The following would provide some insight on how it functions and how to turn it off:

When is `Do Not Disturb While Driving turned on? 

The toughest warning that a person is in his car is if their iPhone has been linked to a car Bluetooth network and since no one tends to have Bluetooth in their car, Apple has come up with other indications where one could be driving. The safe driving mode tends to utilise various signals like the accelerometer of the iPhone, the rate wherein it tends to find and loose the Wi-Fi network in the vicinity together with the GPS in trying to detect when it assumes one would be driving.

Since it has been turned on by default and tends to get activated mechanically, it could affect the public transport users as well as passengers. Over a period of time, the feature is said to be more precise as Apple intends to obtain more date regarding who is and is not at the wheels. This feature can also be mechanically activated from the new control centre of iOS 11. Initially one would have to add the option through Settings> ControlCentre > Customise Controls and then add Do Not Disturb While Driving, thereafter you could turn it on swiping up from the bottom of the screen and opt for it.

What occurs when it is turned on? 

The safe driving mode of iOS 11 has the tendency of detecting when the iPhone user seems to be driving and silences the notifications in order to avoid disturbing the user. Moreover it is also likely to turn the phone’s screen dark, making it more difficult to unlock the device. Users could set up the automatic iMessage replies in order to send it to their contacts when they may be driving and opt to receive the notifications for the message which may be crucial.

Besides this, the app also has the possibility of stopping users from receiving phone calls though they could opt to take the calls from some of the contacts as well as receive alert if the number tends to try again within a span of three minutes. Calls still have the potential of going through in-car Bluetooth system even though Do Not Disturb While Driving has been activated. Siri tends to work in Do Not Disturb While Driving mode though the same could only answer voice command with audible replies.Apple Maps also tends to have the same lock screen presence since it does when the mode is not initiated.

How to turn it off? 

If the phone tends to inform that it is in driving mode when it is unlocked, waking up the phone would only display the Do Not Disturb driving notification while everything else seems to be blocked. On pressing or swiping on the notification would enable the user to say one is not driving if the need arises of turning it off. In order to stop the same from turning on, when it is not needed, you could change the feature by going to Settings > Do Not Disturb, where one could control if the safety mode is activated mechanically, when the same has been connected manually to the car Bluetooth.

Phone calls are enabled when an iPhone is connected to the Bluetooth of the car or a hands-free accessory enabling the user to respond with picking up the phone. The calls tend to get blocked like text messages and notifications if the same is not connected to Bluetooth or a compatible accessory. This is a totally optional feature wherein the driver has the choice of not using or could toggle off at any point of time, though it is an essential feature which one needs to consider turning on to eliminate distractions for safe driving.