Driving Mode turns off notifications and calls while you're behind the wheel
Driving Mode (called Focus mode set to Driving in iOS 16 and later) silences incoming calls, texts, and notifications so your phone won't distract you while driving. When it's on, people who call or text you get an automatic reply saying you're driving. The mode can turn on automatically when your iPhone detects you're in a moving vehicle, or you can switch it on manually whenever you want.
To turn it off, you have three options: disable it from Control Center, turn it off in Settings, or straightforward tell Siri to stop it. The fastest method takes about five seconds.
Key Takeaways
- Driving Mode silences calls and texts automatically, and senders receive a message saying you're driving.
- You can turn Driving Mode off when ready from Control Center without opening Settings.
- If Driving Mode keeps turning on by itself, you can disable automatic set up in Settings.
- Siri can turn Driving Mode off with a voice command if you're still in the car.
Disable Driving Mode from Control Center (fastest method)
Control Center is the quickest way to turn off Driving Mode. Swipe down from the top-right corner of your screen (or up from the bottom if you have an older iPhone), then look for the Driving Mode icon — it looks like a steering wheel inside a circle.
Tap the Driving Mode icon once to turn it off. The icon will dim or disappear, and your phone will start receiving notifications again. You're done — no Settings menu needed.
If you don't see the Driving Mode icon in Control Center, it means the feature hasn't been set up yet. You'll need to add it through Settings first (see the section below).
Turn off Driving Mode in Settings
If you prefer to disable Driving Mode through Settings, or if you want to prevent it from turning on automatically in the future, open the Settings app and tap Focus. You'll see a list of Focus modes, including Driving.
Tap Driving, then toggle the switch at the top to the off position. The switch will turn gray. This stops Driving Mode from being active right now and prevents it from turning on automatically when your iPhone detects motion.
If you want to keep Driving Mode available but just turn it off for this moment, you can also tap Turn Off at the bottom of the Driving Focus screen instead of toggling the main switch. This disables it temporarily but leaves the feature ready to use later.
Stop Driving Mode from turning on automatically
Your iPhone can set up Driving Mode on its own when it detects you're in a moving vehicle. If this happens and you don't want it to, you can disable automatic set up. Open Settings, go to Focus, then tap Driving.
Scroll down to the section labeled Turn On Automatically. You'll see an option that says When Connected to Car Bluetooth or When I'm Driving. Tap whichever option is turned on (it will have a checkmark), then tap it again to remove the checkmark and turn it off.
After you do this, Driving Mode will only turn on when you manually set up it from Control Center or ask Siri to turn it on. Your phone won't switch it on by itself anymore.
Use Siri to turn off Driving Mode
If you're still in the car and your hands are occupied, you can tell Siri to disable Driving Mode. Press and hold the side button (or home button on older iPhones) to set up Siri, then say "Turn off Driving Mode" or "Stop Driving Mode."
Siri will confirm that Driving Mode is off, and your notifications will resume. This works the same way whether Driving Mode turned on automatically or you activated it manually.
What happens when Driving Mode is on
While Driving Mode is active, your iPhone silences all incoming calls and text messages. People who try to reach you will see a screen that says you're driving and have notifications silenced. They can choose to send an emergency call through, which will ring on your phone even with Driving Mode on — this is designed for genuine emergencies.
Your phone still receives the messages and calls; they just don't make a sound or show notifications on your screen. Once you turn Driving Mode off, you'll see all the messages and missed calls that came in while it was active, and your phone will return to normal notification behavior.
Add Driving Mode to Control Center if it's missing
If you don't see the Driving Mode icon when you open Control Center, you need to add it first. Open Settings and tap Control Center. Scroll down to find Focus in the list of available controls, then tap the plus sign next to it to add it to your Control Center.
Once you've added Focus to Control Center, you'll see the icon the next time you swipe down. Tap it to see all your Focus modes, including Driving, and you can toggle Driving Mode on or off from there.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will people know I turned off Driving Mode?
No. The automatic reply that tells people you're driving only sends while Driving Mode is actually on. Once you turn it off, incoming calls and texts work normally, and callers won't receive any special message. They won't know the mode was ever active.
Can I customize what the automatic reply says?
Yes. Open Settings, go to Focus, tap Driving, then scroll to Auto-Reply. You can edit the message that people receive when they contact you while Driving Mode is on. The default message says you're driving with notifications silenced.
Does turning off Driving Mode stop it from turning back on automatically?
No. Turning it off temporarily just disables it for now. If you have automatic set up turned on (through Bluetooth or motion detection), it can turn back on the next time you drive. To prevent that, you need to disable automatic set up in Settings under Turn On Automatically.
What if Driving Mode won't turn off?
Try restarting your iPhone. Press and hold the side button and volume button together, slide to power off, wait 10 seconds, then press the side button again to turn it back on. If it still won't turn off, check that you're not in a different Focus mode (like Work or Sleep) that might be overriding it, and verify in Settings that Driving Mode is actually the active mode.