How can I set up an auto generated response to a text message while on vacation?

Unfortunately, you cannot create a fully automatic Auto Reply, but you can create an automation that pops up every time you receive a message from certain contacts. When you receive a message, a shortcut will start where you have defined a message in advance, all you have to do is add the contact to whom the message should be sent.

How to make a Shortcut.

1. Open the Shortcuts app

2. Tap Automation at the bottom and select Create Personal Automation

3. Scroll down and tap "Messages"

3. In Sender, you add the contacts that should "trigger" the shortcut - for example, everyone from your work.

4. Tap Next and select Send Messages

5. Write the message to be sent in the Messages field. Leave the Recipients field blank.

6. Tap Next, and Done.

When you receive a message, tap the Shortcut notification and select Run. Tap the small "+" on the side to select a recipient and tap Done. The predefined message is sent to the recipient.

Alternatively, you should contact your Carrier and ask if they offer a Holiday Auto Reply service.

DrDavidW wrote:

Come on, Apple! Is this really so difficult? Can't you see how much more useful Focus Mode would be if this were an option? Please at least give some explanation for why we can't do this!

Apple doesn't read here in this user-to-user forum for feedback or suggestions. You can, however, let them know your thoughts here:

Product Feedback - Apple

You can also use Driving mode for this purpose. It's not ideal but, change the message to one that reflects your status and activate it manually.

Perhaps you can use the Shortcuts app to construct a shortcut to do this.

Intro to Shortcuts on iPhone and iPad - Apple Support

This is a huge mystery and a major thorn in my side with Focus Mode. Obviously, people go on vacation and they use auto-replies with email all the time. Every day, especially when I send out a group email to a large number of people, at least one or two instantly respond with an automatic reply telling me they're on vacation until a specific date and they will return on another specific date. Also, the Driving Focus Mode allows users to put in a customizable automatic text reply, but when you're in Driving Mode, your phone becomes more or less unusable, since the whole point of Driving Mode is to prevent you from using your phone. So, once I turn on my phone to play music or go to Safari, I've turned off Driving Mode and people can text me again.

So, Apple clearly has the know-how to create a Focus Mode with an automatic text reply, and everyone knows there would be a need for automatic text replies (at least in a "vacation mode") since it's existed in email for years. So, why is Apple not allowing automatic text replies in other focus modes??? It really feels like they are intentionally preventing users from having this ability and I simply can't understand why this is the case. Right now, if I'm in "Do Not Disturb" mode or "Sleep" mode, people may see that I have Focus Mode turned on and I may not be receiving notifications. But that only applies to other iPhone users, and even then, only to iPhone users who are paying attention (many do not, as I've learned). I would LOVE to be able to generate a simple reply saying something like, "Today is Wednesday, April 12, 2023. I will be unavailable between 12:00 PM and 3:00 PM and will not be able to see your text message during that time. I will get back to you shortly after 3:00 PM. If this urgent, please call my office at (555) 555-5555. Thank you."

Come on, Apple! Is this really so difficult? Can't you see how much more useful Focus Mode would be if this were an option? Please at least give some explanation for why we can't do this!

Thank you. Yes, I did give Apple the feedback, and I have used Driving mode for this, but if I'm in Driving mode and I want to look at my phone for some reason, it reminds me that I'm in Driving mode and asks me if I'm still driving. The only way to access the other features on the phone is to shut off driving mode. That's why I think the feature should be available in other focus modes. Hopefully, enough people have given Apple feedback about this, since I don't know why else they would ever consider changing it, since they never bothered to put it in the first (or second) iteration of focus mode.

BoomBoom57 wrote:

My current provider, ATT, does not provide that service, unfortunately.

AT&T does offer the following: “Block unwanted wireless calls and messages”

https://www.att.com/support/article/my-account/KM1009412/

You're welcome. I hope you find a suitable solution.