is there a way to have auto reply text while driving?

It's an app no one should need or use. We shouldn't be talking on the phone while driving, either, and I confess to using bluetooth. I've missed many a turn while on the phone, which is an illustration of how distracting it is.

I can appreciate your opinion, but it is exactly that: your opinion. Your ability to walk and chew gum at the same time does not equate to mine. It is not illegal for me to talk on the phone while I drive. So if you can't, that's your problem, not mine. Don't impose your values on me.

Again, this discussion is not about texting and driving, nor is it about talking and driving. It's about an application that has the ability to sense when you are moving in a car and automatically reply to your texts with a message like "Texting and driving don't mix. I am driving; I can't text. I'll reply when I arrive."

As it turns out, it is technically very difficult to have an app do this because of the iOS limitations on app interactions with the phone's functionality. So for such a function, it is apparently up to Apple to supply it.

I'm with you. What people fail to realize on here is that it can be used other than when you're driving. At a business meeting? Auto reply. Sick and sleeping? Auto reply. Or what I want it for - stuck in a group message and can't get out of it? Auto reply. When they see the same response over and over and over - they'll delete you from the group. I wish Apple could make a feature to leave group messages. I get the response "ask them to remove you." Easier said than them actually doing it.

Regardless of the use case, there is no way to do that on an iPhone. And, because of the way apps are "sandboxed" (isolated from one another) there is no way for anyone to write an app to do that. Submit your feedback directly to Apple requesting such a feature:

http://www.apple.com/feedback

Best of luck.

Would it not be as easy as leaving your computer on at home with iMessages being sent to your mobile device AND computer then having a few command scripts in terminal to manage those messages (i.e. when you're about to hit the road send yourself a text (let's say "driving") and have terminal recognize that command to enter auto reply mode, then text yourself "not driving" to put terminal on standby)?

This has been driving me crazy ever since I switched from my BlackBerry. I love a lot of things about the iPhone, but there are a lot of features the BlackBerry had that the iPhone doesn't. I miss them terribly! Really basic things for a power business user.

To me, the auto reply has very little to do with whether I receive a text while driving. Though it would be helpful in that case, too. I don't have a problem letting a text go without a reply for an hour or more. Text has become the new email in that regard.

But I had an app for BlackBerry called AutoTextBak. It was awesome. I used it in the same way as an out-of-office email reply. The purpose of that is so people don't think I'm ignoring them if I'm away from email. Same with voicemail. I can change my outgoing message if I'm on vacation or otherwise in a situation where I won't be checking (or wanting to reply to) voice mails.

I receive a ton of texts for both business and personal reasons. Recently, I went on a retreat where there was no cell service for the weekend. Other than alerting my entire network of humans that I would be away from texts, the only alternative was for people to think I was ignoring them. And then I returned to a s***-load of texts, which is totally stressful.

Help!!

I don't disagree with you. I've used autoreply and text forwarding apps on Android phones for years. However, there is no way to help you on this. The feature doesn't exist natively and, as has been explained a couple of times in this thread, can't be added by a third party app. You can suggest to Apple that you'd like such a feature:

http://www.apple.com/feedback

My standard operating procedure, especially where work is concerned, is if it's a life or death emergency, call 911. We have trained ourselves, our families and our friends that it's reasonable to expect an immediate response to every communication. It is not. But, I also used to, back in the day, turn my answering machine on when I go home so I could screen calls and turned it off when I went out so that people couldn't leave messages. 😉

Use Siri.

Boney Franklin wrote:

Use Siri.

Siri cannot autorespond.

Well, as expected. My earlier reply was deleted. But the iPhone does have the ability to do this. You're just not allowed.

If you know the script to write, please share. I have no idea where to start, or how to do that.

I have been looking for an app myself. It seems like there just isn't one out there as of yet. Maybe if we complain enough someone will hopefully come up with one for the iOS. I know for a fact that the Android market has plenty. Doesn't make sense. From what I understand using your phone at all in the car is soon to be outlawed. Which means no calls either. Someone needs to come up with something to alert the person on the other end that you are busy and will get back to them soon as possible.

And after reading all the responses I see that it's not possible. Well this *****. Looks like its Do Not Disturb for me while I'm sleeping. This was the main reason I wanted the app because even the phone on vibrate would wake me up. Guess people will just have to think I'm ignoring them. Like others have said, we have definitely programmed ourselves into thinking we have to respond right away. Maybe with newer updates we will be pleasantly surprised by some new apps or features that allow auto responding. Fingers crossed!