Android Auto’s most useful setting is hidden where you’d least expect it
Android Auto is essential if you want to access your phone from your car’s infotainment system without ever having to glance at the screen. But as convenient as they are, all those notifications that keep popping up while you’re driving are more than annoying: they can also be a dangerous distraction.
Although Android Auto has a built-in option to turn off message notifications, it’s not perfect if you still want alerts from specific apps or people. Fortunately, there is a more advanced way to customize these notifications while driving, but the problem is that the option is not found in Android Auto itself.
This setting enables Do Not Disturb when your phone connects to your car
If you hate receiving notifications while driving, this is the option to enable
One of the biggest annoyances I’ve encountered since I started using Android Auto are all the notifications I get while I’m driving. While I don’t mind being notified if one of my parents calls or messages me, I don’t really appreciate the distraction caused by my friend’s back-to-back Discord messages appearing on my car screen.
By default, Android Auto lets you turn message notifications on and off, and you can even turn off group chats, but it still lacks the fancier settings many of us crave.
Fortunately, most newer Android phones have a special driving mode that you can enable in the phone’s settings. It’s separate from Android Auto, but it integrates very well because it turns on when your phone recognizes that it’s connected to an Android Auto screen.
I wish Android Auto had these 4 CarPlay features
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The exact behavior of this option varies between phone brands. On my OnePlus 15, the option simply enables Do Not Disturb, while the Driving mode on my wife’s Samsung Galaxy S23+ acts more as an automation engine, with a standalone Do Not Disturb mode and a few additional options. The Google Pixel’s driving mode is similar to Samsung’s, although it’s slightly less customizable.
No matter what phone you have, this option can completely transform your Android Auto experience because you no longer need to enable Do Not Disturb every time you get in your car. If you haven’t used it recently because you can’t manage notifications, this might be the solution you’ve been looking for.
You can customize exactly who and what passes
Only let the important things pass
Driving mode works via Do Not Disturb, so you get the same level of control over notifications as you do with your phone’s DND. This means you can choose which apps are allowed to send notifications and, more importantly, which contacts can call and message you. You can let all calls and/or messages go through, but if you want to block absolutely everyone except your closest family and friends, this is the best way to do it.
I personally set it up so anyone can call and message me because chances are I’ll meet someone and they might call me to let me know plans have changed. The most important feature for me is that I can finally block all app notifications except for a few that I want to receive alerts for, just like my usual calls and messages.
If you have a Samsung phone, Driving mode offers more customization than just the automatic Do Not Disturb mode on my OnePlus 15.
For starters, Driving Mode’s DND settings are separate from your phone’s regular Do Not Disturb mode. For example, you can choose to be notified only by your favorite contacts and repeat callers in an emergency in Driving mode, while allowing most calls and notifications in your normal DND.
You can also configure custom actions to trigger when Driving mode is activated, such as opening an app, performing a specific action on the phone or app (like turning on mobile data), reading notifications aloud, or activating Bixby voice wake-up.
How to activate the option
It’s just a few clicks away
Enabling Driving mode on Samsung phones is very simple. Go to Settings > Fashions and routines > Conduct > To start. Set it to trigger when Android Auto is connected, then customize your options however you like.
On Pixel phones, the option is in Settings > Fashions > Conduct.
If you own a OnePlus 15 like me, the option is under Settings > Safety and emergency > Silencing notifications while driving. From there, you can set it to automatically enable Do Not Disturb as soon as it detects a Bluetooth connection with a car, or both when Bluetooth is connected and when you’re in a moving vehicle.
If you have an Android phone from a brand not mentioned here, try searching for a similar option by typing “driving” in the field Settings search bar to see if anything appears. Even if your phone doesn’t have a dedicated mode, you can still configure and enable Do Not Disturb manually, potentially by mapping it to your phone’s physical button, if it has one, to make the process as seamless as possible.
Do Not Disturb Mode Is My Sanity Secret
My inner peace is subject to a strict no-interruption policy.
This should have been integrated into Android Auto
Security features like these require better integration
While I’m glad that most phones now offer a way to enable Do Not Disturb While Driving, with varying degrees of customization, this is an option that really should be built into Android Auto. This way, everyone could benefit from this important safety feature, even users with older phones that don’t have a dedicated driving mode.
I don’t know if it’s too late, but I think Google could pull this off, given how useful it really is.
5 Android Auto Settings You Need to Change Before Your Next Ride
By changing these settings, you will want to drive your car much more often.
