For the App to know when you are moving in a car, your phone’s Location MUST be set to Always.

However, the App will NOT be monitoring your Location at all times.

It ONLY uses your phone’s Location services to monitor your speed when you are moving in a vehicle.

The App will automatically turns off Location monitoring when your vehicle stops and you start walking.

This will then limit the App’s overall use of your phone’s battery.

Be Aware when Driving: If your phone has FACE ID, make sure your phone is placed in a position that’s not square to your face. Glancing at your phone when it’s squared up to your face can cause accidental unlocks.

Go to the Topics section for more tips on avoiding Accidental Unlocks.

Apple Maps is the ONLY navigation app that allows you to view your map on a locked phone. After starting navigation, ALWAYS Lock your phone to avoid receiving Unlock Alerts.

If your phone connects to CarPlay, then you can use other navigation apps like Google Maps. But you still must Lock your phone before starting your trip.

Tap HERE for more details

This is an important setting in case you forget to lock your phone before your start driving. Here’s how you turn it on:

Go to your phone’s Settings > Display & Brightness > Auto-Lock > select 30 seconds.

Anytime you unlock your phone while driving, you will receive a notification called: Driver Unlock Alert

The Alert is designed to create awareness of your phone behavior while driving and also remind you to lock your phone and focus on driving safely.

Tap HERE for more details.

Turning ON Passenger Unlock:

1) Tap Unlock Alert Banner

2) Enter Code

3) Type Driver’s Name/Trip Info

When Passenger Unlock is turned ON:

Any Alerts associated with the current unlock will not affect your score.

The Unlock Alerts are turned off for the remainder of your Trip.

Passenger Unlock is automatically turned OFF when a Trip Ends:

(A) Trips End when you (and your phone) stop moving and walk away from the car.

(B) If you walk away, but leave the phone in the car, the Trip will not End unless the phone doesn’t move for 4+ minutes.

If you receive a “Trip Ended” notification, then Passenger Unlock is turned OFF.

But if you get back in your car and start a new Trip, then you will need to turn ON Passenger Unlock again.

As a Driver, you get 3 scores (Daily, Trending, and Monthly) that work together to give you feedback on your current phone behavior and whether or not you are improving. The Daily and Trending Scores are private (not shared with other drivers) while the Monthly Score is shared with other Drivers in your family.

For more details on each Score, tap HERE

Each Driver’s Status is listed with a bullet icon (green or red) on the App’s MY FAMILY page.

Green Bullet — means all the required settings are correct and the App is working correctly.

Red Bullet — means one or more settings need to be fixed for the App to work correctly.

Orange Warning Sign — Tap the sign to see the specific settings that need to be fixed.

Important: once the settings are corrected, the Driver needs to open the App to check and make sure their Bullet has changed back to Green.

(1) Open App Settings [Gear Wheel button in the upper left corner]

(2) Tap “Share Code to add Family…” to send your unique Code to other Family users or….

(3) Or if you have your Family Code, then Tap “Enter Code to join Family.”

Using Siri Commands allows you to perform tasks while driving with a locked phone without taking your eyes off of the road. Here is a list of the types of tasks Siri can help you do while you are driving:

“Hey Siri…”

Get Directions to a Location

Get Information (business address, weather, traffic, etc)

Call a Phone Number

Dictate and Send a Text Message

Change Songs or a Playlist in Music App (Apple Music, Spotify, etc.)

Accidental Unlocks can occur when a Driver is consciously not unlocking their phone while driving, yet the App still records one or more unlocks during the trip.

Here are some Tips that can reduce Accidental Unlocks…

Before you Start a Trip:

It’s a good habit to always check your phone’s home screen before you start driving.

If it’s open, just push the lock button on the right side before you start driving. The Lock icon at the top of your screen will confirm whether or not your phone is locked.

If your phone allows Face ID to unlock your phone, be careful when you look at your phone’s Lock icon. Face ID can change the Lock icon to Unlock. If you see this, just push the Lock button and place the phone face down.

During a Trip:

If you hear a buzz or see an Unlock Alert while driving, push the Lock button on the phone’s right side to stop the Notifications.

For iPhones with Face ID —

(A) Holding the phone toward your face while driving can cause your phone’s Lock icon to Unlock. If you see this, just push the Lock button and place the phone face down so it’s not square to your face while driving.

(B) Car Phone Holders — If you use a holder in your car, check the phone position to make sure your Face ID is not triggering an unlock.

Yes, for Safe+Driver to work properly, the app requires the following phone settings:

Go to your iOS Settings > Scroll down and Tap SafeDriver:

Location > Always > Precise Location > On

Motion & Fitness > On

Notifications > Allow

Background App Refresh > On

Cellular Data > On

Yes. If available, use Bluetooth to connect your phone to the car’s speaker system:

To receive calls while keeping your phone locked: Use the car’s audio system to answer the call [Safest Option] or answer the call via the phone screen

To dial a phone number while keeping your phone locked: (A) For phone numbers in your Contacts - Ask Siri to call the Contact Name. (B) For phone numbers in your Contacts without a name - Siri can’t call the number unless you give it the exact number

Safety Tip - if a call is urgent while driving, find a safe place to pull-over/exit the roadway and stop the car. You can unlock your phone and make a phone call without triggering banner alerts.

For phone numbers not in your Contacts (e.g. a restaurant) - Ask Siri to find the name of the restaurant and call it

If possible, use Bluetooth to connect your phone to the car’s speaker system.

When use your favorite music app (Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, etc.), the safest option is to select & start your playlist before starting your trip, then Lock your phone and start driving.

Changing music while driving:

(A) Use your car’s audio system to play or change songs/artists/playlists or…

(B) Ask Siri to start a playlist or play a specific song

Important: To set up Siri for your music app: Go to Settings > Siri & Search > Scroll to your music app > Open & Turn on Siri

Yes, even though you are moving, you can unlock your phone and not trigger an Alert because Apple’s Motion sensors can determine whether you are walking, running, or biking versus driving. Plus, an Unlock Alert can only be triggered if your are moving 15+ mph.

So unless you are an Olympic level power walker or Sprinting, you can always unlock your phone when walking and running (i.e. jogging).

But if you are Biking over 15 mph and you unlock your phone, you will get an Unlock Alert.

Yes! This is a valuable feature on iPhones. It can help Drivers keep their focus on the road by silencing their text messages and other notifications while they are driving.

However, it does not address a Driver’s desire/decision to use their phone while driving because a Driver can unlock their phone at anytime and without accountability.

Whereas, Safe+Driver creates awareness by reminding a Driver to lock their phone and then creates accountability with its scoring system.

If you don’t have it set up on your phone, here’s how to add it — Go to Settings > Focus > Driving > Turn On Automatically > select While Driving

Any mobile app that uses your Location will have some affect on your battery.

Safe+Driver has been designed to minimize its impact on your phone’s battery life. When you are not moving in a car, the app uses very little battery. When traveling in a car, the app does use your phone’s Location Services to estimate your speed which can use more battery power than normal.

Tip — Ways to conserve battery life:

(A) It’s a good habit to always plug in your power cord while driving.

(B) Force Closing your Background Apps, including Safe+Driver, is a good way to reduce your battery usage.

Yes, but if you are moving 15+ MPH and unlock your phone, you will receive Unlock Alerts. If this happens, just tap the notification, enter the Passenger Code, and type a note in the Driver’s Name field regarding the vehicle you are traveling in.