Do you worry about missing incoming calls? Setting up a text message autoresponder on your iPhone can help you stay connected with people who reach out. For business owners, auto-replies can reduce missed calls and voicemails by letting customers know you’re not available but will respond soon.
If you’re not sure how to set up auto-replies from your iPhone, this article will provide step-by-step instructions. We’ll also show you an option that’s more flexible than the iPhone’s built-in functionality.
Does an iPhone auto-reply feature exist?
iPhones do not have an auto-reply feature per se, but there is a workaround. On Apple’s iOS 15 and higher, you can use the Driving Focus feature. Most Apple focus modes (on iPhone and Mac devices) function as a “do not disturb” feature and simply silence calls and other notifications. But with Driving Focus turned on, you can auto-reply to text messages.
While the Driving Focus feature can work for a solopreneur, it’s hard to scale. Employees would need to set up auto-responders using Driving Focus mode, too, plus remember to turn it on and off as needed. The best way to set up iPhone auto-replies is to use a VoIP service for businesses with auto-reply features (more on that later).
How to send auto-reply texts from your iPhone
If you’d like to set up auto-replies in Driving Focus mode, here’s what you need to do.
- Go into the Settings of your iPhone and tap on Focus.
- If you don’t see Driving Focus on your list, tap on the (+) in the upper right corner.
- You’ll see a list of available Focus modes. Tap on Driving.
- On the next screen, tap on Customize Focus.
- Within Driving Focus, you can choose if you want to allow notifications from certain people (like family members, for example). You can opt to send the auto-reply to All Contacts, Favorites, Recents, or No One. Tap on Auto-Reply to make your selection.
- Type in the Auto-Reply Message you want to send.
- At the bottom of the screen, you’ll see an option to Turn On Automatically. If you want to use auto-replies outside of driving (such as during the evenings when you’re at home), you’ll want to select Activate Manually.
- To turn on Driving Focus mode, you’ll need to swipe down to access the Control Center. Tap on Focus.
- From your available Focus modes, tap on Driving. To turn it off, you’ll repeat the steps in your Control Center and tap on Driving again.
Drawbacks of using the Driving Focus feature to send auto-replies from your iPhone
While Driving Focus mode will work to send an automated text response, it comes with limitations.
Here are some things to consider:
- Clunky to use. You can’t schedule when to send your auto-replies, so you have to turn Driving Focus mode on and off as needed, which takes time.
- Tricky to change your reply message. For example, you may want a daytime message to say that you’ll reply by the end of the day and an evening message that says you’ll respond on the next business day. You’d have to change your auto-reply text message manually.
- Have to use the same message for missed calls and texts. There’s no option to respond differently to each, which means your message might confuse customers.
- No texting automations. You can’t easily schedule future text messages or quickly reply with “frequently used” templated responses like snippets.
- You can’t share a conversation. Even if a team member is available to call a customer back, they can lose the context of the conversation since there is no unified inbox that stores all texts and calls together.
- You can’t integrate your iPhone with your CRM (like HubSpot) and other business tools. CRMs are designed to show all customer interactions, and yours would be incomplete if you don’t manually add customer calls and texts.
Why OpenPhone is the best way to send texts from your iPhone
As a VoIP business phone provider, OpenPhone lets you send auto-replies based on different conditions, such as missed calls during business hours or a missed call without a voicemail.
With OpenPhone, your employees can collaboratively respond to customers’ questions and problems. With shared phone numbers and a unified inbox, employees can share the responsibility of answering and replying to calls and texts.
You can send automated texts to customers from any phone number or device on your OpenPhone account, including sending texts from your computer. In addition to auto-replies for scenarios like texts outside business hours, you can send automatic texts using Zapier’s integration. For example, if a customer fills out a form on your website, you can automatically send a welcome text.
For many people, using their personal iPhones for business blurs their work and personal life too much. Since the Driving Focus mode is so limited, you send the same auto-replies for both business and personal contacts. OpenPhone lets you maintain a separate business phone line for calls and texts, with the convenience of having the OpenPhone app right on your iPhone.
How to send auto-replies with the OpenPhone app
To set up auto-replies for your OpenPhone phone number, log into the OpenPhone web app.
- Click on Settings.
- Within Workspaces, click on Phone Numbers. Choose the phone number you want to set up auto-replies for.
- Scroll down to Auto-Replies and select from the six different auto-reply options.
- Type in the text of your auto-reply and click Save. It’s that easy!
How to write auto-replies your customers respond to
Ideally, you want your customers to feel like an auto-reply keeps the communication line open. Upon receiving an auto-reply, they may even provide additional details that can help you close a sale.
Make sure your auto-replies align with your brand. If your messaging is formal and respectful, your auto-replies should be the same. If your brand is known for being fun and casual, it’s ok for your auto-replies to have a similar tone.
Remember that your auto-replies should also set an expectation for a response. Let your customers know when you’ll get back to them, whether within a day or longer.
Most importantly, keep your messages short. You want your auto-replies to be less than 160 characters so they’re sent as a single SMS message instead of multiple messages.
iPhone auto-reply message examples
It can be tough to know exactly how to craft an auto-reply message. Here are some message templates to use for your Apple iPhone’s auto-replies. Keep in mind that your iPhone will always send the same automated text message unless you manually change it. With OpenPhone, you can set auto-replies based on different conditions.
You can also check out our longer list of auto-reply text examples.
Incoming text auto-reply
If customers send you a text, let them know why you’re unavailable to respond right now and when you can get back to them.
- “Hey! Thanks for your text message. I’m busy all day but will get back to you by 10 AM tomorrow.”
- “Hello, I’ve received your message. I’m currently out of the office, but I’ll respond when I’m back on Monday.”
- “Hey, we aren’t available to respond right now. We will get in touch when a rep is available.”
Missed calls auto-reply
A missed call auto-reply should indicate your team is available but couldn’t answer the call.
- “Hey! Sorry we missed your call. How can we help you?”
- “Hey, I can’t take your call right now, but I’ll get back to you as soon as I’m available.”
- “Hey, we can’t take your call right now, but can I answer your questions over text?”
Voicemail auto-reply
When you’re sending an auto-reply to a caller who left a voicemail, acknowledge that the voicemail was received.
- “Hey! Thanks for leaving a message. We’ll get back to you as soon as possible.”
- “Hi! I got your voicemail. I can’t get to it right now, but I’ll listen to it and call you back when I’m available.”
After business hours incoming message auto-reply
If customers text you outside of business hours, let them know when they can expect to receive a response.
- “Hey! Sorry we missed your call. We’re currently closed, but we will get back to you tomorrow morning.”
- “Hello. Our office is currently closed. We are open from 8 AM to 6 PM Monday – Friday.”
- “Hello, we aren’t available right now but will get back to you once our office re-opens tomorrow morning.”
After business hours missed calls auto-reply
When customers call your business phone when you’re closed, let them know you’re aware of their missed call and will get back to them.
- “Hey! Sorry we missed your call. We’re currently closed, but we will get back to you tomorrow morning.”
- “Hello. Our office is currently closed. We are open from 8 AM to 6 PM Monday – Friday.”
- “Hello, we aren’t available right now but will get back to you once our office re-opens tomorrow morning.”
After business hours voicemail auto-reply
If a customer calls your business and leaves a voicemail after the workday has ended, send an auto-reply message that lets them know when to expect a response.
- “Hey! Thanks for leaving a message. Our office is closed right now, but we’ll get back to you in the morning.”
- “Hello. Thanks for the voicemail. Once our team is back in the office tomorrow, we’ll respond to your voicemail!”
- “Hey, thanks for leaving me a message. I’ll get to it when I’m back in the office tomorrow.”
Check out our guide for more auto-reply text examples.
OpenPhone: The better alternative to send auto-reply texts from your iPhone
For most people, setting up auto-replies using the iPhone’s Driving Focus feature is too limiting. It might work for one-time use (like going on vacation), but using it daily for customer calls and texts will likely frustrate you.
OpenPhone gives you more options to send auto-replies from your small business phone number. And because phone calls and texts are shared, your customers won’t rely on your individual availability. A team member can jump in and take care of your customers more quickly.
You can check out OpenPhone by signing up for a free seven-day trial.
FAQ
Auto-replies can help businesses by managing customer expectations, getting ahead of missed responses, and improving customer service. They are also great at managing customer expectations if you frequently get calls and text messages on the weekend or during off-hours.
To begin setting up auto-replies for your iPhone, open an account on OpenPhone. Navigate to your phone number’s settings, scroll to the Auto-Replies section, and set up your auto-replies.
