Why is my S4 randomly texting people in my phone that I am driving?!

[Taffymarie]

Every time I get in my car now, (just started a week ago) my S4 sends a text to all my contacts in my phone that "I am driving now." What in the world is this and why is it doing it?! I am having to turn my phone off completely every time I get in the car! It's not an auto response or anything because most of them are to people that I do not text with or haven't talked to in months. I normally do not text and drive unless at a stop light. But this is very unsafe because now they're all texting me back saying "what does that mean?" Or "Am I supposed to meet you somewhere that I forgot about?" and I am having to respond while driving! Make it stoppppp!!!

[MiiHere · Accepted solution]

It sounds like you have car mode on. From the home screen pull down the status bar. Then press the button that looks like 4 squares in the right corner and make sure the steering wheel; car mode, is not selected.

[Taffymarie]

The steering wheel is labeled as hands free mode on my phone. It's turned off and always has been. I've read other peoples posts about having this issue and they were told to turn off car mode also. But I have searched my phone everywhere for an hour last night looking for this setting and don't see anything that says car mode.

[MiiHere]

Go into your Message+ app, where you're viewing all the threads, NOT while in a specific thread and click the 3 vertical lines. At the top it might say "turn on driving mode" which is what you want it to say because you know it's off. From there scroll down to settings, select driving mode, and then unselect the box that says driving mode auto-reply.

[Taffymarie]

What's my message+ app? Is that my default messaging app that came on the phone? Because that's what I'm using. It's just called messaging. I don't see any other messaging apps on my phone or anything called that. I also don't have 3 vertical lines while in my messaging app. I can only get to the same pull down quick menu as before and nothing says car mode. I'm so confused. lol

[MiiHere]

I'm working off an s5, so yes, your default verizon messaging app and you just need the menu inside of it, but don't be in a message thread, just the "main screen" inside the messaging app. However you go the menu to pull down, do that, and go to settings where hopefully you'll see driving mode, don't forget to drag the screen up and down to look for it.

[vzw_customer_support]

Taffymarie,

I understand wanting to be able to have the choice to have the driving mode on when you want it to be. It is interesting that this has started on its own. Any changes to the phone at all, software updates, application updates? Please try the following steps to try to disable:

From the Home screen, select Apps > S Voice.

The first time the app runs, it will introduce you to the features you can use in Driving Mode. You can access the settings by pressing the Menu button. From there you can select Set driving mode on or off as desired.

For a second option, you can select Menu > Settings to shut Driving mode off as well as access additional settings.

Please let us know how this works for you.

TionnaB_VZW

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[Taffymarie]

I wish it was as easy as turning off this "drive mode" that you talk about. I can promise you there is nothing in my phone called that. Nothing in settings, or my drop down screen of quick menu options, nothing in the s voice, not in the main thread of the messaging app. Nowhere. I've searched this phone up and down for hrs. My friends have looked. I even took it into the local Verizon store and he tried and found nothing. I can promise you it doesn't exist.Verizon is sending me a new phone bc they didn't know what else to try to get it to stop. Soo frustrating.