5. The application installed and running on the target iOS device processes the selected information and any other information provided to the iOS device or otherwise independently determinable by the iOS device (such as vehicle speed, location, whether the iOS device is on the user or passenger side of the vehicle, etc.), compares the selected information and other information to various distracted driving settings or policies established for the user;
6. The application on the iOS device then formulates a desired response to the ANCS notification and sends it back to the DriveID component;
7. The DriveID component then transmits the desired response in the form of an ANCS action back to the target iOS device, whereby that the ANCS service can process the ANCS action and perform the action desired by the application (but by-passing the iOS restrictions imposed on the application from interfering directly with the underlying activity or functionality of the iOS device).
It should be noted that while SMS is used in the above examples, the above processes can also be performed for Skype (or similar VoIP) messages, emails, calls, third party app notifications, etc.
The ANCS service on iOS devices requires that the two devices (the external control device and the iOS device) to be paired. This can create a burden in families with multiple cars or in commercial vehicle fleets in which there may be hundreds or even thousands of different vehicles. The present system allows the end user to pair the target iOS device to only one unit and, thereafter, share the “pairing” among one or more external control devices.