Samsung, or more accurately, Samsung Electronics Benelux B.V, has announced that it is making available a new app which is designed to assist mobile device owners while driving. The app is In-Traffic Reply and largely sums up what the app intends to do. When a mobile device owner is behind the wheel, the In-Traffic Reply app will allow the driver to focus more on the road and less on the mobile device. Samsung has confirmed that at the moment the app is only being made available as a beta release, although it is expected to become available for download through the Google Play Store in mid May.
According to the announcement from Samsung, In-Traffic Reply does not even require a user to activate the feature – unlike other similar apps. Instead, In-Traffic Reply uses the GPS signal (and other sensors) to detect when the mobile device owner is either behind the wheel or on a bike. At which point the app will initiate itself and send automated responses to incoming calls and messages. As you might expect, the user is able to set the default messages for when such instances occur, including choosing from a selection of default messages, or creating their own.
Of course, ‘distracted drivers’ has been a topic that has hit the headlines repeatedly over the last few weeks and months with various governments, agencies, and organizations, looking to combat what seems to be a rising level of people using a mobile device while driving. While most of these measures have involved fining or punishing those who drive while using a mobile phone, some (like this latest one from Samsung) look to remove the need for drivers and riders to use their smartphone in the first place. Likewise, this is not actually the first app to adopt this sort of automatic response functionality, although in this instance, it is the latest from Samsung. The company has yet to confirm how widely available the app will be, although if it is becoming available via the Google Play Store, it does stand to reason that this will be a widely compatible app. In other words, not just a Samsung Galaxy app.