Can I set a vacation message / auto text response in Messages on iPhone?

When it comes to email, the ubiquitous vacation message helps others know when you're not reading things right away. Auto-reply is a handy feature of every email client. Now that so much correspondence takes place via iPhone Messages, how can you let people know you're away from your device?

There is no equivalent to the vacation message for texts, nor is there any option to automatically reply using Messages on iPhone.

That being said, if you need to let people know you're not reading messages a Focus filter can be set. The iPhone can also be placed in Do Not Disturb mode.

Make sure others can see your current Focus status under Settings -> Messages -> Focus -> ON (green switch). When someone sends you a message they will see your Focus or Do Not Disturb status.