This is a neat idea! We are way too ossified in some of our interface paradigms while also having thrown out science-based best practices hard-won in the '90's.

The scenario you describe is already a disaster, though! Who let that slip through? Replying to a message should create an idempotent context that can't run away from you. "What a mess!" as the kids say.

I'm not a user of smart earphones but lots of things like that should be on the table. Decades ago we were waiting for small cheap cameras and CV to do focus-follows-gaze and just kinda forgot about it when the stack arrived.

There are more "pinch to zoom" type revolutions available to those with a studious HCI methodology. Even Academia seems to be chasing "latest craze" development now, not fundamentals.

I hope your experiment succeeds!