iPhone Any one finds the "parallax" effect useless as I do?

[typicaluser]

I don't know how this so called"Parallax" feature (which makes the home screen move against background when the phone is titled in different directions) helps other iPhone users. For me it only serve the purpose of using more battery cause it has to continuously collect data from gravity and gyro sensors thus keeping these sensor on all the time. Even with the "perspective zoom" set to off, the parallax effect still exists, which annoys me a lot. I think it's almost unnoticeable for many iPhone users given "perspective zoom" set to off. If that's true what's the purpose of having this unnoticeable effect???

Yes, I know I can't turn on "reduce motion" in settings. But I need the animation as it makes the UI more intuitive and informative especially during app switching process.

 

[Janichsan]

Yes, I know I can't turn on "reduce motion" in settings. But I need the animation as it makes the UI more intuitive and informative especially during app switching process.

You are aware you can turn off just the perspective effect in the background image settings?

 

[Nolander07]

I like it.

 

[typicaluser]

You are aware you can turn off just the perspective effect in the background image settings?

Yes, I am. But are you aware even if you turn it off the app icons on home screen still moves a little bit when you tilt your phone to different directions?

 

[Paradoxally]

Jailbreak and install Disable Parallax Effect from Cydia. That way you disable that annoying parallax crap and keep the icon animations.

 

[jrswizzle]

I don't know how this so called"Parallax" feature (which makes the home screen move against background when the phone is titled in different directions) helps other iPhone users. For me it only serve the purpose of using more battery cause it has to continuously collect data from gravity and gyro sensors thus keeping these sensor on all the time. Even with the "perspective zoom" set to off, the parallax effect still exists, which annoys me a lot. I think it's almost unnoticeable for many iPhone users given "perspective zoom" set to off. If that's true what's of purpose of having this unnoticeable effect???

Yes, I know I can't turn on "reduce motion" in settings. But I need the animation as it makes the UI more intuitive and informative especially during app switching process.

It's an aesthetic choice that users can switch on or off. It doesn't have any effect on your battery life.

If you don't like it, turn it off. If you want the animations leave it on. It's not negatively impacting you (unless you're one of the people who get motion sickness from it).

I personally like the subtle look and feel of an added dimension. Most of the time I don't really even realize its there anymore though.

 

[XTheLancerX]

It's an aesthetic choice that users can switch on or off. It doesn't have any effect on your battery life.

If you don't like it, turn it off. If you want the animations leave it on. It's not negatively impacting you (unless you're one of the people who get motion sickness from it).

I personally like the subtle look and feel of an added dimension. Most of the time I don't really even realize its there anymore though.

The problem is, you can't *fully* turn it off without turning on reduce motion and losing all animations.

When you set your wallpaper and disable "Perspective Zoom" and return to the the home screen, you will notice that yes, the wallpaper no longer moves, but the icons still move subtly.

I find this quite annoying as well, just like the original poster. If I want parallax off, I want it off. Not half off.

 

[Armen]

For me it only serve the purpose of using more battery cause it has to continuously collect data from gravity and gyro sensors thus keeping these sensor on all the time.

First off, the gyro sensors are on ALL the time anyway (maybe it's off when the phone is asleep). How else do you think your phone knows when to rotate the screen from portrait to landscape?

Secondly, there is no proof that parallax impacts battery life enough to turn it off.

Lastly, it's just an aesthetic feature. It doesn't really have a function.

 

[KALLT]

Is it actually true that this effect uses more energy? I always assumed that the sensors the OP mentioned are always enabled, not just when the relevant APIs are called. I would be inclined to accept that the energy usage of that effect is minuscule.

I think I don't like that feature because it makes no sense to me. I didn't have it on the iPhone 4, but when I received my iPhone 6 I thought that something was wrong with my screen due to the perceived misalignment. I also don't think that the effect is very good anyway, to me the illusion just doesn't really work.

 

[Act3]

I don't know how this so called"Parallax" feature (which makes the home screen move against background when the phone is titled in different directions) helps other iPhone users. For me it only serve the purpose of using more battery cause it has to continuously collect data from gravity and gyro sensors thus keeping these sensor on all the time. Even with the "perspective zoom" set to off, the parallax effect still exists, which annoys me a lot. I think it's almost unnoticeable for many iPhone users given "perspective zoom" set to off. If that's true what's of purpose of having this unnoticeable effect???

Yes, I know I can't turn on "reduce motion" in settings. But I need the animation as it makes the UI more intuitive and informative especially during app switching process.

How does the animation make the app switching process more informative? I prefer it all turned off, probably placebo but it seems faster switching apps without the eye candy IMO.

 

[XTheLancerX]

My *main* gripe with the effect actually, other than the movement simply being unnecessary, is that I don't like how it screws with my wallpapers, and zooms them in.

How does the animation make the app switching process more informative? I prefer it all turned off, probably placebo but it seems faster switching apps without the eye candy IMO.

To me, yes, I know it sounds weird, but it seems almost overwhelming when there's no animation. Things just appear seemingly out of nowhere rather than moving to a given spot. Everything feels more intuitive and cohesive, I guess? Hard for me to explain. Anyway, the animations don't feel slow to me anyway, especially since the app open and close animation, unlock animation, etc have been sped up significantly after the 7.1 update way back when. I love the look of iOS' animations, okay?

Is it actually true that this effect uses more energy? I always assumed that the sensors the OP mentioned are always enabled, not just when the relevant APIs are called. I would be inclined to accept that the energy usage of that effect is minuscule.

I think I don't like that feature because it makes no sense to me. I didn't have it on the iPhone 4, but when I received my iPhone 6 I thought that something was wrong with my screen due to the perceived misalignment. I also don't think that the effect is very good anyway, to me the illusion just doesn't really work.

I don't think this really causes too much battery drain, since people don't seem to be complaining that when they turn the setting off, things improve, etc. And the illusion doesn't work for me either, unless I have 1 eye closed. It makes me lose depth perception, so my brain is tricked into thinking that the artificial depth created by the moving of the wallpaper is real, I suppose. The effect is really cool when one eye is closed, but I'm not going to use my phone only with one eye open all the time, obviously. With both eyes open it just looks like unnecessary movement that I personally find a little annoying.

 

[sunking101]

Switched it off on my i5 to conserve battery power and haven't switched it back on with my 6+. I prefer the minimal animations.

 

[KALLT]

I don't think this really causes too much battery drain, since people don't seem to be complaining that when they turn the setting off, things improve, etc. And the illusion doesn't work for me either, unless I have 1 eye closed. It makes me lose depth perception, so my brain is tricked into thinking that the artificial depth created by the moving of the wallpaper is real, I suppose. The effect is really cool when one eye is closed, but I'm not going to use my phone only with one eye open all the time, obviously. With both eyes open it just looks like unnecessary movement that I personally find a little annoying.

I doesn't work for me at all, not even with one eye closed. It barely moves the icons and the animation is even a bit jittery at times. There just isn't anything about it that would give me the illusion of depth.

 

[typicaluser]

How does the animation make the app switching process more informative? I prefer it all turned off, probably placebo but it seems faster switching apps without the eye candy IMO.

Perhaps I misused the word 'informative' here. What I meant was when you are taken to another app by tapping something in one app, the app switching animation gives you a clear sense that the app you are using is switched. In contrast, the fading out and in transition is not as manifest. At least the animation benefits me this way.

 

[Coupz]

I find it useless and hate it, that we can't disable parallax without losing animations.

 

[Sym0]

I don't know how this so called"Parallax" feature (which makes the home screen move against background when the phone is titled in different directions) helps other iPhone users. For me it only serve the purpose of using more battery cause it has to continuously collect data from gravity and gyro sensors thus keeping these sensor on all the time. Even with the "perspective zoom" set to off, the parallax effect still exists, which annoys me a lot. I think it's almost unnoticeable for many iPhone users given "perspective zoom" set to off. If that's true what's of purpose of having this unnoticeable effect???

Yes, I know I can't turn on "reduce motion" in settings. But I need the animation as it makes the UI more intuitive and informative especially during app switching process.

Yep prob the dumbest thing I have seen. And when its off, its still slightly on... dumber still.

 

[jabingla2810]

In terms of functionality it doesn't provide anything.

However I like it. It adds a feeling of liveliness to an otherwise static screen. It carries through to some apps too, like the tab view in Safari.

It's not for everyone, hence why you can turn it off, but I like it.

It's similar to that elastic bounce they added to control center in iOS 7.1 (I think), it doesn't provide any functionality, bit it just adds an element of fun to the experience of using it.

Also similar to the bounce off the bottom of the screen that Notification center has when you pull it down. It doesn't provide anything, except it's a satisfying animation that adds to the user experience.

 

[bbfc]

Are we still talking about this? Just turn it off if you don't like it.

 

[GreyOS]

Yep prob the dumbest thing I have seen. And when its off, its still slightly on... dumber still.

The option isn't to disable parallax but to disable perspective zoom. With the latter disabled, the icons move the same amount but the wallpaper is not zoomed and moving in the opposite direction (which, when enabled, makes it looks like the icons move more than they do)

 

[Oohara]

I like it. And if battery life is suffering I couldn't tell, the battery life on my 6 Plus is gargantuan sorry

 

[typicaluser]

...
I personally like the subtle look and feel of an added dimension. Most of the time I don't really even realize its there anymore though.

This is an irony for Apple. Even for people who like the added dimension which is what Apple design the parallax effect to create, the parallax is too subtle to get noticed "most of the time". From all replies, 4 cases can be concluded:

1. People like me who doesn't like parallax. These people can't turn it off completely so they grumble occasionally.
2. People who like parallax don't notice it most of the time. Parallax is of little use to them.
3. People who like parallax and are capable of noticing it. They enjoy it.
4.People who just don't care if there is parallax or not. They are either not sensitive enough to notice the effect or they feel indifferent to it.

To make a rational decision on whether to add parallax feature depends on respective percentage of these 4 cases but my gut feeling is that case 3 is nowhere near 50%.

 

[The Doctor11]

I like it. I just think its cool how it moves as I do...

 

[LizKat]

I think it's fun (despite initial reservations) but have turned it off temporarily. I wear progressive lenses and every time I get a new prescription it takes about three weeks for my eyes and brain to find the sweet spots for phone, book and laptop use. A new scrip seems to generate parallax effect everywhere. I have to take my specs off to back my car into the T in my driveway right now... And there's that notorious trapezoidal distortion, making everything rectangular narrow at top and wide at the bottom. After my brain adjusts to my new specs in a couple more weeks, I'll be happy as a clam to turn the effect back on my iPhone.

 

[scrtagntman]

It being there does not bother me, but the crazy lag ruins the effect. I have a hard time believing current hardware couldn't make this look right. If is going to only half-ass it, then I say just remove it.

 

[Zwhaler]

Yes, I am. But are you aware even if you turn it off the app icons on home screen still moves a little bit when you tilt your phone to different directions?

Yep! Weird... I turn it "off" and it doesn't eliminate the effect I want to turn off, and there's no option to do so.

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It being there does not bother me, but the crazy lag ruins the effect. I have a hard time believing current hardware couldn't make this look right. If is going to only half-ass it, then I say just remove it.

Crazy lag on what? The 4 doesn't support it, and the 4S runs it smooth on iOS 7... I didn't try iOS 8 because duh.