Avoid Vehicle Motion Sickness With This New iOS 18 Feature

[MacRumors]

In iOS 18, Apple added several new accessibility features, and one feature in particular that is likely to have widespread appeal among car passengers is Vehicle Motion Cues, which aims to prevent motion sickness when looking at an iPhone or iPad.

According to Apple, research shows that motion sickness is commonly caused by a sensory conflict between what a person sees and what they feel, which can prevent some users from comfortably using an ‌iPhone‌ or ‌iPad‌ while riding in a moving vehicle.

Vehicle Motion Cues are designed to avoid this sensory conflict with the use of visual elements on the display that indicate real-time changes in motion. Apple explains:

With Vehicle Motion Cues, animated dots on the edges of the screen represent changes in vehicle motion to help reduce sensory conflict without interfering with the main content. Using sensors built into iPhone and iPad, Vehicle Motion Cues recognizes when a user is in a moving vehicle and responds accordingly. The feature can be set to show automatically on iPhone, or can be turned on and off in Control Center.

The following steps show you how to enable Vehicle Motion Cues in iOS 18 and iPadOS 18:

1. Open Settings on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap Accessibility.
3. Tap Motion.
   
   
   
   Tap Show Vehicle Motion Cues.
4. Choose On or Automatic.
   
   

Note that choosing On shows the dots until you turn them off, while choosing Automatic shows the dots when vehicle motion is detected and hides them when the motion stops. If you turned on the feature, you should now see the motion cues – roving little dots around the edges of your iPhone or iPad screen. If you opted for the automatic activation, wait until you're in a moving vehicle for the cues to appear.

Enable Vehicle Motion Cues From Control Center

Alternatively, you can add a Vehicle Motion Cues button to the Control Center. Here's how:

1. Invoke Control Center with a diagonal swipe from the top-right corner of the screen (or with a swipe up from the bottom if your iPhone or iPad has a Home button).
2. Press and hold on any space in the Control Center to enter the customize mode, then tap Add a Control at the bottom.
3. Swipe up to the "Vision Accessibility" controls or search "Motion" in the input field, then choose Vehicle Motion Cues.
   
   
   
   Press and hold a space in the Control Center to exit the customize mode.
   Tap the Vehicle Motion Cues button, then choose On or Only in Vehicle.
   
   

There's no guarantee that the feature will work for everyone, but with a bit of luck, it will allow you or your kids to look at what's on the screen for the duration of the journey without starting to feel nauseous.

Article Link: Avoid Vehicle Motion Sickness With This New iOS 18 Feature

 

[cogzero]

Jesus. Just look outside.

 

[cicalinarrot]

The lengths companies will go to get children addicted to their products.
Disgraceful.

I mean, they do, but this has nothing to do with it.

 

[cicalinarrot]

Jesus. Just look outside.

Yeah, those 4 year old watching Bluey are such idiots.
(Edit: it was just a joke pointing at someone's frustration for a feature that's simply targeted at kids just being kids. I don't sincerely believe kids are idiots. Didn't think this needed to be explained but apparently it does. Cheerio)

 

[Porco]

The lengths companies will go to get children addicted to their products.
Disgraceful.

Yeah, they really should empower parents to limit screen time. They could call the feature, oh I don’t know, Display Epoch? Panel Moments? Device Clock! Something like that.

 

[Larbo]

Jesus. Just look outside.

Better yet put the stupid phone down for 5 minutes.

 

[Col4bin]

Looks interesting. Just wish this article went into greater detail about how or why moving dots on a screen prevents motion sickness.

 

[fwmireault]

The lengths companies will go to get children addicted to their products.
Disgraceful.

Apple can’t win on this forum, can it? It’s an optional feature, don’t use it if you don’t need it.

 

[neuropsychguy]

Yeah, those 4 year old watching Bluey are such idiots.

Some of the people here need to watch Bluey and learn how to interact better with others and react to things better.

 

[picpicmac]

Just look outside.

You do realize that some people get motion sickness just by doing what you demand of them, don't you?

 

[cicalinarrot]

Some of the people here need to watch Bluey and learn how to interact and react better.

Think we can still joke.

 

[d5aqoëp]

How do those dots prevent motion sickness?

 

[ForkHandles]

I spy with my little eye.

Mum played this endlessly with me in the car. I played it endlessly with my kids.

You just don’t need an app for everything. Just play games which make your kids look out of the windows.

 

[Account25476]

Used the first time while I was on the plane. It somehow helped Me.

 

[jdavid_rp]

I think it actually helps me in the bus, quite useful for the rough turns and brakes the driver does lol

 

[GDF]

Apple can’t win on this forum, can it? It’s an optional feature, don’t use it if you don’t need it.

I agree. They really can’t. Just amazing anyone would vote this feature down. My wife and 24 year old son get motion sickness easily. So, if they both would like to work or read on their phone when they are a passenger, they really can’t. Maybe with this new feature they will be able too. Curious what people’s feedback is that are similar and if it actually works.

And for the negative people, if you don’t like a feature, either don’t use it or turn it off. Easy and then does not ruin your day! 🙂

 

[teh_hunterer]

Better yet put the stupid phone down for 5 minutes.

- Sent from my iPhone

 

[cfountain72]

Yeah, they really should empower parents to limit screen time. They could call the feature, oh I don’t know, Display Epoch? Panel Moments? Device Clock! Something like that.

Umm...they have for several years. It's literally called Screen Time, and it's in your Settings.

 

[GoodTimeNotALongTime]

I agree. They really can’t. Just amazing anyone would vote this feature down. My wife and 24 year old son get motion sickness easily. So, if they both would like to work or read on their phone when they are a passenger, they really can’t. Maybe with this new feature they will be able too. Curious what people’s feedback is that are similar and if it actually works.

And for the negative people, if you don’t like a feature, either don’t use it or turn it off. Easy and then does not ruin your day! 🙂

FYI I quickly get nauseous when reading (phone or otherwise) when I am a passenger in a vehicle. This new feature kicked in automatically for me the other day when commuting with a friend. Based on that first experience, I think it will help me a great deal. Very promising.

 

[AppleTLDR]

As somebody that does suffer with motion sickness, I’m really grateful for this feature. I don’t use my phone or iPad all the time while travelling but it would be nice to have the option on long journeys. Especially for reading as I even get motion sickness just reading regular books. Hopefully I can now read ebooks without issue thanks to this feature.

As for people posting negative replies, it must be nice living so comfortably bound by the depths of your own ignorance. Never once daring to imagine themselves into somebody else’s situation or considered…dare I say it…expressing some empathy? Don’t like the feature…just don’t turn it on 😅 Keep scrolling and get on with your day.

 

[MGrayson3]

Apple can’t win on this forum, can it? It’s an optional feature, don’t use it if you don’t need it.

If Apple cured Cancer, this Forum's response would be "Apple increases the chance of death from Heart Disease!"

 

[Arran]

How do those dots prevent motion sickness?

I tried it and moved my iPad around.

The dots behave as if they have mass and inertia and respond to what’s happening off screen (i.e., the movement of the vehicle).

Imagine you’re on a bus staring at a tray with ball bearings on it. As the bus turns a corner the bearings want stay put (inertia) but they appear to move on the tray because your frame of reference is the tray (screen) and not the outside world. That tells the visual part of your brain that your body is changing direction. Since that visual info confirms what the rest of your senses are telling your brain, all is good.

All that, I guess, gives your brain a more consistent connection to the external world even though your eyes are glued to the screen.

Interesting idea but not sure how effective.

 

[JapanApple]

I love those

 

[shadowboi]

Not sure it will help much. Over the course of many years learned not to use my phone while in a transport

 

[xxFoxtail]

Jesus. Just look outside.

I remember being excited looking at license plates from different states and counting animals when I was young. Car rides were always fun to me.

I think those days are over for today’s generations. It’s all Angry Birds and Tap Tap Revenge now a days, or whatever the kids are playing.