Many people are familiar with this problem: if they are in a shaking vehicle, it becomes difficult for them to read anything on their smartphone because they quickly start to feel sick. With iOS 18, Apple wants to help here: a new function available in the operating system helps to combat so-called motion sickness. It can already be tried as part of the developer beta, which Apple has published the third version of this week.
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Little dots move to the beat
The new function against motion sickness can be accessed through the Control Center. However, to do this, you must first add the appropriate button, which is in the area “Accessibility-Approach” Located. In English, Apple calls this feature “Vehicle Motion Cues” (VMC). After submitting the button, it can be turned on and off again via the Control Center. It is also possible for the iPhone to detect whether you are in a vehicle or not. Then the VMC function turns on automatically.
The remedy that aims to prevent or at least reduce motion sickness is quite subtle: it works with small black dots that follow the rhythm of the vehicle, that is, its movement. If the vehicle brakes, accelerates or turns, the dots follow it. The iPhone’s integrated acceleration or motion sensor is used for this purpose. The dots are so small that they are not noticeable when reading or watching videos, but useful enough that the screen display is not very static.
Also intended for iPad
Motion sickness is when you look at a stationary area (here: the iPhone screen) while the environment is moving, which is what the human body feels. Some people can’t stand it and feel sick and nauseous. Others just feel a little blurry. With the dots, what is shown on the iPhone now moves with the vehicle in real time, which adds to the comfort.
Apple writes, “Research shows that motion sickness is often caused by a sensory conflict between what a person sees and what they feel, which may prevent some users from using an iPhone or iPad while driving in a moving vehicle.” The VMC feature with adjusted (larger) dots should also become part of iPadOS 18. iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 will likely be released in September.
(B.Sc.)
