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The motion-sickness cure hidden in iPhone settings

bbc.com

11–20 of 33 posts

Re: The motion-sickness cure hidden in iPhone settings

#11
post #7
post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If looking at screens makes you car sick, you might want to try the iPhone dots. Or – stop me if this sounds crazy – you could just put your phone down and enjoy the ride. Final paragraph of the article :)

It's difficult to enjoy the ride with motion sickness. So yes, it does sound crazy, most likely written by someone who isn't affected by motion sickness.

It's not for general motion sickness. Most people only experience motion sickness when they're moving but their eyes aren't seeing any movement, such as looking down at a something. That type can be prevented by simply putting down the phone/book/whathaveyou, and looking out the window. I said prevented, not cured, because once it sets in, no amount of looking out the window will cure it.

Re: The motion-sickness cure hidden in iPhone settings

#12
post #7
post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If looking at screens makes you car sick, you might want to try the iPhone dots. Or – stop me if this sounds crazy – you could just put your phone down and enjoy the ride. Final paragraph of the article :)

It's difficult to enjoy the ride with motion sickness. So yes, it does sound crazy, most likely written by someone who isn't affected by motion sickness.

My experience is that it helps with being able to look at screens, but not that it is better than not looking at screens while riding. I needed to occasionally leave the screen and close my eyes or look outside (depending position in the vehicle) for a bit to calm down. But otherwise I cannot look at screens on rides for more than a few minutes, so it is better in this sense.

So yeah, as somebody with (moderate) motion sickness, this advise resonates with me to some extent.

Re: The motion-sickness cure hidden in iPhone settings

#13

I have been using the feature for ages, and it really does work, but it is by no means 'hidden'. It's just an iOS feature.

>but it is by no means 'hidden'

To the average user, any feature that is not enabled by default is effectively hidden. Most people do not dig deeply into the settings of their tech devices beyond aesthetic customization.

This is why defaults matter, a lot. Settings are for power users, defaults are for everyone else.

Re: The motion-sickness cure hidden in iPhone settings

#15
Learned about this last month from HN [0].

Subsequently took a 10 hour car trip where my wife and daughter both reported this feature allowed them both to read their books and articles while I was driving, which was definitely not the case on any prior road trip. So, add +2 to whatever Ns you're tracking.

[0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48557530

Re: The motion-sickness cure hidden in iPhone settings

#17

This has been available on Android for years as various apps, but their limitation is that certain buttons become unavailable. Apparently, Android blocks certain "secure" buttons from being pressed when there is another app overlaying the screen. Does anyone know if Apple's version has a similar limitation? I would presume not since it seems to be implemented at the OS level or at least closer to it.

Your suspicion is correct, it does not.

Re: The motion-sickness cure hidden in iPhone settings

#18

I have been using the feature for ages, and it really does work, but it is by no means 'hidden'. It's just an iOS feature.

>but it is by no means 'hidden' To the average user, any feature that is not enabled by default is effectively hidden. Most people do not dig deeply into the settings of their tech devices beyond aesthetic customization. This is why defaults matter, a lot. Settings are for power users, defaults are for everyone else.

pretty sure it was on by default for me

Re: The motion-sickness cure hidden in iPhone settings

#19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>but it is by no means 'hidden' To the average user, any feature that is not enabled by default is effectively hidden. Most people do not dig deeply into the settings of their tech devices beyond aesthetic customization. This is why defaults matter, a lot. Settings are for power users, defaults are for everyone else.

pretty sure it was on by default for me

On iOS, it's off by default (like many settings under "accessibility").
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