Apple’s iOS 18 introduces a revolutionary feature to combat motion sickness: Discover how your iPhone will change your travel experience

Motion sickness: a widespread issue

Motion sickness, or kinetosis, is a common affliction affecting many people during travel, whether by car, plane or boat. The symptoms can vary widely, ranging from nausea, cold sweats, dizziness, vomiting to headaches. This condition is provoked when the brain gets conflicting signals from the eyes and the vestibular system, the organ responsible for maintaining balance located in the inner ear.

In simple terms, while our eyes perceive movement (e.g., passing scenery, turns taken in a car), the vestibular system senses that the body is stationary. These symptoms can be triggered even when you are reading in a moving car, playing on a portable console, or using a smartphone.

IOS 18: Apple’s solution to motion sickness

With iOS 18, the upcoming version of its operating system, Apple has come up with a solution to help iPhone users who suffer from motion sickness. In a recent blog post, Apple detailed some of the new features coming with iOS 18. Among them, Voice Memos will undergo a makeover and will offer real-time transcriptions of audio recordings. The Eye Tracking feature will also be introduced, allowing physically disabled users to navigate their iPhone or iPad using their eye movements.

However, what we are interested in here is the Vehicle Motion Clues feature. According to Apple, this feature will reduce motion sickness for passengers using their iPhone in a moving vehicle. How? By displaying animated dots along the screen edges to represent the vehicle’s speed changes.

Vehicle Motion Clues: How does it work?

For instance, in a straight line, the dots will move from top to bottom on your iPhone screen. During turns, the dots will cross the screen from left to right or vice versa depending on the direction. While braking, they will stabilize on the edges. According to Apple, this feature uses the sensors built into the iPhone and iPad to detect the vehicle’s movements and react accordingly. Vehicle Motion Clues can be set to activate automatically on your iPhone, or you can manually turn it on or off via the Control Center on your device.

This innovative feature is a significant step forward in improving the comfort and convenience of iPhone users who suffer from kinetosis. By integrating the understanding of human physiology with technology, Apple continues to create a more user-friendly and inclusive environment for all its users.

Here are some other notable features that iOS 18 will bring to your iPhone:

• Improved battery life for iPhone 16 Pro Max
• Control your iPhone and iPad using only your eyes with Eye Tracking technology
• The biggest emulator on the market officially lands on iPhone, introducing games from Nintendo 64, GameBoy, and PSP
• Bigger screen and enhanced dimensions for iPhone 16 Pro Max
• Beware of a bug in iOS 17.5 that brings back deleted photos to your gallery
• iPhones can now detect AirTags and other trackers spying on you secretly
• New updates for all Apple products, bringing improvements that will enhance your daily life