Key Takeaways
About one in three people are considered highly susceptible to motion sickness, and the latest iOS update has a feature designed to help.
Vehicle Motion Cues, available with Apple’s iOS 18 update, is designed to reduce motion sickness when using an iPhone or iPad in a moving vehicle. The feature uses animated dots on the screen’s edges to represent the vehicle’s movements without interfering with the content.
Using the device’s sensors, Vehicle Motion Cues detects when the user is in a moving vehicle. The dots move in sync with the vehicle’s motions. For example, the dots shift left when the car turns right or move downward when the vehicle accelerates.
The feature can activate automatically when in motion or be toggled on and off in the Control Center. It’s unclear whether it prevents motion sickness only while you’re using screens or it can also help when you already feel sick. Anecdotally, some Reddit userssaythe feature has allowed them to read or use their phones while in transit, but others say it has had no effect on them.
But what’s the science behind this, and does it work?
Can the Vehicle Motion Cues Feature Really Reduce Motion Sickness?
There’s no one-size-fits-all prevention strategy for motion sickness, but experts say this new feature could work in theory.
“The dots trick your brain into syncing your visual perception with your body’s movement, reducing the sensory conflict that often triggers nausea when looking at a screen while in a moving vehicle,” Shajahan added.
When you move in a car, your vestibular system—which includes your inner ear—senses that you’re moving, but your eyes see something different. The conflict of information is what leads to motion sickness, saidAnand K. Bery, MD, a neurologist at Mass Eye and Ear and instructor in otolaryngology–head and neck surgery at Harvard Medical School.
Bery said the new iPhone feature is a “brilliant” way to align some of the sensory information you receive when you’re in motion. “It’s quite clever if it does work,” he added.
Scientists Are Working to Train Your Brain to Reduce Motion Sickness
Can You Prevent Motion Sickness With Other Methods?
If you don’t own an iPhone, there are some other tactics that can help prevent motion sickness.
Shajahan recommends sitting in the front of the vehicle, which has less motion than the back seat. “Keep your head still and look at a distant, stationary object,” she added.
If you’re prone to motion sickness, it’s best to avoid reading or looking at screens, as it “can increase the conflict between your visual cues and sense of movement,” Shajahan said.
Ginger candy or a ginger supplement can also help reduce nausea. It may also be beneficial to avoid strong odors, spicy and greasy foods, and alcohol before you get into a vehicle, Shajahan said.
If car sickness is a big problem for you, your doctor may recommend taking an antihistamine likeBonine (meclizine) and Dramamine (dimenhydrinate)30–60 minutes before traveling to help you be more comfortable.
How to Prevent Motion Sickness
What This Means For You
4 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Motion sickness.Apple.Apple announces new accessibility features, including eye tracking, music haptics, and vocal shortcuts.National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Meclizine.National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Dimenhydrinate.
4 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Motion sickness.Apple.Apple announces new accessibility features, including eye tracking, music haptics, and vocal shortcuts.National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Meclizine.National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Dimenhydrinate.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Motion sickness.Apple.Apple announces new accessibility features, including eye tracking, music haptics, and vocal shortcuts.National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Meclizine.National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Dimenhydrinate.
National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Motion sickness.
Apple.Apple announces new accessibility features, including eye tracking, music haptics, and vocal shortcuts.
National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Meclizine.
National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Dimenhydrinate.
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