In iOS 18, Apple introduced a highly specialised accessibility feature called Vehicle Motion Cues. Designed to combat motion sickness for passengers reading or watching videos in moving vehicles, this feature displays animated dots along the edges of the iPhone screen. These dots subtly shift in response to the vehicle’s acceleration, braking, and turning, helping to align visual stimuli with the physical sensations of movement.
While this is an innovative solution for those who suffer from car sickness, the animated dots can be incredibly distracting for users who do not need them. If you enabled Vehicle Motion Cues out of curiosity, or if your iPhone has automatically activated them while you are riding as a passenger, you may find the constant movement on the periphery of your screen annoying. Fortunately, you can completely disable this feature to return to a distraction-free display.
Why Disable Vehicle Motion Cues?
Consider the following reasons for turning off the animated motion dots on your iPhone:
- Visual Distraction: The moving dots draw your eyes away from the content you are trying to consume, breaking immersion during videos or reading sessions.
- False Triggers: If set to ‘Automatic’, the feature relies on the accelerometer and may occasionally trigger when you are simply walking or moving the phone abruptly.
- Battery Preservation: Continuously rendering animated on-screen graphics while simultaneously querying sensor data inevitably consumes a small amount of battery life.
How to Turn Off ‘Vehicle Motion Cues’ on iOS 18
Because Vehicle Motion Cues is an accessibility tool rather than a standard display setting, you will need to navigate to the Accessibility menu to toggle it off permanently.
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Scroll down and tap on Accessibility.
- Under the Vision section, tap on Motion.
- Tap on the option labelled Show Vehicle Motion Cues.
- You will see three options: On, Automatic, and Off. Select Off to completely disable the feature.
Once you select ‘Off’, the animated dots will immediately disappear from the edges of your screen. Your iPhone will stop monitoring the accelerometer for vehicular movement, and you can resume using your device without the visual interruptions.