About one-third of people around the world deal with motion sickness. If you live somewhere where driving is the only real way to get around, that can turn daily life into a challenge.
But one Atlanta woman recently discovered that if you own an iPhone, there’s a built-in way to make stomach-turning car rides a little more bearable.
An iPhone Setting That Helps With Motion Sickness?
TikTok creator Rachel (@rhg11111) recently shared what she called a “game-changing” discovery on her iPhone, a little-known accessibility feature that helps people who get carsick.
Her video, which has racked up over 140,500 views, shows her excitement over a fix she says she had no idea existed.
“Found out about this yesterday, and I have to spread the word,” she says at the start of the clip. “Did you know there’s a setting in your iPhone that helps with motion sickness? Because I didn’t.”
Rachel explains how to find it. “If you go to your settings and go to Accessibility, click on Motion, then turn on Show Vehicle Motion Cues,” she says, “every time it senses that you’re in the car, it’ll have these little dots on your screen that kinda move with the car.”
After trying it out, she seems blown away. “I tried it today for the first time. It is life-changing.”
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In her caption, she adds, “Honestly a game changer.”
What Are Vehicle Motion Cues, and How Do They Work?
The feature Rachel found was introduced with iOS 17. According to Apple, it’s designed to reduce motion sickness for passengers by showing subtle, animated dots on the edges of the screen.
The dots move in sync with how the vehicle accelerates, turns, or brakes, without interfering with what’s on your display.
As Rachel explained, you can find it by going to Settings > Accessibility > Motion > Show Vehicle Motion Cues.
The idea behind it is rooted in how motion sickness happens. When you’re in a moving vehicle, your body stays still while your eyes and inner ear sense motion, sending mixed signals to your brain. That sensory mismatch can make you feel dizzy, nauseous, or lightheaded.
By showing visual cues that match the motion your body is feeling, the feature helps align what your brain sees and senses, easing that conflict for some users.
When the car turns, for example, the dots on your screen shift in the opposite direction to reflect the change in movement. The simple visual reminder can trick your brain into syncing your vision and balance, preventing that queasy feeling many passengers know all too well.
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Users Are Divided
While Apple’s innovation seems to be helping many users, reactions online have been mixed.
In multiple Reddit threads, people on r/iOS and r/iphone have praised the update for helping them finally text, scroll, or even work on their phone in the car without feeling sick.
Others, however, said it didn’t make much of a difference.
Viewers of Rachel’s TikTok also shared their thoughts in the comments section.
“It’s the best thing ever. I can now answer texts in the car without getting car sick,” one person wrote.
Another said, “LIFE CHANGING!! If for some reason they don’t automatically come up, my body knows it before I do.”
Others shared similar relief, with one writing, “Omg!! My vertigo is forever grateful.”
Still, not everyone’s had the same success. “It made mine worse!!! I wanted it to help so badly,” one person admitted.
Motor1 has reached out to both Rachel and Apple for further comment and will update this story if either responds.
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– The Motor1.com Team