iOS 18 brings many new features, one of which caught my attention deeply – Vehicle Motion Cues. Apple claims that this feature can reduce the symptoms of motion sickness.

As a person who suffers from motion sickness, I can’t wait to find out how it can help us.

The Mechanism of Motion Sickness

Motion sickness, also known as kinetosis or seasickness, is a common physiological phenomenon where individuals experience nausea and discomfort when traveling in moving vehicles, ships, or airplanes. The principle behind motion sickness primarily involves how the brain processes signals from different parts of the body.

For example, when a person reads a book in a moving car, the brain receives mismatched sensory signals: the eyes tell the brain that the body is stationary, but the body’s muscles tell the brain that it is moving.

The brain tries to interpret these conflicting signals but may end up mistakenly believing the body is poisoned, thus creating a feeling of nausea and prompting the body to vomit to expel the toxins.

How iOS 18 Solves this Problem?

The method of Vehicle Motion Cues is simple: it displays some moving dots on the screen. These dots do not move randomly, but according to the speed, direction, etc. detected by the iPhone’s sensors.

This is a system-level feature, so the dots can be displayed on top of any app. In this way, what the eyes feel matches what the body feels, which will not confuse the brain, thus avoiding or reducing the symptoms of motion sickness.

Does Vehicle Motion Cues Work on Self-driving Cars?

The answer is yes.

Because Vehicle Motion Cues does not know whether it is a person or a computer driving. It just calculates and displays small dots based on the information obtained by the iPhone’s sensors. As long as it detects that the car is moving, it will act accordingly.

A Youtuber has already posted a video to prove this:

Can Vehicle Motion Cues Completely Prevent Motion Sickness?

I’m sorry, but I have to say, it’s difficult.

Because the factors that cause motion sickness are not just the brain’s inability to correctly interpret the direction of movement. Sometimes it is also related to smell and temperature. And these factors cannot be changed by the iPhone.

This technology may only reduce motion sickness. If you still feel uncomfortable after turning it on, then you should put down your phone and rest or look into the distance.