{"id":5819,"date":"2025-04-09T13:48:13","date_gmt":"2025-04-09T13:48:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/5819\/"},"modified":"2025-04-09T13:48:13","modified_gmt":"2025-04-09T13:48:13","slug":"i-tried-car-sickness-phone-hack-on-road-trip-and-it-worked-now-ill-switch-it-on-every-time-to-bust-miserable-nausea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/5819\/","title":{"rendered":"I tried ‘car sickness’ phone hack on road trip and it WORKED \u2013 now I’ll switch it on every time to bust miserable nausea"},"content":{"rendered":"

SOMETIMES even just thinking about riding in a car makes me feel nauseous.<\/p>\n

Like millions of Brits, I get car<\/a> motion sickness – I can survive alright on a long and straight road, but start chucking in bends, hills, and almost any smartphone<\/a> use and I’m done for.<\/p>\n

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The Sun’s tech editor Sean Keach tests out a new iPhone feature for people who get car sickCredit: Sean Keach\"Screenshot\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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These wiggling dots at the side of the screen have a surprising benefit: helping with car sicknessCredit: Sean Keach<\/p>\n

So imagine my joy when I find out that Apple<\/a> has created an iPhone<\/a> feature that’s meant to help bust the nausea with wiggling dots.<\/p>\n

It sounds mad, I know. But I tried it on a road trip last month and sure enough, it worked.<\/p>\n

Normally, staring at a phone in a car is a sure-fire way to send me over the edge. <\/p>\n

That’s a real pain if my wife wants me to find somewhere for lunch or I need to stop for another loo break. And if I want to read about where we’re going? No chance.<\/p>\n

But I tried Apple’s genius iPhone trick and was able to mindlessly scroll for 30 minutes (and then much longer) without a peep of motion sickness. Clever stuff. So how does it actually work?<\/p>\n

On the road again <\/p>\n

Motion sickness is pretty miserable. If you’ve suffered with it, you’ll know it can totally ruin an otherwise lovely day.<\/p>\n

It kicks in because of a mismatch between what you’re feeling and what you’re seeing.<\/p>\n

Your inner ear sends signals to your brain about your movement and balance.<\/p>\n

And when these signals don’t match up with what you’re seeing, it’s a recipe for disaster.<\/p>\n

So if you’re staring down at a phone screen and seeing stillness but your brain knows you’re moving, you’ll quickly feel sick.<\/p>\n

iPhone 16e review \u2013 I\u2019ve secretly tested Apple\u2019s cheapest mobile and I love the new button but that\u2019s not the best bitGoing through the motions <\/p>\n

So Apple has conjured up a feature called Vehicle Motion Cues, which is freely available on your iPhone.<\/p>\n

“If you experience discomfort when you use iPhone while riding as a passenger in a car or other on-road vehicle, you can turn on Vehicle Motion Cues,” the Californian gadget titan explains.<\/p>\n

You simply tap the feature on and then animated dots will appear at the edge of the screen.<\/p>\n

These dots won’t really block what you’re seeing, so it shouldn’t ruin a Netflix<\/a> show or photos of your cat.<\/p>\n

Importantly, the dots wiggle. Specifically, they shuffle based on how the car you’re in is moving.<\/p>\n

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The dots will appear in white or black depending on the colour of what you’re viewing at the time<\/p>\n

HOW TO TURN VEHICLE MOTION CUES ON<\/p>\n

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It only takes a few seconds to set up…<\/p>\n

Getting set up<\/strong><\/p>\n

The easiest way to use Vehicle Motion Cues is by adding it to your iPhone’s Control Centre \u2013 allowing you to easily tap it on and off.<\/p>\n

First, update your iPhone to the latest software in Settings > General > Software Update. You’ll need to be on iOS 18 or later.<\/p>\n

Next, drag down from the top-right hand corner of your iPhone to open the Control Centre.<\/p>\n

Tap the plus icon in the top left, then press Add A Control at the bottom of the screen.<\/p>\n

Now search for Vehicle Motion Cues and add the button to your Control Centre. You can drop it in a position that you like.<\/p>\n

Turning Vehicle Motion Cues on or off<\/strong><\/p>\n

Whenever you want to turn Vehicle Motion Cues on, just go back into Control Centre, tap the button, and then choose On.<\/p>\n

You’ll know it’s active because dots will appear around the edges of your iPhone screen.<\/p>\n

It can be turned off again in the same way.<\/p>\n

And there’s also a third option that turns Vehicle Motion Cues on automatically when you’re in a moving vehicle.<\/p>\n

Apple notes that the feature “works best when you’re seated facing forward in the vehicle”, so keep that in mind if you’re trying it on a bus.<\/p>\n

Picture Credit: Apple \/ The Sun<\/p>\n

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You can add the setting to the Control Centre on your iPhoneCredit: Sean Keach<\/p>\n

So if you’re cornering and the car leans to the left, the dots will shift right \u2013 and vice versa.<\/p>\n

They’ll adjust even with tiny movements, all tracked by the motion sensors inside your iPhone.<\/p>\n

The idea is that you can see the motion that your inner ear is sensing.<\/p>\n

So even though you’re not seeing the car’s actual motion, you can trick your brain into acknowledging it visually. Very clever.<\/p>\n

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The icon for Vehicle Motion Cues is circled here, and the slashed line means that it’s currently switched offCredit: Sean Keach<\/p>\n

It’s a bit like the motion sickness trick where you stare at the horizon while riding in a car, so you have a stable reference point for your eyes (and brain).<\/p>\n

Smart move <\/p>\n

As a long-time-car-vomiter, I was chuffed at the idea that this might actually work.<\/p>\n

So I tried it at the end of March at the tail-end of a road trip across the southern states of the USA<\/a>. I’d guzzled a fair amount of bourbon in the preceding days, so the odds were against me.<\/p>\n

But I locked in Vehicle Motion Cues, buckled up, and forced myself to read for 30 minutes.<\/p>\n

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The dots will shift around the screen based on movement \u2013 and it happens live using data from your iPhone’s motion sensorsCredit: Sean Keach<\/p>\n

iOS 18 devices \u2013 can your iPhone get it?<\/p>\n

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Here are the devices that can get the new iOS 18 update<\/p>\n