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iPhone, iPad owners complain of motion sickness due to iOS 7

Users say the operating system's new parallax and zoom features are causing them to experience some motion sickness.

Don Reisinger
CNET contributor Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has covered everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Besides his work with CNET, Don's work has been featured in a variety of other publications including PC World and a host of Ziff-Davis publications.
Don Reisinger
2 min read
Apple

At least some of the 200 million people that have downloaded iOS 7 to this point aren't so pleased with what they've found.

Apple's iPhone and iPad owners have been taking to the company's forums over the past week to complain about iOS 7's new parallax and zoom features. Many of the folks in the forum said that they've experienced motion sickness, vertigo, nausea, and headaches due to the motion on-screen.

"The zoom animations everywhere on the new iOS 7 are literally making me nauseous and giving me a headache," one forum poster wrote last week. "It's exactly how I used to get car sick if I tried to read in the car."

Several posters reported similar issues over the past week, and some said that they've tried calling Apple about the problem, but were told that only some of the features can be turned off. Some users report resorting to downgrading from iOS 7 to iOS 6.

iOS 7's design was built completely from the ground up. The operating system's color scheme is simpler and a new parallax feature allows users to feel as though they're head on with the display even as it's being tilted in different directions. The new operating system, which was conceived by the company's design guru Jonathan Ive, also has new zoom functions to access applications.

Although zoom functions will likely remain in place with no ability to modify them, the parallax option can be mitigated from the Accessibility menu in iOS 7. Upon choosing "reduce motion," users should be able to turn off the parallax function.

CNET has contacted Apple for comment on the forum complaints. We will update this story when we have more information.

(Via The Verge)