Related Articles
Are you one of many Apple fans who say that the zooming, floating effects in iOS 7 are causing seasickness? A new feature in Apple’s latest update should sort you out, and may even make older iPhones easier to use.
iOS 7.0.3 contains an update to the ‘Reduce Motion’ option found in the Settings menu of iPhone, iPad and iPod touch gadgets running iOS 7.
While that option previously dialled down the ‘parallax’ effect that makes icons look like they’re floating above your wallpaper, it now also puts a stop to the zooming-in-and-out effect when you open an app, or return to the homescreen.
Instead, the homescreen and new apps will simply phase in and out of view, in a reassuringly flat manner that seems unlikely to make anyone feel unwell. To find the new setting, go Settings > General > Accessibility > Reduce Motion.
Better for iPhone 4 and 4S?
The new tweak won’t only please those who were turning green at the gills every time they turned on their smart phone, but may appease owners of older devices, like the iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S.
The weaker processors in those older gadgets can turn iOS 7’s graphically intensive zooming effects into a stuttering mess, that quickly becomes frustrating if you’re trying to get something done quickly.
The more basic animation option in iOS 7.0.3 may be a better fit for these older gadgets. I’ve tried the new setting on an iPhone 4S, and anecdotally it does feel smoother, with noticeably less time between actually tapping on an icon to having it open and ready to play with.
How does your smart phone handle iOS 7? And what do you think of Apple’s radically revamped OS? Let me know in the comments, or on our Facebook wall.
