Turning down the parts that move
Stop the sliding and zooming that makes a screen feel unsettled.
When you open an app, the screen often zooms toward you. When you close it, it shrinks away. Some people find that pleasant. Some people find it makes their head swim.
There is a setting for this. On a phone it is usually called Reduce Motion, and it lives under Accessibility. Turning it on swaps most of the zooming and sliding for a plain fade.
Nothing stops working. The buttons are in the same places and the apps do the same jobs. Only the theater goes away.
Videos that start playing on their own are a separate nuisance, usually controlled inside the news or social app itself. Look in that app for a setting about autoplay.
Key points
- Reduce Motion lives under Accessibility.
- It fades screens instead of zooming them.
- Nothing stops working when you turn it on.
- Autoplay videos are an app setting.
- You can turn it back off any time.
What to remember
- Accessibility is where the comfort settings live, for everyone.
- Name what actually bothers you, and the right setting is usually easy to find.
- Phone settings calm the phone. App settings calm the app.
Try this
Turn on Reduce Motion on your own phone, then open and close Messages twice and notice how much quieter it feels.
Practice: Turning down the parts that move. Your first lesson is free, with no account or card; the rest are part of a Lantern plan. Interactive lessons require JavaScript.