Help Your Eyes with the New iOS Feature

Photo byBagus HernawanonUnsplash

At this point, we all know that holding screens too close to your face is unhealthy. But most of us aren't paying attention to when we do it. Apple is attempting to bring awareness to this issue with its new 'screen distance feature.' This is available on iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 systems and newer.

The feature uses the TrueDepth camera to continuously monitor the distance between your face and the screen. When it detects your face has been closer than 12 inches to the screen for a predetermined amount of time, it sends you a warning and blocks you from using the device until your face is more than 12 inches from the screen.

Now, it's smart enough that you can't trick the device into thinking you are more than 12 inches away from the screen by simply moving your eyes. Since TrueDepth is also the camera that is used for facial recognition, you have to actively move your face the appropriate distance away.

The good news is that if this doesn't appeal to you, then you can easily disable the feature in your phone's settings. This will likely become a popular feature among parents in an effort to minimize eye strain.

Will you use this feature? Let us know in the comments section!

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