Videos on your iPhone sporting seizure-inducing flashing lights and stroboscopic effects can be dimmed automatically to prevent headaches and other health issues.
- What’s happening? The iOS 16.4 update brings a new accessibility setting for the automatic dimming of flashing and strobing lights on videos.
- Why care? This feature benefits people who experience seizures or sickness due to flashing lights.
- What to do? Go to iOS 16.4’s Motion accessibility menu to manage the feature.
Your iPhone can dim flashing lights on video
iOS 16.4, iPadOS 16.4, tvOS 16.4 and macOS Ventura 13.3 bring a new toggle to the Motion accessibility menu. If toggled on, your device automatically dims video when flickering or stroboscopic effects are detected. Turning it on enables an indicator on the timeline warning you when flashing lights are about to occur.
People who suffer from motion sickness and epileptics may experience seizures, headaches and other symptoms when exposed to flashing lights. That’s why you see a warning on movies and TV shows that include flashing visual effects.
With this feature turned on, your iPhone or iPad will analyze the video being watched to reduce the brightness of flashing lights when needed.
How to turn on auto-dimming of flashing lights in iOS 16.4
The toggle for dimming flashing lights on videos can be found within the Motion menu in your accessibility settings.
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
- Choose Accessibility from the root list.
- Select the Motion option underneath the Vision heading.
- Slide the switch labeled Dim Flashing Lights switch to the ON position.
“Video content that depicts repeated flashing or strobing lights will be automatically dimmed,” reads the description. This feature is turned off by default.
iOS 16.4 includes other features, like duplicate detection in shared image libraries, voice isolation for cellular calls, 21 new emoji, optimizations for web apps, and more.