Enable This Hidden iPhone Feature. Your Eyes Will Thank You

According to my iPhone, I spend more than 8 hours a day on my phone — yikes. I’m sure I hold my iPhone close to my face at times, especially at night, and that might be why my eyes feel uncomfortable sometimes, like I’ve got something in them. Luckily, there’s a hidden iPhone feature that could help me — and others — take better care of our eyes called Screen Distance. 

Read more: Screen Time Matters When It Comes to Your Eye Health

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The feature warns you when you’re holding your iPhone or iPad too close to your face, sort of like having a parent tell you to sit farther back from the television or computer screen. Although having a screen near your face might not harm your eyes, it could stress and irritate them, according to health care organization Cedars-Sinai. Thankfully, this iPhone feature aims to help reduce eyestrain. According to Apple, it could even lower the risk of myopia, or nearsightedness.

Here’s how to turn Screen Distance on and give your eyes a break.

Turn on Screen Distance

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Screen Time.
3. Tap Screen Distance. 

These screens appear the first time you access Screen Distance.

Screenshot by Zach McAuliffe/CNET

Then you’ll see two screens explaining what Screen Distance is and how it works. Tap Continue on both screens, and Screen Distance automatically turns on after these screens. Both screens appear only the first time you go into Screen Distance.

Now, after holding your iPhone too close to your face for a few minutes, your screen gets blocked by a message reading, “iPhone May Be Too Close.” 

When you hold your iPhone too close to your face for too long, Screen Distance blocks your screen.

Zach McAuliffe/CNET

Your screen remains blocked until you hold your iPhone farther away. Then, your screen shows a checkmark, and you have to tap Continue to remove the block. 

Read more: How to Beat Eyestrain, According to Optometrists

Turning off Screen Distance

Screen Distance is a useful iOS feature that may reduce eyestrain and even decrease the risk of nearsightedness. However, if you find the warnings more annoying than helpful, here’s how to turn Screen Distance off.

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Screen Time.
3. Tap Screen Distance.
4. Tap the toggle next to Screen Distance.

Now you can go back to holding your iPhone as close to your face as you want without interruption from your phone — or your parents. 

For more iOS news, here’s all the features included in iOS 18.5 and iOS 18.4. You can also check out our iOS 18 cheat sheet and what we hope to see in iOS 19.

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