To reduce screen movement on iPhone, open Settings > Accessibility > Motion and turn on Reduce Motion. This tones down transitions, the parallax effect, and other supported animations. If you also want GIFs, video previews, or Messages effects to stop playing automatically, turn off their separate switches on the same screen.
These steps follow Apple’s Customize onscreen motion on iPhone guide for iOS 27 and its Reduce screen motion support article, checked in October 2026. The setting helps people who feel dizzy or uncomfortable with on-screen movement, and some people simply prefer a calmer look.
How to Turn On Reduce Motion
- Open Settings.
- Tap Accessibility, then Motion.
- Turn on Reduce Motion. Result: animations change right away.
- Move between a few Home Screen pages or open and close an app to see whether the transitions feel calmer.
Turn the same switch off to restore the usual movement. Apple notes that with Reduce Motion off, you will see more motion, like the fluid morphing effects of Liquid Glass.
What Reduce Motion Changes
According to Apple, when Reduce Motion is on:
- Screen transitions and effects use a dissolve effect instead of zoom or slide effects.
- The parallax effect, where your wallpaper, apps, and alerts shift slightly as you tilt the iPhone, is turned off.
- Animations in certain apps are turned off, such as the weather animations in the Weather app.
- Siri animations and other supported system effects are toned down.
It does not remove every animation inside every app, since individual apps can use their own effects.
Other Motion Settings You Can Change
The Motion screen has several separate switches. Turning on Reduce Motion does not change them, so set each one as you like:
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Auto-Play Animated Images | When on, GIFs and moving images in Messages and Safari play automatically. Turn off to stop them. |
| Auto-Play Video Previews | When on, apps like the App Store play video previews automatically. |
| Auto-Play Message Effects | When on, Messages plays full-screen and bubble effects. When off, tap Replay below a message to watch an effect. |
| Prefer Non-Blinking Cursor | Stops the typing cursor from blinking. |
| Limit Frame Rate | On iPhones with ProMotion, caps the display at 60 frames per second. It does not turn off animations. |
| Vehicle Motion Cues | Shows moving dots to reduce motion sickness when riding in a vehicle; can turn on automatically. |
Reduce Flashing and Bright Effects
If flashing or brightness bothers you more than motion, Apple offers three more settings under Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size:
- Dim Flashing Lights: detects flashing or strobing lights in supported videos and dims them.
- Reduce Bright Effects: reduces highlighting and flashing effects when you touch elements like the keyboard.
- Display Pulse Smoothing (PWM): on supported models, smooths dimming at low brightness for people who see flicker. Apple notes it may affect low-brightness display performance.
If You Still See Movement
- Check that Reduce Motion is on and that the auto-play switches you care about are off. The Photos app has its own setting, so see how to disable video autoplay in the Photos app if videos still move there.
- Look in the app’s own settings, since some apps have separate animation or video options. For example, you can turn off video autoplay in the X (Twitter) iPhone app.
- Apple also lets you apply some visual accessibility settings to specific apps only, from the Accessibility settings, if you want reduced motion in some apps but not others.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Reduce Motion save battery?
Apple does not describe it as a battery feature. It is an accessibility setting for comfort.
Does Reduce Motion work on iPad too?
Yes. Apple’s Reduce Motion article covers iPhone and iPad, and the setting is in the same place: Settings > Accessibility > Motion.
Related: why an iPhone screen keeps dimming, and how to delete a wallpaper on iPhone.
Matthew Burleigh is the founder, head writer, and editor of Solve Your Tech, which he launched in 2012. He has written technology tutorials since 2008 and worked in IT since 2003, including small-business support, IT management, and consulting. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science from Arizona State University.
Matthew writes practical guides for Windows, iPhone and iPad, Microsoft Office, Outlook, Google apps, and Android. Solve Your Tech’s guides are tested on current devices or checked against official product documentation, with clear steps, sources, and update dates.
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