iOS 17: a health feature for your eyes

• With iOS 17, an alert warns you if you are too close to the screen, to preserve your vision
• This feature is also available on iPad
• Not all iPhones are compatible (only those with Face ID are)

With iOS 17, if your eyes are too close to the iPhone screen for too long, an alert is issued to remind you of good distance practices. It is therefore recommended toplace the device as far away as the length of one's arm, which is also what ergologists also advise when it comes to setting up a correct workstation.

If this new feature of iOS 17 is intended for everyone, it would especially be very useful for the youngest, who are more likely to hang out in front of cartoons. A practice that can promotemyopia, according to several studies published in medical publications.

EnableScreen distancewith iOS 17

Unlike satellite connectivity, alertScreen distanceis completely free. Here's how to activate it:

1. open the Settings app
2. scroll through menus and touchScreen time
3. to touchScreen distance
4. to touchContinue
5. to touchTurn On Screen Distance

Note: functionalityScreen distancealso works on iPads, provided you have installed the update to iPadOS 17 on thecompatible devices.

How it works

Screen distance uses sensorTrueDepthof Face ID to get started. If your iPhone or iPad is equipped with Touch ID, you will not be able to take advantage of it. THEThird generation iPhone SEand second generation are therefore not supported.

As Apple states,Screen distance“measures the distance between the screen and your eyes“. With this, the captured video stream is only stored locally and is not officially “not shared” with the publisher.

For now, the feature is disabled by default.