What is Screen Distance in iPhone and iPad? iPhone and iPad models that support Screen Distance How to turn off Screen Distance on iPhone or iPad How to fix Screen Distance in iPhone and iPad not turning off Benefits of using Screen Distance in iPhone and iPad
What is Screen Distance in iPhone and iPad?
Screen Distance is one of the additions in iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 that aims to safeguard your eyes from strain and myopia. This feature only works on iPhones and iPads that have Face ID. In essence, it uses the camera on your device to gauge the gap between your eyes and the screen. Moreover, if you hold your device close for a prolonged duration, the feature will notify you to create some distance.
How Screen Distance works on iPhone and iPad
This feature uses your device’s camera to measure how far your eyes are from the screen. If you’re holding your iPhone or iPad too close (less than 12 inches), it will cover the whole screen and ask you to move your device away before you can use it. Once you move your device to the right distance, the Continue button in the prompt will become active. You can tap that button to remove the pop-up message. Additionally, it’s important to know that this feature doesn’t use the Face ID camera to take pictures or videos of you. It only considers the distance between your eyes and the screen. The information it collects stays on your device and isn’t shared with Apple or anyone else.
iPhone and iPad models that support Screen Distance
You’ll receive alerts if you’ve been holding your device too close to your eyes on your iOS 17 or iPadOS 17 devices that support Face ID. Additionally, you can refer to the list below to see if your specific device is capable of measuring Screen Distance.
iPhone models
iPhone 14 series iPhone 13 series iPhone 12 series iPhone 11 series iPhone XS iPhone XR
iPad models
iPad Pro 11-inch (1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th generation) iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th generation)
Note: iPhone SE (2nd and 3rd generation) or iPads with a Home button do not have the Screen Distance feature available, despite the support for iOS 17/iPadOS 17. Screen Distance is toggled on by default. However, if you wish to disable this feature, follow the steps
How to turn off Screen Distance on iPhone or iPad
How to fix Screen Distance in iPhone and iPad not turning off
While it’s usually simple to disable Screen Distance on your iPhone or iPad, there may be instances where you encounter difficulty turning off Screen Distance on iOS 17 or iPadOS 17. Check the simple methods to fix the issue.
Method 1: Disable Share Across Devices
One of the fundamental and simplest troubleshooting steps involves verifying if your Share Across Devices setting is deactivated, as this can prevent you from toggling off Screen Distance.
Method 2: Other DIY fixes
Aside from the solution mentioned earlier, you can also consider restarting your iPhone or iPad. Updating your iOS or iPadOS version is yet another option to see if it resolves the problem. Additionally, you also have the option to reset your iPhone or iPad as a last resort from your side. Although I suggest, you make a backup of your device before proceeding with that. If none of these steps prove successful, I suggest you reach out to Apple Support for help. Their team of experts is well-equipped to help you with the issue of Screen Distance.
Benefits of using Screen Distance in iPhone and iPad
Screen Distance is the distance between your eyes and the screen of your iPhone or iPad. It is important to maintain a comfortable Screen Distance to protect your eye health, visual comfort, posture, and overall well-being.
Eye health: Holding the device too close can strain your eyes and lead to symptoms like dryness, redness, blurred vision, and headaches. Visual comfort: Holding the device too close can make it difficult to focus and can cause eye fatigue. Posture and ergonomics: Holding the device too close can lead to poor posture, which can cause neck pain, shoulder pain, and back pain. Reduced blue light exposure: Blue light can disrupt your sleep patterns and potentially affect your overall health. Holding the device further away will reduce your exposure to blue light Productivity and focus: Distractions from holding the device too close or discomfort due to improper viewing distance can hamper your productivity and concentration.
Wrapping up! It’s a good idea to maintain a reasonable distance between your eyes and the screen of your iPhone or iPad. This can prevent your eyes from getting tired, strained, or developing vision issues. I hope this post has provided clarity if you were unsure about how to adjust the Screen Distance on your device. Yet, if you encounter any problems or have further questions, please feel free to reach out to me by leaving a comment below. Read more:
How to download and install iOS 17 developer beta on iPhone How to download iPadOS 17 developer beta on iPad How to measure distance between two points in Google Maps on iPhone How to track steps with the iPhone Health app
