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Is iOS7 Making People Sick?

Written by George Anderson

I learned a long time ago never to install the first generation of any new software released. There are always bugs to work out and .3 or .4 is certain to result in fewer headaches and upset stomachs. Little did I know that in the case of iOS7, this could literally be true.

Last week, I had three people between the ages of 20 and 40 mention they had downloaded Apple's new mobile app and were regretting the decision. Their iPhone screen was making them feel queasy. A little research online found my friends had plenty of company. Here are a few comments from discussions on the Apple site's Support Communities pages.

  • "I've experienced nausea and motion sickness and headaches since last week when I installed iOS7, all due to the apps zooming in and out animation."
  • "I haven't had motion sickness for 20 years, but now I get it from using my phone."
  • "I don't need a doctor. I need my phone to not take me on a virtual roller coaster every time I open and close an app."

A report on the Quartz website suggests that the issues some people are having with iOS7 will only get worse as video games, 3D movies, Google Glass and other technologies more closely resemble real life and, in turn, make people feel queasy.

Cynthia Ryan, executive director of the Vestibular Disorders Association, told The Guardian that people get their sense of balance and spatial awareness from the vestibular system, which works or doesn't based on the functioning of fluid-filled canals in the middle ear. When someone combines inner ear issues with trouble processing visual images, the result can be "intense nausea, dizziness and vertigo."

According to Ms. Ryan, "An estimated 69 million US adults aged 40 and over — 35 percent of all Americans — experience vestibular system dysfunction."

While it may feel like motion sickness, the actual condition is known as simulation sickness, according to the Quartz report. Depending on conditions, simulation sickness can affect between 13 percent and 90 percent of the population, according to a 2005 report by the U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences.

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