Epilepsy-seizures - concerns with IOS 26 Liquid Glass bouncy icons and motion

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Level 1

6 points

Epilepsy-seizures - concerns with IOS 26 Liquid Glass bouncy icons and motion

A possible seizure concern/warning. IF You have an iPhone this is about IOS 26.

I'm already disliking the invasive quality of IOS 26.

I'm a big fan since the early 2000's (2008 was my personal first MacBook Pro 15" with anti-glare screen)of the Apple ecosystem and use it all for everything, from when was still teaching the deaf now retired at 61, to medical needs including my MacBook Pro, iPad, Apple Watch and iPhone. BUT:

If people haven’t already updated to IOS 26 or did already, I immediately noticed that the icons ‘bounce’ slightly, move as part of the new Liquid Glass setup. This really set off my epilepsy, my body's internal seizure alarms in how it patterned the movement,SO…I went into Settings-Accessability - Motion- Reduce Motion. This page is good for people who have photosensitivity, or headaches, motion issues, or just plain annoyed with the new interface. It can also ‘dim flashing lights, and turn off auto-play videos in interfaces like FB and other places through this page.

iPhone 14 Pro Max, iOS 26

Posted on Sep 16, 2025 04:15 PM

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Answer 1

Lorifran57 Author

Level 1

6 points

Sep 17, 2025 05:51 PM in response to Erickj_ewj

I’m in agreement on the risk and frustration as a person with seizures does not have the safe timing necessary to jump through all the hoops to make the adjustments. It’s all well and good to have people giving solutions but they can stare at the phone long enough to do the fixes and truth is, the phone supposed to be user friendly and safe. The brightness modifications do NOTHING for the epilepsy as light/dark mode does not reduce the effects or intensity. I now have to keep my iPhone at 50% brightness just to use it safely. However here is an additional help piece. I found ‘reduce transparency’ button helpful. Good luck!

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Answer 2

brbo

Level 8

38,191 points

Sep 16, 2025 10:49 PM in response to Lorifran57

Hi Lorifran57

Welcome to this Apple (user-to-user) Community!

Re: "Epilepsy-seizures - concerns with IOS 26 Liquid Glass bouncy icons and motion"

Thank you kindly for sharing your concerns, and for detailing the action you have taken.

All the best :-)

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Answer 3

Sep 17, 2025 04:09 PM in response to Lorifran57

My wife has the same issues with her Epilepsy and the new IOS26...it's too flashy. We made all the recommendations listed above...not any better. Why does the text screen need to light up every time you touch something...we've been Apple users since the first iPhone...might need to look into other options.

Hopefully Apple will fix or give an option to turn off before too many people have seizures.

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Answer 4

brbo

Level 8

38,191 points

Sep 17, 2025 05:05 PM in response to Erickj_ewj

Re: Why does the text screen need to light up every time you touch something...

Seems the screen dims when not in use in order to save battery power.

Wondering whether Apple supports online article (link below) can help you:

Adjust the screen brightness and color on iPhone - Apple Support

Eg: says:

"Adjust the screen brightness manually

To make your iPhone screen dimmer or brighter, do one of the following:

Open Control Center, then drag up or down.
Go to Settings > Display & Brightness, then drag the slider."

_____________________________________

"Adjust the screen brightness automatically

iPhone adjusts the screen brightness for current light conditions using the built-in ambient light sensor.

Go to Settings > Accessibility.
Tap Display & Text Size, then turn on Auto-Brightness.

Note: Turning off Auto-Brightness may increase power consumption"

The above screen brightness linked article also explains how to use "Dark Mode" and "Night Shift"

Resource: iPhone User Guide - Apple Support

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