This Hidden iOS 17 Feature Works To Protect Your Eyes, Here's How To Set It Up

Eye strain is a fairly common concern when it comes to screen-based electronics, and is one of the reasons many now offer features like Dark Mode, Night Mode, automatic screen dimming, and so on. It's also why Apple has introduced its new Screen Distance option in iOS 17 (and iPad OS 17) for devices that support FaceID.

Screen Distance basically uses the device's front-facing camera and other sensors to determine how far your eyes are from the screen. If you hold the device closer than 12 inches for a long enough period of time (roughly a few minutes) a message will appear on the screen to let you know, then you'll have to move it back until it detects the proper distance before you can continue.

This may sound irritating, especially if it pops up at an inopportune moment, but the goal is to break you of the potential habit of keeping the screen too close — and thus reduce your chances of straining your eyes. Apple also believes it may help to avoid the development of myopia (nearsightedness) in children if they can get used to holding their devices at a more eye-safe distance from a young age.

All you need in order to start using Screen Distance is an iPhone X or newer with iOS 17 installed — or an iPad Pro 11-inch or newer running iPad OS 17. Apple has also stated that Screen Distance should activate by default for children in your Family Sharing group (if you have one set up) who are under the age of 13. Everyone else will have to manually turn it on. Once you're ready to turn Screen Distance on, here's what to do:

1. Open your iPhone's Settings app.
2. Select Screen Time.
3. Select Screen Distance.
4. Tap the toggle next to Screen Distance to turn it on (the toggle will appear green for on, and gray for off).

While it may be tempting to turn the feature off after a few screen-obscuring notifications, keep in mind that it's designed to break you off a potentially harmful (or at least occasionally painful) habit. So if you see this warning often, that's a pretty good indicator that your eyes will probably benefit from leaving it on.