What are the motion sickness dots, and do they work?
Every major phone brand's motion sickness dots status, 5 rows in one table, checked in September 18, 2026. The dots are small markers around the edge of the screen that move with the vehicle, so your eyes see the motion your inner ear already feels. Apple calls the feature Vehicle Motion Cues and has shipped it on iPhone since iOS 18. On Android the gaps are closing fast: recent OnePlus, OPPO and vivo flagships have their own version, Google's Motion Assist is widely rolled out on Android 17 Pixels, and Galaxy phones on One UI 9 began receiving Motion Assist in mid September 2026, per SamMobile and 9to5Google.
Key facts
- The motion sickness dots are Apple's Vehicle Motion Cues, an accessibility feature on iPhone since iOS 18, at Settings > Accessibility > Motion.
- Galaxy phones on One UI 9 with Android 17 are now receiving Google's Motion Assist, confirmed mid September 2026; One UI's own menus still have no Samsung-made toggle, so it appears under Google settings and the Quick Panel.
- Google's Motion Assist is widely rolled out on Android 17 Pixels as of mid September 2026, per 9to5Google. Delivery is staged through Play services, so a restart can make it appear.
- Recent OnePlus, OPPO and vivo flagships, including the OnePlus 15, OPPO Find X9 Pro and vivo X300 Pro, do ship a motion cues style setting in Accessibility settings.
- The dots only work while you are looking at the screen, and they are prevention rather than rescue, so they do little once nausea has already started.
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Which phones have the dots
Feature names differ by brand, which is why searching your own settings for “motion sickness” usually turns up nothing. Here is every platform in one place, checked in September 18, 2026.
| Phone | Feature name | Since | Where to find it | Has the dots? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone and iPad | Vehicle Motion Cues | iOS 18 and later | Settings > Accessibility > Motion > Vehicle Motion Cues | YesSet it to Automatic and the dots show up when the phone senses vehicle motion. You can also add a Control Center toggle. |
| Samsung Galaxy | No separate One UI feature; Google Motion Assist is rolling out on One UI 9 | Rolling out since mid September 2026 on One UI 9 (Android 17) with Play services 26.33.32 or later | Settings > your Google account profile > All services > Personal & device safety > Motion Assist | Arriving now through Google Motion Assist on One UI 9Samsung's own accessibility list still has no motion-cues toggle; the dots come from Google. Confirmed rolling out to One UI 9 Galaxys in mid September 2026 (SamMobile, 9to5Google), first wave including the S26 FE, S26 Ultra and the Z Flip 8 and Z Fold 8 series. Search Settings for motion assist or check the Quick Panel; a restart can make it appear. Hearapy remains a separate sound app, not a dots feature. |
| Google Pixel and eligible Android 17 phones | Motion Assist through Google Play services | Android 17 and later, with updated Google Play services | Settings > your Google account profile > All services > Personal & device safety > Motion Assist | Yes, widely rolled out on Android 17Motion Assist draws small bubbles using vehicle-sensor data, can start automatically in a car, adds a Quick Settings tile, and offers appearance controls. It arrives through Google Play services and was widely rolled out on Android 17 Pixels by mid September 2026, per 9to5Google; a freshly updated phone may still need a restart. |
| OnePlus, OPPO and vivo flagships | A motion cues style setting. The name varies by brand. | Recent flagships, including the OnePlus 15, OPPO Find X9 Pro and vivo X300 Pro | Accessibility settings. The exact menu differs by brand. | Yes on those modelsThese brands shipped the dots ahead of Google. Older models from the same brands do not have it. |
| Android 16 and earlier, or unsupported devices | No Google Motion Assist | Requires Android 17 or later | Use a third-party visual-cue app | No built-in Google optionGoogle's Motion Assist requires Android 17 and updated Google Play services. Unsupported phones still need an app such as KineStop for comparable on-screen cues. |
Scroll the table sideways on a narrow screen. Feature availability changes with software updates, so the settings menu on your own phone is always the final word.
Check your phone
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How to get the dots, phone by phone
How to get motion sickness dots on iPhone
On an iPhone the dots are a setting you switch on. Open Settings, tap Accessibility, tap Motion, then tap Vehicle Motion Cues and choose Automatic. You need iOS 18 or later. On Automatic the dots appear only when the iPhone senses that you are in a moving vehicle, and disappear when it stops.
- Open Settings. You need iOS 18 or later.
- Tap Accessibility.
- Tap Motion.
- Tap Vehicle Motion Cues, then choose Automatic.
- Optional: add it to Control Center for a one-tap switch.
On Automatic the dots appear when the iPhone senses you are in a moving vehicle and disappear when it stops. If the menu item is not there, or it is on and nothing shows up, the iPhone setting page covers which iPhones qualify and why the dots stay hidden. What the feature is doing in the first place is on the Vehicle Motion Cues page.
How to get motion sickness dots on Samsung
There is nothing to turn on. No Galaxy phone ships the motion sickness dots as a built-in feature as of September 2026, and no update or hidden menu will reveal one. The ten-second check below settles it on your own phone: Settings, then Accessibility, then Vision enhancements. For the visual effect today a third-party overlay app is the substitute, and for relief that does not depend on looking at the screen, sound is.
The check, step by step:
- Open Settings.
- Tap Accessibility.
- Tap Vision enhancements.
- Look for Motion Cues. It is not in that list on current Galaxy software.
Samsung's own motion sickness product is Hearapy, a free app that uses sound rather than dots. For the visual effect, a third-party overlay app is the substitute. Both routes are covered on the Samsung page.
How to get motion sickness dots on Android
It depends on the brand. Recent OnePlus, OPPO and vivo flagships ship a motion cues style setting in their accessibility menus, so look there first. On Pixel and other Android 17 phones, Google's Motion Assist is widely rolled out as of mid September 2026: search Settings for motion assist, or check Settings, then your Google account profile, then All services, then Personal & device safety. Galaxy phones on One UI 9 are receiving the same feature now. If it has not reached your phone yet, an overlay app is the closest substitute.
On any Android phone without it, you have two routes. An overlay app such as the KineStop app draws similar moving cues while you read, which copies the dots and copies their limits. Or you skip the screen entirely and use sound, which is what Dizzout does. Options compared on the Android page and the Pixel page.
Followed the steps and still no dots? The dots not working guide matches what you see to the cause: the silent Automatic wait, the staged Motion Assist rollout, and the phones where there is nothing to fix.
Do the dots actually help?
They aim at a real mechanism. Reading in a moving car makes your eyes report a still page while your inner ear reports movement, and that disagreement is what turns your stomach. The dots put the car's motion back into your field of view, which is a small, portable version of looking at the horizon, the best-evidenced free fix there is. If your trigger is scrolling in the back seat, they are worth switching on.
Here is what they do not do. They stop helping the moment you look away from the screen, so they are no use with your eyes closed or your head against the window. They are prevention, not rescue: once nausea has taken hold, dots on a screen rarely bring you back. And they only address the screen. On a boat, a plane, a roller coaster or in VR, the thing making you sick is not your phone, so the phone cannot fix it. No independent published trial has tested Apple's implementation, which is another reason to file the feature under free and sensible rather than settled.
That gap is where a sound-based approach fits. It does not need your eyes on anything, it travels to vehicles the dots never reach, and it is built to be used once you already feel queasy. More on why looking at your phone in the car sets this off.
No dots on your phone? You don't need them.
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Frequently asked questions
Does Samsung have motion sickness dots?+
Yes, arriving now, through Google rather than Samsung. One UI's own accessibility menus still have no motion cues toggle, but Google's Motion Assist is rolling out to Galaxy phones on One UI 9 with Android 17, confirmed by SamMobile and 9to5Google in mid September 2026, first wave including the S26 FE, S26 Ultra and the Z Flip 8 and Z Fold 8 series. On an eligible Galaxy, search Settings for motion assist or check the Quick Panel. Samsung's own product remains Hearapy, a free app that uses sound instead of visuals.
What are the dots on iPhone for motion sickness?+
They are Vehicle Motion Cues, an accessibility feature Apple added in iOS 18. Small animated dots sit around the edge of the screen and move with the car: side to side when it turns, forward and back when it speeds up or brakes. That gives your eyes a motion signal matching what your inner ear feels, which is the mismatch that makes reading in a car unpleasant. Find it at Settings, then Accessibility, then Motion.
Are the anti nausea dots the same as the motion sickness dots?+
Yes. Anti nausea dots, anti nausea display dots and motion sickness dots all describe the same feature: small on-screen markers that move with the vehicle to cut the mismatch between what your eyes see and what your inner ear feels. Apple's name for it is Vehicle Motion Cues, OnePlus, OPPO and vivo each use their own menu wording, and Google calls its Android version Motion Assist, widely rolled out on Android 17 Pixels and now arriving on One UI 9 Galaxys as of mid September 2026. Whatever the name, the table above shows which phones actually have it.
Do the motion sickness dots work?+
For the specific problem they target, many people find they help. Reading in a moving car makes your eyes report a still page while your inner ear reports movement, and the dots put the vehicle's real motion back into your field of view. Two honest limits: they only work while you are looking at the screen, and they are prevention rather than rescue, so they do little once nausea has already set in. No independent published trial has tested Apple's implementation, so the fair reading is free and sensible rather than proven.
Related guides
- Vehicle Motion Cues, in fullApple's version end to end: what it does, and whether it works.
- The iPhone setting, step by stepFour taps to the dots, the Control Center toggle, and what to do when the menu item is missing.
- Every phone's setting, comparedWider than the dots: which phones have any motion sickness setting at all.
- Check your phone modelThe dots answer model by model: Galaxy S and A series, Pixel, OnePlus and more.
- Looking at your phone in the carWhy the screen is the trigger, and how holding it higher changes what you feel.
- The car sickness appRoad-trip picks for both platforms, starting with where the passenger sits.
Feature availability checked in September 18, 2026 against Apple's and Samsung's own documentation; settings menus and supported models change with software updates. Apple, iPhone, Vehicle Motion Cues, Samsung, Galaxy, Hearapy, Google, Pixel, Motion Assist, OnePlus, OPPO, vivo and KineStop are trademarks of their respective owners, and Dizzout is not affiliated with or endorsed by them. This page is informational and is not medical advice.