Dear Apple, Thank You For Fixing The Worst Part Of iOS 7
My biggest beef with iOS 7 in those early days was the animated effects I saw whenever I opened a folder or new app. Those animations were noticeably slower than the ones in older versions of iOS, which made it feel like I was waiting an eternity to access my stuff. I was also bothered by Apple's "parallax" effect in iOS 7, which taps into the iPhone's built-in motion sensors and lets your background move with you as you twist the device in your hands. It was super distracting.
But when the final version of iOS 7 launched last month, the animations didn't get any faster. You could still turn off the parallax effect under settings, but you were still stuck with the zoomy animations that some people said made them sick to their stomachs.
Many tech pundits, even some of the world's most passionate Apple fans, hated those animations.
But Apple fixed it. Sort of. In a new minor update to iOS 7 that launched this week, Apple gave users the option to switch off nearly all of the vomit-inducing animations. When enabled, tapping a folder or app just flips the screen to your desired destination. No zooming. No swoops. No lag. You just get what you want. I think it's the best way to use iOS 7.
Want to try it?
First, you need to make sure your iPhone is running the latest version of iOS 7, version 7.0.3. Open the Settings app. Then tap General. Then tap Software Update. Your phone will tell you if you need to update.
After you update to 7.0.3, open Settings again. Then General. Then tap Accessibility. Select the option that says "Reduce Motion" and flip the switch to green. That'll kill most annoying animations in iOS 7.