Hi, I'm Kaycee. Welcome to Hidden iPhone Tips, a weekly column where I dig into the best iOS features Apple doesn't tell you about.
I spend an embarrassing amount of hours on my iPhone according to Screen Time. While this is bad enough, what's worse is how close I hold it to my face — especially at night when I'm scrolling in bed with the lights off. My eyes feel strained constantly, like there's something irritating them that won't go away.
I assumed Night Shift was handling eye protection. It shifts screen colors to warmer tones at night, which sounds helpful but doesn't actually address the real problem: holding your phone too close to your face for extended periods. Then I discovered Screen Distance, a hidden iPhone feature buried in Screen Time settings.
Why this feature is a game-changer
Screen Distance monitors how far your iPhone is from your face using the TrueDepth camera. When you hold it closer than about 12 inches for an extended period, your screen gets blocked by a warning: "iPhone May Be Too Close." Your phone stays blocked until you physically move it farther away.
This forced intervention works far better than Night Shift's passive color adjustment. Night Shift lets you keep scrolling with your phone inches from your nose, just with warmer colors. Screen Distance makes you stop and correct the behavior causing eye strain in the first place.
I was skeptical at first — another annoying iPhone interruption seemed like the last thing I needed. But after a few days of forced distance corrections, I started holding my phone farther away automatically. The warnings became less frequent as my habits improved, and my eyes felt noticeably less strained by the end of each day.
How to enable Screen Distance on your iPhone
1. Open Screen Time settings
Go to Settings and scroll down to Screen Time. Then tap Screen Time to open the menu.
Screen Distance lives inside Screen Time rather than Display settings, which is why most people never find it. Apple buried this feature deep enough that it's essentially hidden unless you know to look for it specifically.
2. Access Screen Distance
In Screen Time, look for Screen Distance near the top of the menu. Tap it to open the Screen Distance settings.
The first time you access Screen Distance, two explanation screens appear describing what the feature does and how it works. Read through them and tap on Turn on screen distance. A new toggle will appear, indicated the feature has been enabled.
3. Wait for the warning
Use you phone as you normally would. When you're scrolling with your iPhone too close to your face, you'll see a "iPhone May Be Too Close" warning pop up on the screen.
When this appears, pull your iPhone farther from your face. Once you reach a safe distance, a checkmark appears on screen. Tap Continue to dismiss the warning and resume using your phone.
This happens every time you hold your iPhone too close for too long. The interruption is intentional — it forces you to correct poor viewing distance rather than letting you ignore it like you would a passive notification.
4. How to disable Screen Distance if needed
Screen Distance is genuinely helpful, but I understand why some people find it too intrusive. If the constant interruptions bother you more than eye strain does, you can turn it off.
Go to Settings, Screen Time, Screen Distance then toggle the switch next to Screen Distance to off. The feature disables immediately, and you won't see distance warnings anymore.
You can re-enable it anytime by following the same steps and toggling Screen Distance back on. The feature remembers your settings, so you won't see the initial explanation screens again when re-enabling.
I recommend trying Screen Distance for at least a week before deciding to disable it. The first few days feel annoying because the warnings interrupt frequently. But as your habits adjust and you naturally hold your phone farther away, interruptions decrease significantly.
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