How to Adjust Motion Effects Per App on iOS 15

Apple introduced a major accessibility upgrade in iOS 15 called Per-App Settings, allowing users to customize display and motion preferences for individual applications rather than applying them system-wide. This guide explains how this feature works, the specific motion-related controls available, and the exact steps to configure motion effects for individual apps on your iPhone.

The Feature: Per-App Accessibility Settings

Prior to iOS 15, accessibility settings such as Reduce Motion were strictly global, affecting the entire operating system and all installed applications equally. iOS 15 added Per-App Settings at the bottom of the Accessibility menu, enabling users to tailor visual and motion effects specifically to apps that cause discomfort, motion sickness, or visual fatigue, while leaving standard animations intact elsewhere.

Motion Controls Available Per App

Within the Per-App Settings configuration, users can adjust several specific motion and animation behaviors:

  • Reduce Motion: Disables or significantly limits the movement of user interface elements, including the parallax effect of icons, screen transitions, and app-opening animations.
  • Prefer Cross-Fade Transitions: When Reduce Motion is enabled, this setting replaces sliding screen transitions with a smooth cross-fade effect inside supported apps.
  • Auto-Play Video Previews: Allows users to turn off automatically playing video previews within specific apps, preventing sudden movement or unexpected animations while browsing.

How to Configure Motion Effects for a Specific App

To adjust motion effects for an individual app on iOS 15, follow these steps:

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Accessibility.
  3. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and tap Per-App Settings.
  4. Tap Add App.
  5. Select the application you want to customize from the list, or select Home Screen to adjust system interface animations only.
  6. Tap the newly added app from the Per-App Settings menu.
  7. Scroll to the Vision section and select Reduce Motion.
  8. Change the setting from Default to On (or Off if you prefer motion enabled exclusively for that app).
  9. If desired, adjust Prefer Cross-Fade Transitions and Auto-Play Video Previews using the same process.

The changes take effect immediately without requiring a device restart. To revert settings, return to the Per-App Settings menu and switch the options back to Default, or swipe left on the app's name to delete its custom profile entirely.