While the “iPhone vs. Android” debate that fanboys perpetuate across the internet is tiresome and pointless, there are good reasons for rational people to compare the two mobile platforms. Android has many benefits over iOS just as iOS is better than Android in some ways, and comparing the two operating systems might help people make more informed decisions when it comes time to buy a new smartphone. For example, if you prioritize versatility and flexibility, Android is almost certainly the way to go. On the other hand, if you value simplicity and a smooth overall user experience, one of Apple’s iPhones might be a better choice… most of the time.
For whatever reason, Google and its partners just can’t seem to figure out how to perfect scrolling physics the way Apple has in iOS. Android’s physics is still so janky and unnatural compared to the smoothness of iOS. It might seem trivial, but stop for a moment and think about all the scrolling you do on home screens and in the various apps you use on your phone — you probably scroll around way more than you think. While iOS has always been superior in this area, some iPhone users have experienced problems in this area that make scrolling and transition animations much less smooth. Some refer to the issue as “frame drops” while others refer to it as stuttering, but the bottom line is that it’s a very real issue that negatively impacts the user experience and people have been frustrated by it for a long time now. If you count yourself among the users who are affected, however, we have some good news.
A user on Reddit posted a note in the iPhone subreddit earlier this week claiming to have found a solution to the frame drop issue on iPhones. The issue is particularly noticeable when scrolling through the home screens on affected phones, and this user found that adjusting a certain setting completely eliminated the problem. Here’s what he did:
- Open the Settings app
- Tap on Accessibility
- Tap on Zoom
- Tap the toggle next to “Follow Focus” to disable the setting
According to the Reddit user who posted the note, disabling this setting solved the problem on multiple iPhones as well as an iPad Pro.
The top-voted comment in the thread suggests that the user’s proposed fix isn’t really a fix at all and that it’s merely a placebo effect. We can confirm that this comment is completely false. We tested the fix ourselves on iPhones impacted by the frame drop issue and saw an immediate improvement that is impossible to mistake. It’s entirely possible that the fix doesn’t work for all iPhone models or all users, but it absolutely does work for some users, including us.
If you have an iPhone or iPad that’s impacted by the iOS frame drop bug, definitely give this fix a try. It takes about 5 seconds and it could have a dramatic impact on your user experience.
