● Covered by 5 sources · 5 reportsLow impact5 neutral
Android 17 introduces Motion Assist to reduce motion sickness in vehicles
Key points
- Android 17 adds Motion Assist feature.
- Motion Assist reduces motion sickness in vehicles.
- Feature uses accelerometer and gyroscope to display moving dots.
- Users can customize opacity, shapes, and colors of indicators.
- Motion Assist is rolling out to newer Pixel devices first.
- Motion Assist is rolling out on a large scale.
- The feature works in cars, trains, or other moving vehicles.
- The next Pixel Drop is in September.
- Motion Assist is similar to Apple's Motion Cues.
- Apple released Motion Cues in iOS 18 in 2024.
- Google began testing Motion Assist in 2024.
- Motion Assist is delivered by Play Services as part of a staged rollout.
- Google released five new Android features.
- Google announced the updates on Tuesday.
- Motion Assist adds a bubble overlay to the screen.
- Users can enable Motion Assist through settings or a Quick Settings Tile.
- Motion Assist can be set to automatically start in a moving vehicle.
- A system notification allows users to disable Motion Assist with a tap.
- Users can randomize color and shape changes every few seconds.
- The Pixel 11 Pro Fold displays three columns of shapes on the screen edges.
New Feature for Motion Sickness
Google is introducing Motion Assist as part of Android 17, a new feature aimed at reducing or eliminating motion sickness for users interacting with their phones inside moving vehicles. This functionality is similar to Apple's Motion Cues, which was released in 2024.
How Motion Assist Works
Motion Assist addresses the discrepancy between visual input (a static screen) and inner ear sensations (vehicle movement) that causes motion sickness. The feature utilizes the device's accelerometer and gyroscope to detect vehicle motion. It then displays dots around the screen's periphery that move in harmony with the car's movements, such as sweeping left when the car turns right or sliding forward during braking.
Customization and Availability
Users can customize Motion Assist by adjusting the opacity of the motion indicators and choosing from various shapes and colors. The feature can be configured to activate automatically when vehicle motion is detected or toggled manually via a Quick Settings tile. The rollout appears to be phased, with some Pixel phones receiving it first, and it can be found in Google Settings under 'Your Profile' and 'All Services'.
Updates
- Users can enable Motion Assist through settings or a Quick Settings Tile.
- Motion Assist can be set to automatically start in a moving vehicle.
- A system notification allows users to disable Motion Assist with a tap.
- Users can randomize color and shape changes every few seconds.
- The Pixel 11 Pro Fold displays three columns of shapes on the screen edges.
- Google released five new Android features.
- Google announced the updates on Tuesday.
- Motion Assist adds a bubble overlay to the screen.
- Motion Assist is similar to Apple's Motion Cues.
- Apple released Motion Cues in iOS 18 in 2024.
- Google began testing Motion Assist in 2024.
- Motion Assist is delivered by Play Services as part of a staged rollout.
- Motion Assist is rolling out to newer Pixel devices first.
- Motion Assist is rolling out on a large scale.
- The feature works in cars, trains, or other moving vehicles.
- The next Pixel Drop is in September.
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Primary sources
GitHub uuidjs/uuidHow outlets covered it
Google is gradually rolling out Motion Assist to Android 17 phones, a new feature within Google Play services designed to help reduce motion sickness in moving vehicles. Users can enable it through settings or a Quick Settings Tile, and customize visual elements like color and shape.
Google released five new Android features, including "Motion Assist" to reduce motion sickness, "Guided Vision" for blind and low-vision users, and Gemini integration for remembering item locations. These updates aim to enhance accessibility, utility, and personalization for Android users, with some features leveraging Gemini's capabilities.
Google is rolling out Motion Assist, a feature that displays moving dots on the screen to alleviate motion sickness for Android users in moving vehicles. This feature, similar to Apple's Motion Cues, uses accelerometer and gyroscope data to synchronize screen movement with vehicle motion, addressing sensory mismatch.
Android's Motion Assist feature, designed to reduce motion sickness by displaying moving shapes that correlate with vehicle movement, is now rolling out to newer Pixel devices. This feature aims to provide visual cues that help the brain reconcile inner ear sensations with a static screen, potentially reducing nausea for users in moving vehicles.
Google is rolling out Motion Assist, a new feature in Android 17, designed to mitigate motion sickness when using a phone in a moving vehicle. This feature uses the device's sensors to display moving dots on the screen, synchronizing with vehicle motion to counteract sensory discrepancies that cause nausea.