Android Motion Assist Fights Car Sickness
Android's new Motion Assist feature uses moving dots to combat motion sickness during travel.
The update
Google is rolling out Motion Assist, a feature designed to reduce motion sickness for Android users in moving vehicles. The feature displays moving shapes and patterns that respond to the vehicle’s motion through the phone’s accelerometer and gyroscope. When activated, these dots move in concert with the vehicle’s movement—traveling down when moving forward, shifting left when turning right. Currently, the feature is appearing on newer Pixel devices running Android 17, delivered through Play Services as part of a staged rollout.
Why it matters
Motion sickness affects many people who use phones in moving vehicles. The feature addresses the sensory mismatch between what your inner ear senses and what your eyes see, which causes motion sickness. Apple introduced a similar feature called Motion Cues in 2024, and Google’s version includes customization options for the dots.
What to watch
Will the feature expand beyond Pixel devices to other Android phones? How effective will it prove compared to Apple’s version? The feature can be found in Settings > Profile picture > All services > Personal & device safety, and can be activated manually or set to turn on automatically when movement is detected.
Sources
- zdnet.com — feature details and availability information
- arstechnica.com — technical explanation of how the feature works