Get car sick while youre on the phone? Motion Assist is coming to Android to help

Struggling with motion sickness while using your smartphone in a moving vehicle? Google may have a solution with the upcoming Motion Assist feature for Android. This new feature aims to alleviate symptoms of motion sickness for Android users. Initially spotted in a December 2024 beta release, Google is finally rolling out Motion Assist to Android 17 devices. Currently, Google Pixel phones are the first to receive this feature, with other Android devices following suit.

Motion Assist functions similarly to Apple's Vehicle Motion Cues introduced for the iPhone in 2024. When activated, animated dots or shapes appear along the edges of the display and move in sync with the vehicle's movement. This visual cue may help reduce the sensation of motion sickness for users.

To access Motion Assist, navigate to Google Play Settings on your Android device. Tap your profile, then Settings, and proceed to All services. Under Personal & device safety, you'll find Motion Assist. Users can customize the color, shape, and opacity of the motion indicators that appear at the screen's edges. A randomization option even varies these settings automatically.

Motion Assist allows users to set it to activate automatically when the device detects movement from a car, bus, train, or other moving vehicle. Additionally, users can add a Motion Assist tile to Quick Settings for manual control. A notification will alert users when Motion Assist is active, and they can easily turn it off by tapping the notification.

The feature is gradually rolling out to Pixel phones running Android 17, so availability may vary among eligible devices. If you haven't seen it yet, it may not have reached your phone yet.