Here’s google’s new travel feature catches Pixel up to iPhone
Google has seemingly started the rollout of a helpful new Android 17 feature that could help those who suffer from motion sickness.
It’s been known for a while that Google was working on a feature for Android called Motion Assist. Now, some Pixel phone users are reporting that the feature has popped up for them. This would bring the devices in line with iPhones, which have had a similar feature, called Vehicle Motion Cues, since September 2024 when iOS 18 launched.
The tech exists to help people who can’t read in a moving vehicle without feeling nauseated. Dots appear at the edges of your phone’s screen and move in in time with the vehicle as it turns, brakes, slows and accelerates. It should help to align what you see with the movement your inner ear senses.
Android Authority has highlighted user reports showing that Motion Assist is now an option – for some people, at least. This doesn’t seem to be a widespread release just yet, with the website pointing out that it’s present on the Pixel 11 Pro XL they’re using, but not on a Google Pixel 10 Pro XL, even though it’s also running Android 17.
I checked both the Google Pixel 11 Pro and the Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold that I’ve been testing, and Motion Assist isn’t present on either. This would seem to suggest a phased rollout from Google, so some patience may be required.
Android Authority
How to check if Motion Assist is available
To check where your Pixel device has access to Motion Assist, head to Settings > ID > All services, then scroll down to Personal & device safety and look for the Motion Assist option.
If you have an iPhone and want to switch Apple’s version of the feature on, you can find it under Accessibility > Motion > Vehicle Motion Cues.
The Motion Assist feature itself places shapes on your phone’s screen that then move in line with the phone’s motion. You can adjust the shape, opacity, and colour of the UI elements.
Once toggled on in the aforementioned Settings menu, your Pixel device should be able to detect when you’re moving in a vehicle, and will activate it automatically.
It’s also possible to add a Motion Assist Quick Settings tile to the home screen, for a shortcut to the feature.
