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Google's Motion Assist brings Apple-style carsickness cues to Android 17 phones
Google has launched Motion Assist, its answer to Apple's 2024 Vehicle Motion Cues, for Android 17 phones. Because auto-start may not notice a moving car, Google recommends a Quick Settings tile, so plan any rollout around the tile.
The Product Desk · Product desk
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What happened
- Motion Assist also needs updated Google Play Services, and Samsung phones get it only on One UI 9.
- The phone's motion sensors move small on-screen shapes with each maneuver the car makes.
- On a Pixel, the switch is under Settings, then the profile, then All services, then Personal & device safety.
- Google says Motion Assist is meant for passengers and should not be used by whoever is driving.
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Why it matters
- capability Carsick passengers on qualifying Android phones now have a built-in screen aid for reading in the car, something iPhone owners have had since iOS 18.
- decision Anyone configuring phones for passengers has to choose between trusting auto-detection and teaching a manual tile, because Google's own guidance hedges on detection.
- constraint Some phones in a mixed Android fleet will have the feature and some will not, so support staff cannot promise it without checking each device's OS and Play Services first.
A passenger can switch on Start automatically in a moving vehicle [11], get into a car, open an article and see no shapes at all. According to Engadget, the phone's motion sensors may have a hard time knowing when it is in a moving car, and Google recommends adding Motion Assist to Quick Settings so it stays a couple of taps away [12].
The settings screen describes two products. One notices the car and starts itself [11]. The other is the one Google tells people to keep handy: a tile the passenger has to remember to tap [12].
Engadget treats Motion Assist as Google's version of a feature Apple unveiled with iOS 18 in 2024 [1][2]. Google says the moving shapes help "your brain synchronize what your eyes see with what your body feels" [7]. The shapes stay on the screen's edges, so text in the middle stays clear [8]. You can change their colors, opacity and shape, and there is even a Randomization option that changes the colors and shapes as it runs [13][14]. Engadget calls the customization similar to Apple's [13], but its guide does not test the two features side by side.
Owners of the new Pixel 11 models can use it today [4]. On a Pixel the switch is four screens deep [1]. Engadget says menus may vary on other brands, and that searching "Motion Assist" in Settings may be the most direct path [5].
I'd add the Quick Settings tile on every phone that qualifies and treat auto-start as a convenience. For written instructions, the Settings search is the step most likely to work on any brand [5]. The tradeoff is that the tile hands the job to the passenger at the moment they feel worst.
Sort each passenger on two lines. The first is whether the phone meets Google's requirements [3]. The second is whether the passenger will actually tap a tile once they feel queasy. A qualifying phone and a passenger who will tap: set up the tile, and leave auto-start on as a bonus. A qualifying phone and a passenger who will not tap: auto-start is the only route, so tell them up front that it can miss the car [12]. On a phone that does not qualify there is no setting to configure, whichever way the person rides. An iPhone passenger has had Vehicle Motion Cues since iOS 18 [2].
What to watch
- Whether Google improves moving-vehicle detection enough to drop its advice to keep Motion Assist in Quick Settings.
- Where Samsung places Motion Assist in One UI 9, since the published setup path covers Pixel phones only.
- A side-by-side test of Motion Assist against Apple's Vehicle Motion Cues, which would show whether the two actually match.