After announcing earlier this month, Google has rolled out Motion Assist to Pixel and Samsung phones running Android 17.
The aim is to reduce motion sickness when you’re in a car, bus, or other moving vehicle with an onscreen bubbles overlay that adjusts to the device’s motion.
To enable, search for “motion assist” in the Settings app or open the Quick Settings editor and scroll down to “From system apps” (on Pixel). The long route is Settings app > Google > All services tab > Personal & device safety > Motion assist. Part of Google Play services, it appears alongside Advanced Protection and Theft protection.
This menu lets you have Motion Assist automatically “Start in a moving vehicle,” but Google also recommends adding a Quick Settings Tile to manually enable and disable “from any screen.” Once active, there’s also a silent system notification that lets you disable with a tap. On most phones, you get two columns of shapes on the left and right edges.
The Customize menu lets you adjust:
- Color: Based on system (Dynamic Color), Red, Yellow, Green, Blue
- Shape: Circle, Square, Pentagon, Diamond
- Opacity: Slider
- Randomization: “Color and shape change every few seconds”
As of today, Motion Assist has widely rolled out on all our Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy (Fold 8 series) devices running Android 17. Be sure to restart your phone if it’s not yet live. We’re seeing the bubbles with version 26.33.32 of Google Play services.
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