Android 17 could finally introduce Motion Cues to combat motion sickness – matching the same feature in iOS
- Motion Cues could be ready to launch on Android
- It fights motion sickness when traveling
- We first saw hints of this feature around this time last year.
A year ago, a new Android feature called Motion Cues was spotted hidden in the Google Play Services code, with a launch seemingly imminent. That hasn’t manifested yet – but that could be about to change.
Once again, we’re indebted to the Android Authority team for doing the necessary research, and it looks like the feature is still there. However, a restriction in the capabilities of Android itself is why it hasn’t launched yet.
Motion Cues, like the equivalent feature in iOS, will draw dots on the screen that move based on the phone’s actual movement – in theory reducing nausea, because it means your brain won’t be as confused about whether you’re moving or not.
However, drawing these points above key settings panels requires high security permissions that Motion Cues does not yet have. The limitations are in place to prevent hackers from overlaying elements on icons and menus that control how your phone works.
Are you arriving soon?
Look on it
In the latest version of Android Canary – the pre-beta software in which Google engineers test new features – it appears that responsibility for Motion Cues is being transferred to a more fundamental part of Android, with additional security rights.
This means that dots that sync with your phone’s movement will be able to cover the entire screen, even if you’re viewing important system settings or the Quick Settings panel is pulled down from the top of the screen.
Once this new approach has been tested and established, it should then be made public. This could well appear as part of the Android 17 update which we hope to hear more about over the coming months.
Apple’s version, called Vehicle Motion Cues, was introduced with iOS 18 and works the same way: you can manage and enable the feature from the main Settings screen by tapping Accessibility > Movement > Vehicle Movement Cues.
Follow TechRadar on Google News And add us as your favorite source to get our news, reviews and expert opinions in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!
And of course you can too follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form and receive regular updates from us on WhatsApp Also.
