If you get nauseous while trying to use your phone in a moving car or on a train, Google might have a fix coming in the next big update. Android 17 looks set to introduce a feature called motion cues. This tool is designed to bridge the gap between what your eyes see on the screen and what your inner ear feels as the vehicle moves. It is a direct response to a similar feature Apple launched for iOS last year, which has been popular with people who suffer from motion sickness.
The way this works is actually quite simple. When you turn the feature on, your phone uses its internal sensors to detect movement. It then displays small, subtle dots on the edges of the screen that move in the same direction as the vehicle. If the car turns left, the dots move across the screen to the right. This visual feedback tells your brain that you are in motion even while you are focused on a static webpage or a video. By syncing these movements, the phone reduces the sensory conflict that usually causes dizziness and headaches.
While this might seem like a small addition, it is part of a larger push to make Android more accessible. Currently, people have to rely on third party apps to get this kind of functionality, and those rarely work as well as a feature built directly into the operating system. Since the code for this was spotted in early developer previews, it suggests that Google is making it a native part of the interface. You will likely be able to toggle it on or off from the quick settings menu, making it easy to activate only when you are a passenger in a vehicle.
Since Android 17 is still in the early stages of development, you should not expect to see this on your device for a while. The official rollout for the new operating system usually happens in the second half of the year. If you are a developer or have a spare Pixel device, you might be able to test a version of this when the public beta opens up in the spring. For everyone else, keep an eye out for the final release announcement around August or September.
