Google is rolling out Motion Assist, a Play Services feature for Android 17 that places moving dots along the screen edges to track a vehicle's motion using the phone's accelerometer and gyroscope, aiming to reduce or eliminate motion sickness — two years after Apple shipped a similar Motion Cues feature in iOS 18.
What does Motion Assist look like, and how does it work?
Motion Assist overlays small dots around the periphery of the screen that shift in sync with the vehicle's motionCITE:E3CITE:E6. The feature taps into the phone's accelerometer and gyroscope to calculate that motionCITE:E3CITE:E6. The dots travel down the screen while the vehicle is moving forward, and sweep to the left when the vehicle turns rightCITE:E3CITE:E6. When the vehicle brakes, the dots slide forwardCITE:E6.
How does Motion Assist help with motion sickness?
Motion Assist has been proven to reduce, or even eliminate, motion sickness when someone uses a phone inside a moving vehicleCITE:E5. That effect is the stated purpose behind the moving-dot overlay described above, which gives the eyes a visual cue that matches the inner ear's sense of the vehicle's movementCITE:E3CITE:E5CITE:E6.
When did Google start rolling out Motion Assist, and how far along is it?
Google first tested Motion Assist internally in 2024 and did not expand it beyond that internal trial until the current rolloutCITE:E2. The feature is now appearing on Pixel phones running Android 17, delivered through a staged Play Services update rather than a separate app or downloadCITE:E1. Coverage is not yet complete: Motion Assist was still missing from two Pixel devices tested by The Verge, and users are advised to check for it under Google Settings, Your Profile, and All ServicesCITE:E8.
Does Apple's iOS have a similar feature?
Apple already ships a comparable feature, Motion Cues, which it released as part of iOS 18 in 2024CITE:E4. Motion Cues places a network of moving dots on the screen to help alleviate motion sickness, the same underlying approach Google is now bringing to AndroidCITE:E4.
| Platform | Feature | Year introduced |
|---|
| iOS 18 | Motion Cues | 2024CITE:E4 |
| Android (internal test) | Motion Assist | 2024CITE:E2 |
| Android 17 | Motion Assist (public rollout) | 2026CITE:E1 |
How can users configure and customize Motion Assist?
Users can set the opacity of the motion dots and choose from a variety of shapes and colorsCITE:E7. The feature can be configured to turn on automatically once it detects a moving vehicle, or it can be toggled manually through a tile in Quick SettingsCITE:E7.
What this adds up to: Google's internal testing of Motion Assist began in 2024, the same year Apple publicly shipped Motion Cues in iOS 18CITE:E2CITE:E4, yet Google's own feature is only reaching Android 17 users now, in August 2026, and even then not on every Pixel device testedCITE:E1CITE:E8.