Twenty minutes into a road trip, Tom’s twins ask for their tablets. Tom is an illustrative example, not a real person. He knows what often comes next: one child turns pale and asks to pull over. Google’s new Google Motion Assist goes after exactly that. It puts moving visual cues on your phone screen while you ride in a vehicle, and Google has begun rolling it out with Android 17.
- Price: a built-in software feature, no separate purchase mentioned
- Availability: gradual rollout, Pixel phones appear to be first
- Works with: Pixel phones running Android 17 (not every Pixel has it yet)
- Status: rolling out, with no published test of how well it works
One caution up front. Google hasn’t published a product page we could open for this feature. The details below come from Android Authority and Thurrott, which both reported on it on August 25, 2026. Apple’s support page covers the similar iPhone feature.
How the dots work
Android Authority says Motion Assist shows moving indicators around the screen’s edges that match the vehicle’s motion. Thurrott describes slowly animated circles on the edges of the display that correspond to detected movement.
The aim matches Apple’s description of its own tool, which says onscreen cues “may help reduce motion sickness” while you ride in a vehicle. Thurrott writes that it reduces motion sickness, but he says he hasn’t tested Motion Assist himself. We found no study of how well Google’s version works.
Android Authority also says Google made OS-level changes so the dots can appear over other apps and system screens. The earlier Motion Cues version couldn’t appear over Settings, the status bar, notifications, or the lock screen.
Turning it on, and making it yours
Both outlets say it can start automatically when the phone detects a moving vehicle. You can also add a Quick Settings tile and flip it on or off by hand. While it’s active, a notification appears, and tapping it offers a way to turn it off.
The dots are adjustable: color, shape and opacity. A randomization option varies those settings automatically. Android Authority says to look in Settings, then Your profile, then All services, in the Personal and device safety section.
Who gets it, and when
The rollout is gradual. Android Authority says Pixel phones appear to be first, and its writer found the feature on a Pixel 11 Pro XL but not on a Pixel 10 Pro XL running Android 17. Thurrott didn’t have it on his Pixel 11 Pro and says the timeframe is unclear.
For other Android phones, Google hasn’t said anything in the coverage we read. The claim that Google is “expected to bring the feature to more Android phones” isn’t confirmed by these sources. Android Authority adds that OPPO and vivo already offer a similar feature called Motion Cues.
Why It Matters to You
If you or your kids get queasy using a phone in a car, bus or train, this is a free software option on supported phones. That could mean kids in the back seat, or commuters answering email. Whether it helps any one person is unknown. Motion sickness varies, and the sources give no results from users or testers. If you feel sick, the simplest step is still to look out the window or stop using the screen. For frequent or severe symptoms, talk to a doctor or pharmacist. This feature isn’t medical treatment.
Google isn’t alone in making travel easier with small software changes. See Meta’s AI glasses navigation and NJ Transit’s Navvie chatbot for two other examples.
Open questions
- No independent test shows it reduces motion sickness, and Thurrott hasn’t tried it himself.
- Availability is uneven, even among Pixel phones on Android 17 (Android Authority).
- We couldn’t open a Google announcement, so the details rest on two outlets.
- Google hasn’t said when or whether non-Pixel phones will get it.
- Motion cues are an aid, not a cure, and results will differ by person.
Quick answers
Which phones have Motion Assist?
Pixel phones running Android 17 appear to be first, per Android Authority. The rollout is gradual, so some Pixels don’t have it yet.
Does it turn on by itself?
It can. Both outlets say it can start automatically when your phone detects a moving vehicle, and a Quick Settings tile gives you manual control. Android Authority and Thurrott also say you can change the dots’ color, shape and opacity, or randomize them.
Does iPhone have something similar?
Yes. Apple’s support page describes onscreen cues in iPhone’s Motion accessibility settings that may help reduce motion sickness in a vehicle.
Sources
- Android Authority: Google Android 17 Motion Assist rolling out (Aug 25, 2026)
- Thurrott: Google is rolling out Motion Assist on Android (Aug 25, 2026)
- Apple Support: Use iPhone more comfortably while riding in a vehicle (accessed Oct 13, 2026)