Guide

Motion Assist not on your phone? What Android 16 and older can do

Updated September 19, 2026 · by Elliott Jempty, developer of the Perusa motion sickness app

In September 2026 Google rolled out Motion Assist, a built-in Android feature that shows moving shapes at the edges of the screen to ease motion sickness in a vehicle. It is Android's answer to the iPhone's Vehicle Motion Cues. The catch: it needs Android 17, and most Android phones in use today run something older. This page covers how to check your phone, and what you can use if it is not there.

How to check whether your phone has Motion Assist

Swipe down twice to open Quick Settings and look for a Motion Assist tile. You may need to tap the pencil or Edit button to find it among the unused tiles.
Or open Settings and search for "Motion Assist".
If neither shows it, open Settings, then About phone, and check the Android version. Motion Assist needs Android 17 (One UI 9 on Samsung Galaxy phones) and a current version of Google Play services.

According to 9to5Google and Android Authority, the feature reached Pixel phones first and then Samsung phones on Android 17. If your phone is due an Android 17 update, it may simply not have arrived yet. If your phone will never get Android 17, Motion Assist will not come to it.

Options for Android 16 and older

A motion cue app. Apps can draw the same kind of cues over whatever you are reading. Several are free on Google Play; search for "motion cues" or "motion sickness" and try one or two. Things to check: whether the dots jump when the road is rough or your hand shakes, whether taps pass through the overlay, and whether the app shows ads or moves features behind a subscription later.
Perusa, the app I make, works on Android 8 and up. Its cues follow only the slow motion that causes car sickness (braking, accelerating, turning) and hold still over potholes and road shake. It can tune itself from how you felt after each drive and adds a gentle touch cue just before a brake or turn. It costs $4.99 once, with no ads, subscription or account. More about Perusa, or see it on Google Play.
Habits that help with or without an app. Sit in the front seat if you can. Look up at the road every few minutes. Keep fresh air moving. Hold the phone higher so the windows stay in your peripheral vision. Take breaks from the screen before you feel ill, not after.

Why do moving dots help at all? Car sickness is widely explained as a conflict between your inner ear, which feels the car move, and your eyes, which see a still page. Cues at the edge of the screen show your eyes the motion your body already feels. The motion that matters is slow, around 0.1 to 0.5 Hz, which is why cues that react to every bump are not necessarily better. The longer explanation is here.

If you do have Motion Assist

Use it. It is free and built in. Perusa may still be worth a look if the built-in cues feel busy on rough roads, or if you want cues that adapt to you, but we have not yet tested the two side by side, so we make no claim about which works better. We will update this page when we have.

Perusa is a comfort aid, not a medical device. It does not diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any condition. For passengers only. If you have severe or persistent motion sickness, talk to a doctor.