Here's why you might have to wait for Android 17 to use Motion Cues

What you need to know

• Google has been quietly working on an alternative to Apple's Vehicle Motion Cues for over a year.
• The holdup for the feature may be a new API that requires a major Android quarterly release or version upgrade.
• Android 17 could finally add the Motion Cues/Motion Assist feature alongside a custom API.

Google is working on an Android feature that would make it easier for people with motion sickness to use their phone or tablet while in a moving vehicle. The feature, known as Motion Cues, was discovered way back in 2024. While the tool appears to be fully functional in Google Play Service, we're still waiting for a public release. Now, a report from Android Authority's Mishaal Rahman reveals that Motion Could debut within Android 17 — and the reason why it's taking so long.

Like Apple's Vehicle Motion Cues, Google's version overlays motion dots to give the user signals as to which direction the vehicle is moving. This could allow people suffering from motion sickness to use their Android phone while riding in car. However, as currently built, Motion Cues can only display over other apps — not system elements.

As Android Authority discovered, Android's motion dots do not appear over the Settings app, status bar, notifications, Quick Settings, lock screen, or volume panel. The report explains that Android's default overlay API prevents the feature from working in these areas as a safety feature. The security restriction hampers Motion Cues' ability to create an immersive overlay of your vehicle's movement, as it can be interrupted by various system elements.

Google's solution to this problem could be to introduce a new Motion Cues API, per the report. There are signs in Android Canary's 2512 build that an upcoming Motion Cues API could use SystemUI for the rendering of motion dots. As the SystemUI app is responsible for handling system elements, the new API and integrations could solve the problems with Motion Cues in its current, unreleased form.

In a future update, Motion Cues could leverage both Google Play Services and SystemUI. The former might handle the location and appearance of Motion Cues, and SystemUI could be tasked with displaying them.

However, a new system API cannot be added with a Google Play Services update or a server-side push. Instead, new APIs are added through full operating system updates, like a quarterly Android release or a complete version update. As such, the earliest Motion Cues is likely to debut is alongside Android 16 QPR3, but Android 17 is starting to look most likely.

Motion Cues would be Android's answer to Apple's Vehicle Motion Cues. To differentiate the feature, Google could brand the finished product as Motion Assist. This name would fit nicely with other Google features, such as Pixel's Call Assist.