Android Tackles Motion Sickness and Boosts Accessibility with New Updates

Google has announced a package of new Android updates aimed at making phones more useful, accessible, and customizable. These updates range from addressing motion sickness while using the phone in vehicles, to helping the blind and visually impaired recognize their surroundings, in addition to broader options for customizing the Messages app. Notably, some of these features rely directly on the capabilities of the Gemini AI assistant, while others represent a step toward catching up with features Apple introduced earlier.

Motion Assist: A Smart Solution for Motion Sickness

The «Motion Assist» update is among Google's most prominent offerings, as it was designed specifically to help those who suffer from motion sickness when using their phone inside a moving vehicle. The idea relies on displaying a bubble on the screen that moves according to the vehicle's motion, reducing the conflict between what the eye sees on the screen and the motion the body feels—the main cause of nausea.

Users can set the feature to activate automatically or add it to Quick Settings, with the ability to customize the bubble's shape, color, and transparency level. This feature is available to Android 17 users. It's worth noting that the concept isn't entirely new, as Apple introduced a similar feature in 2024 called «Vehicle Motion Cues» that relies on moving dots around the edges of the screen.

Guided Vision: Digital Eyes for the Visually Impaired

The «Guided Vision» feature is aimed at the blind and visually impaired, combining the phone's camera with Gemini's capabilities to perform many daily tasks, such as:

• Reading small text on food product labels.
• Browsing restaurant menus in dimly lit settings.
• Recognizing surrounding objects inside the home.

The feature provides voice guidance when the camera isn't in the correct position, directing the user to move, rotate, or center the target object. This feature will reach phones running Android 9 and later in countries where the Gemini assistant is available.

Remembering the Locations of Important Items

Among the fun and practical updates is a feature that allows the Gemini assistant to help you remember the locations of important things. Through the «Remembered Items» section within the Find Hub app, users can tell the assistant where an item is stored—such as putting a passport in the bedroom drawer—so that Gemini retains this information and recalls it when needed. You can also attach a photo of the item to make it easier to identify later.

Improvements to the Messages App

Google didn't overlook the Messages app, adding integration with the Google Keep app that allows users to share shopping lists, travel notes, and other information, and edit them directly within the conversation, without needing to switch between apps.

In addition, the app received broader customization options, so users can now customize each conversation individually with different backgrounds, images, and colors, with text bubbles automatically adjusting to match the chosen design. It's worth noting that Apple introduced a similar feature for customizing backgrounds in its Messages app last year.

Conclusion

These updates reflect a clear direction from Google toward integrating artificial intelligence into the daily user experience, with a notable focus on accessibility and meeting the needs of groups that are often overlooked. While the company seeks to keep pace with its rival Apple in some of these features, in others it is betting on Gemini's capabilities to provide added value that makes the phone a smarter companion, more attentive to its users' needs.

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