Motion Assist is an Android feature designed to reduce motion sickness when you use your phone in a moving car, bus, train or other vehicle. On supported Galaxy phones, the feature places moving shapes around the edges of the screen; those shapes respond to device movement and provide visual cues intended to reduce the mismatch between what your eyes see and what your body feels while travelling.
How to turn on Motion Assist
Open the Settings app and search for Motion Assist to find the feature. There is no single on/off toggle inside the Motion Assist menu. Instead you can enable Start in a moving vehicle to have the phone detect travel in a car, bus, or train and automatically display the moving shapes. For manual control, tap Add tile to Quick Settings to place a Motion Assist button in the Quick Panel; use that button to start or stop the feature on demand. You can use automatic activation alone, the Quick Settings tile alone, or both together.
Requirements and updating Google Play services
Motion Assist requires Android 17 or newer and an up-to-date version of Google Play services. On Galaxy devices this also means you need One UI 9 or a newer version of One UI. Google Play services normally updates automatically, but if Motion Assist should be available and you can’t find it, check for a manual update: Settings > Apps > Google Play services > App details in store > Update. If an Update button appears, install it, then restart the phone and search for Motion Assist in Settings.
Customize Motion Assist
Tap Customize in the Motion Assist settings to change how the moving shapes look; the phone provides a live preview while you adjust settings. You can change color, shape and opacity. Shape options are circle, square, pentagon and diamond. The opacity slider makes the shapes more or less visible; increasing opacity helps them stand out in dark apps or menus. For color, the Based on system option uses the main color from the phone’s current One UI color palette, which you can change in Settings > Wallpaper and style. A Randomization option will change the color and shape every few seconds instead of using a single combination.
How effective Motion Assist is
Google describes Motion Assist as a feature that may help reduce feelings of motion sickness rather than as a guaranteed prevention. Motion sickness when looking at a phone can occur because the stationary display’s visuals don’t match the movement your body experiences; Motion Assist’s visual cues aim to reduce that mismatch. Effectiveness will differ from person to person, so if using your phone while travelling makes you uncomfortable, you should try the feature.
