Android users will receive a notification telling them to stop looking at their mobile phones while walking.
Android users will receive a notification telling them to stop looking at their mobile phones while walking, a leaked new tool suggests. The feature is being tested in an update to the Digital Wellbeing app, tech blog XDA Developers reported.
Screenshots of the app show a notification will appear on the screen of the phone, with a prompt to look up.
The tool by Google’s Android says:
“Get a reminder to focus on what’s around you,”
Heads Up.
The feature, called Heads Up, is built into the Digital Wellbeing app – one designed to help users manage how much they use their phones.
For example, you can set a limit on certain app use, or silence notifications at set times. According to XDA Developers, the notifications can be switched on and off in the phone’s settings.
Jay Prakash Kamat tweeted screenshots of Heads Up after spotting the update on his Google Pixel 4a phone.
Digital Wellbeing add “Heads Up”, a feature that warns you to stop using your phone while you’re walking. @xdadevelopers @thetymonbay @XDA_Forum_Admin @thetymonbay pic.twitter.com/5pEEgwuTMp
— Jay Prakash Kamat (@jay__kamat) April 11, 2021
Screenshots from the new tool warn:
“Heads Up doesn’t replace paying attention,”
The notifications would say things like “be careful”, “look ahead” and “watch your step”, accompanied by a “playfully related emoji”, technology news website 9to5google has previously suggested.
A notification when trying to use your phone quickly and efficiently while walking would be annoying but helpful in terms of increasing safety.