Google Introduces 'Heads Up' Feature for Pixel Phone Users, an Alert that Prevents Distracted Walking

Sieeka Khan, Tech Times 13 April 2021, 01:04 pm

Google wants to help people avoid being in accidents due to them being glued to their screens. A new feature called Heads Up is set to roll out now to Google's Digital Wellbeing Android app.

Google's Heads Up

After downloading the Digital Wellbeing app and turning on Heads Up, your phone will periodically display an alert that reminds you to keep your head up when it detects that you are walking and using your phone at the same time.

According to XDA Developers, Heads Up is currently rolling out to Pixel phones. Google usually uses its own Pixel line as a test bed before sharing the feature more widely with other Android phones, so even if you do not have Heads Up now, you may be able to get it in the future.

Also Read: Google Introduces WifiNanScan, an Android App that Allows Phones to Connect at Greater Distances

How does Heads Up work?

According to Screen Rant, you need to open the Settings app on your Pixels phone, then scroll until you locate the Digital Wellbeing and parental controls option.

Tap on the option and scroll to the bottom of the various settings, where you should spot the new Heads Up option, just above the toggle switch to add an icon for Digital Wellbeing to your app drawer. Then Select Heads Up and follow the setup prompts.

After that, you will need to grant Digital Wellbeing permission to view your physical activity so it can identify when you are walking.

Optionally, you can give the app permission to view your current location at all times. Doing this will allow Heads Up to identify when you are inside, it is unclear if that means that it will be more or less proactive about reminding you to look up.

With the feature Heads Up enabled, you will get an alert whenever you use your phone and it detects when you are walking around, as per Android Headline.

You can get a good 20 minutes walking around the block, scrolling through your social media accounts, along with sending emails and text messages to check if it will trigger the alert.

However, there are reports stating that Heads Up won't alert you if you walk around your house, as the app will assume that you know your house well. But it does do very well in the streets.

The Digital Wellbeing beta

If you have a Pixel and you do not see the Heads Up feature yet, you can join the Digital Wellbeing beta program, which should trigger the new feature on your phone. You can join the beta by visiting the app's Play Store listing and installing it.

You can always leave the beta at any time by visiting the same Play Store page and removing yourself from it, but so far there have been no issues for users of beta and the Android apps runs smoothly. Pixel phone users can check out the features before they are widely rolled out by Google.

With Android 12 coming later this year, it is possible that Google will be adding the Heads Up feature during its launch. Google has not given the date as to when it will rollout the feature across all phones, but it is possible that it will happen in the next few weeks.