Google has announced a new feature for Pixel phones in its latest Digital Wellbeing beta, dubbed "Heads Up," that will prompt you to look up from your phone while taking a walk.
Heads Up is currently rolling out to Digital Wellbeing beta users, and anyone who pays attention to the nitty-gritty of what's going on in the Android world may remember when XDA Developers (via Android Central) discovered this back in November you may remember hearing about this in the past. However, Google took the time to make sure this functionality worked properly.
Reminder notifications pop up to remind you to pay attention to your surroundings, but Google cautions that Heads Up is not a substitute for actually being aware of what is around you. While it has the practical benefit of keeping you from bumping into other people or objects, it can also save your life when you are crossing the street.
If you own a Pixel and are using the Digital Wellbeing beta version, you can access Heads Up from the "Reduce Interruptions" section in the app's settings. Once enabled, you will be able to access some of the permissions that this feature requires, such as location and physical activity.
To join the beta, simply head to the list of apps in the Play Store, scroll down, and tap the Join Beta button. It will take a few minutes for your registration to complete and for the beta update file to be sent from the store. You will be asked to update your digital well-being, so just run it from there.
Again, this is limited to Pixels for now, but we are confident it will roll out to the best Android phones soon. For now, we trust that you can pay attention to your surroundings on your own. We all should be more aware of what is around us while we are mindlessly walking around using our smart phones.
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