Google's Digital Wellbeing mostly focuses on helping people get a healthier relationship with their phones, warning them when they're staring on their screen for too long or subtly hinting when it's time to wind down for the night. It looks like Google might soon expand that to ensure your physical wellbeing, too. XDA Developers' Mishaal Rahman discovered that the company is working on a feature that warns you to stop using your phone while you're walking.
When XDA Developers examined the latest version of the Digital Wellbeing beta, 1.0.342229637.beta, it managed to activate the new feature called "Heads up." Once it's rolling out to users, it'll presumably show up as a new menu entry in the Digital Wellbeing settings page under Reduce interruptions. When you first tap it, you'll get an introduction to Heads Up: "Watch your step with Heads Up. If you're walking while using your phone, get a reminder to focus on what's around you. Use with caution. Heads Up doesn't replace paying attention."
Once activated, you should receive reminders if you use your phone while walking. XDA Developers hasn't shared what these will look like, so it's possible that the feature isn't fully functional yet. When you head to the ... Heads Up settings entry after enabling it, you'll be able to toggle it on or off, send feedback, and see which Android system permissions are necessary to make it work: Physical activity and, optionally, location.
So far, we haven't seen reports of Heads Up rolling out in the wild, so it might take a while until you can use it. In the meantime, you'll have to rely on common sense while you're out and about — which is apparently something a lot of people don't, with smartphone-related injuries on the rise.
For a chance to be first in line once Heads Up makes its way to our phones, you might want to try switching to the Digital Wellbeing beta, which you can sign up for on the Play Store or grab straight away from APK Mirror. A server-side switch might be involved, though, so the beta won't guarantee faster access to new features.
Source: XDA Developers, @MishaalRahman