I love walking, but if I can also keep up with notifications, even better: those pending emails, listening to and replying to those WhatsApp audios, finishing that Twitter feed, or just looking for a podcast to listen to while I walk . I’m used to paying attention to my surroundings and checking my phone with common sense, but this wouldn’t be the first or last time I’ve come across a branch or bench. for looking at the cell phone and not where I should.
And yet, it could be much worse: this is why some cities have put warnings painted on pedestrian crossings so that we look up and thus minimize the risks which can be fatal. In Hong Kong, they even point red lights at themselves to avoid getting run over. Not looking at your cell phone at critical moments like crossing the street is an essential good practice, but out of habit and curiosity about what is happening on the phone screen, this Android measure to avoid distractions.
“Look forward” is by no means a new tool, in fact its presence on Android dates back to 2021, but it’s surprising how many people are unaware of its existence and usefulness in this scenario. Because your phone is able to alert you so that you are not distracted when needed.
How “Look Forward” works and how to activate it
As I mentioned above, I don’t look at my phone while crossing and consider when the environment seems safe, but I might miss a branch, a bad tile, or a person suddenly passing by. Because maybe when you’re stopped waiting for the light it’s not a danger, but while I’m walking it is. This difference is essential to our security and constitutes the very essence of how “Look forward” works, which is capable of capturing that the user is walking while using the mobile.
Look forward is integrated into the “Digital Wellbeing” section of Android settings and to run it it is necessary grant a series of permissions with quite a few senses, such as physical activity, notifications or location (optional, but which considerably improves precision), so that it can detect if we move and notify us.
To configure this function we will simply go to ‘Settings‘ > ‘Digital Wellbeing and Parental Controls‘ > ‘Be in a hurry‘. Once inside, we tap “Next”, grant the aforementioned permissions and slide the toggle.
This way, once configured and when motion is captured, a notification will appear reminding you that distractions while looking at the screen are dangerous. Because this function does not lock the phone or applications, but is simply a reminder to let us be aware of the danger and look up.
Scope | Photo by Charlotte May
In Xataka Android | The seven new features of Android 14 that I’m most looking forward to and which will arrive in the coming weeks
