Google alerts warn ‘smartphone zombies’ to look up
WITH eyes only for the screen in front of them, “smartphone zombies” have become an all-too-familiar hazard for pedestrians to negotiate.
In an effort to reduce the risk of midpavement collisions, Google has developed a pop-up warning system for smartphone users that alerts them if they are about to bump into someone else.
The service, called Heads Up, is being rolled out on the company’s Pixel Android smartphones. Once turned on, it tracks a user’s location, whether their phone is moving and whether their screen is on.
If it detects that they are moving while their screen is on, it assumes that they are walking while looking at their phone and sends a wa rning.
“Look up”, reads one message delivered by the service. Others it will send include “stay focused”, “watch out”, and “be careful”.
It is hoped that people who receive the notifications will realise that they have not been paying due attention and will put their smartphone in their pocket.
The feature “should also work while jogging or running, since your phone’s motion sensors will detect that you’re moving”, Google wrote in its announcement of the service.
“While we have tested this feature to be as accurate as possible, do not rely solely on this feature to keep safe,” the company added. “Please always use your best judgment, and use this feature as a gentle reminder when you do find yourself distracted while walking.”
While it is only available to people testing the latest version of Google’s Digital Wellbeing app on their Pixel smartphones, it is likely that Google is planning to launch its Heads Up feature on other Android smartphones in the future.
Cases of so-called “twalking”, or texting while walking, are believed to have been on the rise in recent years as people grow even more obsessed by their smartphones.
Up to 45 per cent of pedestrians are distracted by their smartphones while walking, according to a 2020 paper published in the journal Injury Prevention.
Writing text messages while walking is the most potentially harmful activity, the paper found, as it is associated with higher risks of collisions with vehicles and other pedestrians.
A 2019 survey of Britons found that 43 per cent of young people had walked into something or someone while looking at their phones.