GoKawiil
Tech News
Google is shutting down Heads Up, an Android safety tool that warned users about looking at their phones while walking, according to reporting on the move. Separately, Google is developing a Gemini-based chat feature intended to help users navigate Digital Wellbeing settings.
Code strings found in the latest Digital Wellbeing beta (v1.48.975819457.beta) reveal that Google is preparing to deprecate the 'Heads Up' feature, which warns users to watch where they're walking. The strings include an in-app alert telling users that 'walking detection is going away soon.' The opt-in feature, introduced in 2021, uses motion sensors and location data to detect walking with the screen unlocked and nudge users to look up.
At Meta Connect 2026, Meta announced a batch of updates for its Ray-Ban Display smart glasses, including a voice-driven photorealistic hologram avatar to represent wearers during calls, starting as an early-access feature for US WhatsApp users this fall. Meta also expanded heads-up navigation to support cycling and transit directions using landmark-based cues, added a new Explore app for browsing compatible apps, and introduced smaller updates like Dolby Atmos audio, in-glasses photo editing, and mirrored phone notifications. The glasses are also expanding to the UK, Canada, France, Italy and Germany.