Earlier today, version 1.0.342229637.beta of the Digital Wellbeing app rolled out on the Google Play Store. While the update doesn't include any significant additions on the surface, we've spotted code for an upcoming feature, called Heads Up, that will stop you from using your phone while walking.
An APK teardown can often predict features that may arrive in a future update of an application, but it is possible that any of the features we mention here may not make it in a future release. This is because these features are currently unimplemented in the live build and may be pulled at any time by the developers in a future build.
Our Editor-in-Chief, Mishaal Rahman, has managed to enable the feature manually, and here's what it looks like:
As you can see in the attached screenshots, the unreleased Heads Up feature shows up in the Digital Wellbeing settings within the Reduce Interruptions section. Tapping on the option opens a setup screen, with the description: "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."
You can then tap on the Next button in the bottom right corner to start the setup process. Once the feature is successfully set up, it will bring up a reminder if you're using your phone while walking. In case you wish to disable the reminders, you'll have to tap on the "Heads Up" option in the Digital Wellbeing settings once again and then tap on the toggle next to the Heads Up option on the following page. This page will also show the permissions required by the feature — Physical Activity and Location (optional) — and it will also feature a feedback button at the bottom.
As mentioned earlier, the Heads Up feature is still a work in progress, and it hasn't rolled out to users. However, the feature appears to be nearly fully functional, so it could roll out soon. We'll update this post as soon as the feature rolls out to users on the beta channel. Along with the upcoming Heads Up feature, Google is working on bringing a work profile scheduler and a Mindful wallpaper feature to the Digital Wellbeing app. These features were spotted in APK teardowns of the app earlier this year in September.
Thanks to PNF Software for providing us a license to use JEB Decompiler, a professional-grade reverse engineering tool for Android applications.