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On supported Pixel phones and tablets, open Settings → Digital Wellbeing (or Digital Wellbeing and parental controls) → Heads Up, then switch off Use Heads Up. The change disables the walking reminder without affecting ordinary app notifications.
What Heads Up is and what turning it off changes
Heads Up is a Digital Wellbeing feature for supported Pixel devices. When enabled, it gives friendly prompts to look up from the screen while you walk. The prompt is designed to reduce phone distraction in places where you need to notice people, vehicles, steps and other hazards.
Heads Up is a reminder feature, not a safety system. It does not detect every hazard, replace situational awareness or make it safe to use a phone while crossing a road. Disabling it removes that particular prompt; it does not change your phone’s other notification channels.
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Google’s Pixel Help instructions identify Heads Up support for Pixel 2 and later phones and for Pixel tablets. Android versions and manufacturer software can change the wording or location of Digital Wellbeing controls. A menu that appears on a Pixel may not exist on another Android brand, so do not assume that every Android phone has the feature.
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What the reminder looks like
Heads Up can display a walking-related prompt while you are using the device. It is separate from a message, email, calendar alert or notification generated by another app. If you only want to remove walking prompts, disable Heads Up rather than changing global notification settings.
Turn off Heads Up step by step
- Open Settings. Use the Settings app from the app list or Quick Settings gear.
- Open Digital Wellbeing. Depending on the software version, the entry may be named Digital Wellbeing and parental controls.
- Tap Heads Up. This opens the feature’s own controls.
- Turn off Use Heads Up. The switch should show the disabled state. Close Settings; no separate save button is required.
This is an in-settings software change. You do not need a new device, accessory, repair utility or additional app to stop the reminders.
If Digital Wellbeing or Heads Up is hard to find
Search from Settings
Open Settings and use its search field. Search for Heads Up first, then Digital Wellbeing. Select the matching result and follow the feature’s own page to the Use Heads Up switch. Search is useful when a manufacturer has moved Digital Wellbeing into a different settings category.
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On devices where Digital Wellbeing is not visible as an app icon, open its settings and enable Show icon in the app list, when that option is available. This changes discoverability; it does not itself enable or disable Heads Up.
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Check the parent-menu wording
Older Pixel software may use Digital Wellbeing and parental controls instead of the shorter Digital Wellbeing label. Choose that entry, then look for Heads Up inside it.
When no Heads Up control appears
Google notes that steps vary by phone. If Settings search returns no Heads Up result, confirm that Digital Wellbeing is present and updated and that the device supports the feature. There is no single fallback path that applies to every Samsung, Motorola, Xiaomi or other Android skin. A missing control may mean the manufacturer does not expose Heads Up on that model or software build.
Confirm that walking reminders are disabled
Return to Settings → Digital Wellbeing → Heads Up and check that Use Heads Up remains off. Then use the phone normally for a short period in a situation where the prompt previously appeared. The specific walking reminder should no longer be shown.
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Heads Up versus other Android interruption controls
These controls solve different problems. Choose by the scope of the interruption you want to change, when you want the change to apply and whether you want selected app notifications or broader quieting.
| Control | Scope | Timing | Notification effect | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heads Up | Walking reminder only | On or off until changed | Removes the Heads Up prompt; unrelated notifications remain | Settings → Digital Wellbeing → Heads Up |
| Manage notifications | Individual apps and their notification categories | Persistent settings per app | Lets you review recently notifying apps and change their notification behavior | Digital Wellbeing notification-management controls or the app’s notification settings |
| Focus mode | Apps you select as distracting | Manual activation or a schedule | Pauses selected apps and blocks their notifications while Focus mode is active | Digital Wellbeing → Focus mode |
| Bedtime mode | Scheduled nighttime quieting | A schedule, with Quick Settings for manual control | Can optionally use Do Not Disturb and other bedtime behaviors | Digital Wellbeing → Bedtime mode |
Turning off Heads Up is the narrowest option. It leaves calls, messages and app alerts alone while removing only the walking prompt.
Reduce other distracting notifications without disabling Heads Up
Review notifications from individual apps
Use Digital Wellbeing’s notification-management area to review apps that recently sent notifications. Open an app’s notification settings and turn off categories or alerts that are not useful. This approach is appropriate when the problem is repeated social, shopping, game or promotional alerts rather than the walking reminder.
Notification controls differ by Android version and app. Keep essential categories, such as account-security alerts or time-sensitive messages, enabled while silencing low-value categories. Disabling an app’s notifications does not disable Heads Up, because Heads Up is controlled separately.
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Use Focus mode for selected apps
- Open Settings → Digital Wellbeing (or Digital Wellbeing and parental controls).
- Tap Focus mode.
- Select the apps you want paused.
- Tap Turn on now for an immediate quiet period, or create a schedule for recurring periods.
While Focus mode is active, the selected apps are paused and their notifications are blocked. Apps you did not select continue to behave normally. If you need an app temporarily, return to Focus mode and change the selection or turn the mode off.
Schedule Bedtime mode
- Open Digital Wellbeing and select Bedtime mode.
- Create a start and end schedule that matches your sleep routine.
- Choose whether to use Do Not Disturb as part of the bedtime behavior, if that option is offered.
- For a one-time change, use the Bedtime mode tile in Quick Settings instead of editing the schedule.
Bedtime mode is intended for a recurring nighttime window. It is broader than Heads Up because it can quiet notifications and may use Do Not Disturb. It is not the right replacement if you only want to remove walking prompts during the day.
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The switch is on again after I disabled it
Open the Heads Up page and verify the state of Use Heads Up rather than relying on a previous notification. If the setting does not stay off, note the Android version and device model, install available Digital Wellbeing updates, then revisit the page. A manufacturer-specific wellness service may also be generating a similarly worded alert, so compare the app name shown in the notification.
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Use Settings search for the full phrase Digital Wellbeing and parental controls. If there is no result, check the main Settings app for a system-app or app-management section and verify that Digital Wellbeing is available on the device. Google does not document one universal recovery path for every Android manufacturer.
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Heads Up is not listed on my phone
Check the device’s support information and software version. Google’s documented support covers Pixel 2 and later and Pixel tablets, but availability outside that range is not established by the same instructions. If the feature is not exposed by the manufacturer, changing notification permissions will not create a Heads Up switch.
I still receive ordinary notifications
That is expected when only Heads Up is disabled. Calls, texts, email, calendar, media and other app notifications are controlled independently. Use per-app notification settings, Focus mode or Bedtime mode when you need to change those interruptions.
The reminder appears to come from another app
Expand the notification or open its notification settings to identify the source. A reminder that says “look up” is not automatically Heads Up. If the source is not Digital Wellbeing, adjust that app’s notification settings or its own feature controls instead.
Choosing the right setting for your goal
| Your goal | Best control | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Stop only the prompt that appears while walking | Turn off Use Heads Up | It targets the walking reminder and leaves other alerts unchanged. |
| Quiet a few distracting apps during work or study | Focus mode | You choose the apps, then activate it manually or on a schedule. |
| Reduce interruptions every night | Bedtime mode | A recurring schedule can include Do Not Disturb and other bedtime behavior. |
| Keep an app but remove some of its alerts | Manage that app’s notifications | You can change notification categories without pausing the entire app. |
Important limitations and safety considerations
Heads Up does not know whether you are in a safe place to look at a screen, and disabling it does not make walking while using a phone safer. Keep your attention on traffic, other people, terrain and signs. The feature’s wording describes a friendly reminder, not an emergency warning or collision-avoidance system.
Because Heads Up is part of Digital Wellbeing, its controls can change with Android updates and manufacturer interfaces. If a future update renames a menu, Settings search is usually the quickest way to locate Heads Up or Digital Wellbeing. Always verify the exact switch before changing broader notification or Do Not Disturb settings.
Quick Recap
Key points
- On supported Pixel phones and tablets, the control is in Settings → Digital Wellbeing → Heads Up.
- The switch to change is labeled Use Heads Up; turn it off to stop the walking reminder.
- Some software versions use Digital Wellbeing and parental controls, and menu placement varies by device.
- Heads Up is separate from app notifications, Focus mode and Bedtime mode.
- No physical product or extra software is required for this change.
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