Apart from smartphones and tablets, Android is also found on smartwatches, televisions, and even in automobiles. Today, Google unveiled Android XR, indicating its next expansion into new device types.
Google employs the broad term extended reality (XR) to encompass virtual reality (VR), mixed reality (MR), and augmented reality (AR). Android XR will support a variety of devices, including headsets offering video or optical see-through capabilities, screen-less “AI glasses,” and AR glasses with integrated displays.
In launching Android XR, Google feels confident in its established history of developing platforms. This goes beyond simply creating an operating system for their use, extending to support for OEM partners, nurturing a developer community, and overseeing an app marketplace.
Nonetheless, Google has attempted this before with Glass, and more substantially with Daydream VR. The phone-based VR method and subsequent standalone headset eventually fell short, leading to Google’s exit around 2019. It remains uncertain how the market will embrace Android XR, but Google has already formed key partnerships with Samsung and Qualcomm:
“For Qualcomm partners such as Lynx, Sony, and XREAL, we are paving the way for a variety of Android XR devices to address the differing needs of consumers and businesses alike. Moreover, we continue to collaborate with Magic Leap on advancements in XR technology and their future products encompassing AR and AI.”
Google is optimistic that this endeavor will yield different results and believes that their previous visions with Glass and Daydream were valid, albeit ahead of their time. With advancements in displays, sensors, and processing capabilities, Google believes Gemini will be the key differentiator, positioning digital assistants as the “killer app” for XR.
With Gemini, the assistant will observe and understand your surroundings, allowing you to ask questions about what you’re seeing both in the real world and on your device’s display. It will introduce a novel conversational interface for controlling the operating system and apps. In fact, Google claims Android XR is the first operating system crafted from the ground up to incorporate Gemini.
For an overview of the Android XR user experience, check out our hands-on review.
Google and Samsung are initially focusing on headsets, which both deem a reasonable starting point. Samsung is working on a developer kit named Project Moohan (which translates to “infinity” in Korean) that is lightweight, operates on an external battery, and is powered by the Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2.
“With headsets, you can seamlessly transition between being fully engaged in a virtual setting and remaining aware of your real-world environment. You can envelop your surroundings with apps and content, and with Gemini, our AI assistant, you can even converse about what you see or manage your device.”
Google envisions Android XR headsets as creating an infinite workspace for productivity. In this setup, users can work at a physical desk with a keyboard and mouse. Several partners are already equipped with this developer kit, and additional kits will be distributed to partners beginning this week. In parallel, primary applications such as Chrome, YouTube, Google TV, Google Photos, and Google Maps are being tailored for Android XR.
However, the ultimate goal is to produce smart glasses capable of providing “directions, translations, or message summaries without needing to reach for your phone,” although these will connect like any other wearable. The culmination of this vision includes in-lens displays. That said, Google believes that displays won’t necessarily be essential, allowing for the development of display-less glasses with microphones and cameras for input, while Gemini effectively handles output.
Google will “soon initiate real-world trials of prototype glasses running Android XR with a limited group of users.”
This will aid us in creating useful products while ensuring that we build with consideration for the privacy of you and those around you.
Don’t forget to check our hands-on experience with Android XR glasses.
Today, Google is launching the Android XR SDK Developer Preview, which is “constructed upon the foundational principles of Android app development.” The Jetpack XR SDK encompasses:
- Jetpack Compose for XR – allows you to declaratively create spatial UI arrangements and spatialize your existing 2D UI crafted with Compose or Views.
- Material Design for XR – consists of components and layouts that automatically adjust for XR environments.
- Jetpack SceneCore – serves as the basis for building customized 3D experiences.
- ARCore for Jetpack XR – provides advanced perception capabilities for your app to interpret the real world.
Additionally, an Android XR Emulator is available (integrated into the latest Android Studio Meerkat preview). Unity will provide support for Android XR, while Chrome on Android XR will support WebXR. Support for OpenXR 1.1 will also be included.
An Android XR Developer Bootcamp is scheduled for 2025, and interested parties can express their interest here.
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