Google Unveils Android XR; Samsung Headset Set for 2025 Launch

In addition to smartphones and tablets, Android has expanded its reach to smartwatches, televisions, and even automobiles. Today, Google unveiled Android XR as the next platform where the operating system will be deployed.

Google employs the broad term extended reality (XR) to encompass virtual reality (VR), mixed reality (MR), and augmented reality (AR). Android XR is designed for all types of devices, including headsets that provide video or optical see-through capabilities, screen-less “AI glasses,” and AR glasses featuring displays.

While introducing Android XR, Google highlights its extensive experience in developing successful platforms. This goes beyond merely creating an operating system; it involves supporting OEM partners, fostering a developer community, and overseeing an application marketplace.

Google has previously ventured into this space, albeit to a different degree with Google Glass and more extensively with Daydream VR. The phone-centric model for VR and later standalone headsets ultimately fell short, leading to Google’s exit from the market around 2019. It remains to be seen how the industry will embrace Android XR, but Google has already secured key partners like Samsung and Qualcomm:

For Qualcomm partners such as Lynx, Sony, and XREAL, we are paving the way for the creation of a wide variety of Android XR devices tailored to meet the diverse requirements of individuals and businesses. We are also continuing our collaboration with Magic Leap on XR technology and future products that incorporate AR and AI.

Google is optimistic that this time will yield different results, asserting that the vision behind Glass and Daydream was indeed sound, but the technology simply wasn’t ready. With advancements in displays, sensors, and processing, Google believes Gemini will be a key differentiator, making digital assistants the essential application for XR.

Gemini will be capable of seeing and hearing your actions. This allows users to inquire about their environment, whether in real life or on the device’s screen. It will introduce a new conversational interface for navigating the OS and applications. Notably, Google states that Android XR is the first operating system specifically crafted with Gemini from the ground up.

For an interactive experience with Android XR, be sure to check our hands-on review.

Google and Samsung are launching with the headset, considering it an ideal starting point. Samsung is introducing a developer kit named Project Moohan (which translates to “infinity” in Korean), characterized by its lightweight design, external battery, and powered by the Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 chip.

With headsets, users can effortlessly toggle between complete immersion in a virtual environment and remaining aware of the real world. You can surround yourself with applications and content, and with Gemini, our AI assistant, you can engage in conversations about what you’re experiencing or manage your device.

Google envisions Android XR headsets as providing an infinite desktop environment for enhanced productivity. In this setting, users could be seated at a desk equipped with a physical keyboard and mouse. Several partners already have access to this developer kit, with more set to be shared in the coming week. Concurrently, core applications like Chrome, YouTube, Google TV, Google Photos, and Google Maps are receiving optimizations for Android XR.

Ultimately, the goal is to develop glasses that can provide directions, translations, or message summaries without requiring users to reach for their phones. While these glasses will function similarly to other wearables, Google’s ultimate vision includes in-lens displays. However, the company does not believe that displays are strictly necessary, allowing for the possibility of display-less glasses equipped with microphones and cameras for input, while Gemini manages output effectively.

Google plans to “soon initiate real-world trials of prototype glasses running Android XR with a select group of users.”

This initiative will enable us to develop useful products and ensure that we are building in a manner that respects the privacy of both users and those around them.

Don’t forget to check out our hands-on report featuring Android XR glasses.

Today, Google is launching the Android XR SDK Developer Preview, which is “built upon the existing foundations of Android app development.” The Jetpack XR SDK includes:

• Jetpack Compose for XR – allows you to declaratively create spatial UI layouts and adapt your existing 2D UI built with Compose or Views
• Material Design for XR – offers components and layouts that automatically adjust for XR
• Jetpack SceneCore – lays the groundwork for building custom 3D experiences
• ARCore for Jetpack XR – provides robust perception capabilities to help your app understand the real world

Additionally, an Android XR Emulator will be available as part of the latest Android Studio Meerkat preview. Unity will provide support for Android XR, and Chrome on Android XR will feature support for WebXR. The platform will also be compatible with OpenXR 1.1.

An Android XR Developer Bootcamp is scheduled for 2025, where interested parties can express their interest here.