Google announced Thursday that it will unveil a new Android-based XR platform to support AI capabilities. The company said the platform, called “Android XR,” supports app development on a variety of devices, including headsets and glasses.
The company will release the first developer preview of Android XR on Thursday, which already supports existing tools such as ARCore, Android Studio, Jetpack Compose, Unity, and OpenXR.
project muhan headset
The company said Android XR will first launch with the Samsung-made Project Moohan headset and is expected to launch next year. Samsung, Google, and Qualcomm announced a partnership to produce XR devices early last year. After the announcement, reports surfaced that there was a power struggle between Google and Samsung over control of the project. In July, Business Insider reported that the headset was scheduled to ship early this year, but its release has been delayed.
Google said the headset allows for easy toggling between fully immersive experiences and one that can extend content on top of real-world environments. Additionally, users will be able to control their devices with Gemini and ask questions about the apps and content they're watching.
App ecosystem and Gemini
Google said that since Android XR is based on Android, most mobile and tablet apps on the Play Store will be automatically compatible. This means anyone who buys an Android headset already has a library full of apps through the Android XR Play Store.
This is likely the company's strategy to counter the fact that Apple's $3,600 Vision Pro didn't catch on as much as the company had hoped. The number of apps was limited when Vision Pro launched, but has grown over time. However, cost is a prohibitive factor for more users to adopt the headset.
It's not clear where Samsung and Google will price this headset, but the company is positioning itself to give users access to better apps.
Google is redesigning YouTube, Google TV, Chrome, Maps, and Google Photos for immersive screens. Notably, Google did not release a YouTube app for the Vision Pro, forcing developer Christian Selig to remove his YouTube viewing app Juno from the App Store.
The company is also adding an Android XR emulator to Android Studio so developers can visualize their apps in a virtual environment. The emulator has XR controls for emulating navigation in a spatial environment using the keyboard and mouse.
The company is also promoting Gemini on Android XR. Apart from screen control and context information, Circle to Search functionality is also supported.
Support for other devices
Google said it expects Android XR to support glasses with “all-day help” in the future. The company is making prototype glasses available to some users, but has not announced a release date for consumers.
The search giant showed a demo in which a person asks Gemini to summarize a group chat and ask for recommendations for purchasing cards for friends. Another demo showed a bespectacled person asking a Gemini how to hang a shelf.
Image credit: Google
Google said that companies such as Lynx, Sony, and XReal that leverage Qualcomm's XR solution will be able to launch more devices running Android XR.
The Mountain View base also specifies that it will continue to work with Magic Leap on XR. However, it is unclear whether Magic Leap will utilize Android XR.
Google has made several attempts at AR and VR with Project Tango, Daydream, Cardboard VR, and more. But the company hopes its Android XR efforts will be supported by both hardware manufacturers and software developers.