Google has partnered with Samsung and Qualcomm to announce its new Android XR platform. This platform will support “extended reality” VR, AR, and MR devices. It’s working with Samsung and other hardware makers in hopes of developing headsets and glasses and making the new version of Android available for developers to start working on now. The company hopes to start shipping XR stuff next year.
Google hopes to put Android in your face by making immersive XR versions of Google Maps, Photos, and YouTube. It is even working on creating a Chrome version that’ll make it easier to multitask on multiple windows. Android XR will also support existing phone and tablet apps from the Play Store as well.
The Mountain View company is centring this whole experience around its Gemini AI, allowing users to ask about what they’re seeing and help them control their devices. Gemini will be able to understand your intent, help you plan and research topics, and guide you through select tasks.
Google is also positioning this operating system to transition from virtual worlds to real ones, similar to the Meta Quest and the Vision Pro. But it’s also working on audio-only devices, similar to the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses. Certain devices must work with your phone, while others will be standalone experiences. Google also hopes to launch stylish and comfortable glasses that offer this experience. I use the Meta Ray-Bans daily, and most people can’t tell that my glasses offer AI experiences and cameras.
Samsung and Google’s Project Moohan.
Developers are only now getting the software and hardware they need to build for this OS; however, Samsung and Google are working on launching a device called Project Moohan, built by Samsung, which will be available to purchase in 2025 (Samsung Unpacked next July might be bigger than ever). Developers already working with Snapdragon Spaces will be able to use a Compatibility Plugin for Android XR in the first quarter of 2025. The plugin will allow applications to work on Android XR devices and others with Snapdragon Spaces. Developers hoping to work on Android XR can also migrate existing Snapdragon Spaces projects to Unity 6.
Google previously showed off Project Astra at Google I/O earlier this year, an AI-led experience offering a glasses portion. Recently, with its Gemini 2.0, the company also showed off XR experiences, so it feels like Android XR has been in the works for a while. At the Qualcomm Summit back in October, the chip maker predicted that AR glasses would look like regular eyeglasses in the “next year or two,” and considering Project Moohan will use the 2025 Qualcomm XR2+ Gen 2, it seems like they knew exactly what they were talking about.
Qualcomm is also working with Google to extend the platform to more OEMs like Lynx, Sony and Xreal so they can also make their own Android XR devices.
Source: Google
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