Android XR

Android XR
Information
Type	Extended reality operating system
Developer	Google
Operating System	Based on Android
Browser	Chrome (with WebXR support)
Devices	VR/MR headsets, smart glasses
Release Date	October 2025 (first device)
Website	https://www.android.com/xr/

Android XR is an extended reality (XR) operating system developed by Google. Based on Android, it is designed to power both VR/MR headsets and smart glasses, with Google's Gemini AI assistant integrated at the system level. Android XR was announced on December 12, 2024, and shipped on its first device, the Samsung Galaxy XR headset, in October 2025.

History

Google, Samsung, and Qualcomm announced a partnership to build an extended reality platform in February 2023. Android XR was formally announced in December 2024 together with a developer preview of its SDK and the reveal of Samsung's Project Moohan headset. The platform launched commercially in October 2025 with the Samsung Galaxy XR. At Google I/O 2026, Google and partners previewed the platform's expansion to smart glasses, including Samsung's Galaxy Glasses and XREAL's Project Aura.

Android XR follows two earlier Google efforts in the field, the smartphone-based Cardboard viewer and the Daydream VR platform, both of which were discontinued. Google product ecosystem president Sameer Samat has described Android XR as a return to the space in what the company calls the "Gemini era", arguing that the supporting AI and hardware are now ready. Android XR is a standalone operating system that Google makes available to multiple hardware partners from the start, rather than building its own consumer hardware.

Gemini integration

Google describes Android XR as the first Android platform built for the Gemini era, with the assistant available throughout the system rather than as a separate app. On headsets, Gemini can hold conversations about what the user is viewing and can carry out tasks such as planning and research. On glasses, outward-facing cameras and microphones let Gemini interpret the surroundings and respond through onboard speakers, with demonstrated uses including translating text, identifying places, and summarising information.

Devices

Android XR spans two product categories. Headsets provide immersive VR and mixed reality, while glasses are designed for lightweight, all-day use with contextual assistance such as directions, translation, and message summaries. The Samsung Galaxy XR is the platform's first and flagship headset; XREAL's Project Aura is an optical see-through glasses product that uses a tethered compute puck.

Device	Partner	Form factor	Status
Samsung Galaxy XR	Samsung	Headset (immersive MR)	Released October 2025
Samsung Galaxy Glasses	Samsung	Smart glasses	Previewed at Google I/O 2026, expected late 2026
XREAL Project Aura	XREAL	Optical see-through glasses with compute puck	Expected 2026

Partners

At announcement Google named Samsung as the lead hardware partner and Qualcomm as the chipset supplier, alongside device makers Sony, Lynx, and XREAL working through Qualcomm, and a continued collaboration with Magic Leap. The Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 powers the compute puck of XREAL's Project Aura and also powers the Samsung Galaxy XR. In January 2026 Google extended its partnership with XREAL as a lead hardware partner for the platform.

Not every initial partner shipped an Android XR device. Google terminated Lynx's agreement to use Android XR, and the French startup's next headset instead runs Lynx OS, its own open-source fork of Android. Lynx later entered liquidation. Magic Leap and Google showed an Android XR glasses reference design in October 2025 that combines Magic Leap's waveguides and optics with Google's Raxium microLED light engine.

Development

Developers can build for Android XR using the Jetpack XR SDK in Android Studio, the Unity game engine, OpenXR, and WebXR. The Jetpack XR SDK provides Jetpack Compose for XR for spatial user interfaces, Material Design for XR components, Jetpack SceneCore for 3D scenes, and ARCore for Jetpack XR for world understanding. Android XR supports OpenXR 1.0 and 1.1 with additional vendor extensions, and WebXR runs in Chrome on the platform. Unity development uses the Unity OpenXR: Android XR package, and the Android XR Emulator in Android Studio lets developers test without hardware.

Existing Android applications can be made available on headsets with little or no modification, running as 2D windows from Google Play, while spatial features can be added incrementally. The same reliance on the Android app catalog and the use of ARCore connect Android XR to Google's existing phone-based AR tooling.

Platform comparison

Android XR is licensed to multiple hardware makers from the start, which Android Central contrasts with the more gradual opening of Meta's Horizon OS to third-party manufacturers. The platforms also differ in their app strategies: Android XR offers developers a pipeline to bring existing Android apps to headsets, while Horizon OS cannot use traditional Play Store or App Store apps and centers on the Meta Quest library of immersive titles.

Platform	Developer	Hardware	Primary app source
Android XR	Google	Licensed to multiple partners	Google Play apps plus spatial apps
Horizon OS	Meta	Meta Quest and licensed third parties	Meta Quest store

See also

• Samsung Galaxy XR
• visionOS
• SteamVR
• WebXR