Android XR Is on the Horizon – But Google Remains Quiet for Now

Google recently unveiled the lineup for its much-anticipated I/O developer conference, which promises to offer developers a fresh perspective on its upcoming Android XR operating system. However, from what we can gather from the schedule, Google isn’t exactly pulling back the curtain fully on Android XR just yet.

Android XR has largely stayed out of the spotlight since its announcement alongside Samsung’s ambitious ‘Project Moohan’ mixed reality headset back in December. At this point, neither has an official release date, but there’s good reason to believe we’ll see them both unveiled later this year.

Google has confirmed a host of features for Android XR that developers have been eager to hear about, such as the long-awaited support for passthrough camera access. Plus, developers now have access to the Android XR SDK. Despite all this, there’s still a sense of anticipation and curiosity about how it will measure up against more established XR ecosystems like Meta’s Horizon OS or Apple’s cutting-edge visionOS.

Looking ahead to the I/O conference, set for May 20th and 21st, there will be a mix of livestreamed keynotes. Interestingly, only two sessions are dedicated to Android XR, and neither will be livestreamed. Thankfully, there’s a ‘What’s New in Android’ livestream that promises to delve into Android XR at least a bit.

Even without a full livestream spotlight, those two developer sessions show Google is clearly gearing up for a developer-friendly push into the XR realm, gradually integrating more with the Android ecosystem behind the scenes. Here’s a glimpse into what we can expect from these talks.

Google is preparing Android XR for a public rollout later this year with a new XR toolchain in the works. This includes the integration of Jetpack SceneCore and ARCore into an XR-centric version of Jetpack. Known as Jetpack XR, already in developer preview, it aims to enable mobile and large-screen Android app developers to craft spatial layouts utilizing 3D models and immersive environments. By bundling ARCore with Jetpack XR, Google is signaling a move towards unifying its spatial computing tools, offering developers a seamless platform to create both AR and VR experiences.

The sessions are set to explore enhancing existing apps with XR features like 3D models, hand-tracking, and stereoscopic video. This indicates that Android XR is gunning for a broader audience than just game developers, clearly aiming to bring Android XR to parity with its larger Android counterpart.

Furthermore, Google plans to extend its declarative UI toolkit, Jetpack Compose, to XR, hinting at efforts to standardize UI design across mobile, tablet, and XR, facilitating easier adaptation and porting of UIs to immersive settings.

What’s particularly exciting is the mention of impending AI capabilities within Android XR during the second talk, suggesting features such as real-time object recognition, scene understanding, or AI-generated environments could soon become reality.

Despite the absence of a livestream for the talks, potentially indicating Google’s cautious approach, there’s still plenty of buzz surrounding Samsung’s forthcoming ‘Project Moohan’ headset, expected to be the pioneering device to support Android XR.

We’ll undoubtedly be tuning in to the livestreams and providing updates from the technical talks, on the lookout for any new revelations.

In one session titled “Building Differentiated Apps for Android XR with 3D Content,” developers Dereck Bridié and Patrick Fuentes promise to introduce Jetpack SceneCore and ARCore for Jetpack XR. They aim to guide developers through integrating immersive elements like 3D models, stereoscopic video, and hand-tracking into existing apps. This session provides a sneak peak at the Android XR SDK’s upcoming features ahead of its public release later this year.

Cecilia Abadie and Jan Kleinert host another session, “The Future is Now, with Compose and AI on Android XR.” This talk promises to reveal exciting updates to the Android XR SDK Beta, expected to launch at I/O, which includes enhancements to Jetpack Compose for XR and advanced AI capabilities. The session highlights how current investments in large-screen development can be leveraged to effortlessly branch into the innovative world of Android XR.