Android is gearing up for an XR headset launch – at least, that’s according to leaked Play Store code which suggests that VR, AR, and MR tech like headsets and glasses will be able to download (or in some cases not download) Play Store apps directly.
Android Authority discovered two XR references hidden in the code for the current version (43.3.32-31) of the Google Play Store app. The first is an icon that would appear next to a device name when the user is choosing where to install an app; rather than being the phone, Chromebook or tablet icons we’re used to, this icon looks like a pair of goggles – that is, rather like a VR headset.
The second clue is more explicit, in the shape of a warning label alerting the user that ‘This XR Headset isn’t compatible with this app’. This suggests that developers may need to add an update to bring their software to Android XR devices.
So is an XR version of Android and the Play Store coming? Probably.
Not surprising, but when will it launch
We know that Google and Samsung are partnering on some XR stuff, and while the specifics are up in the air it’s been assumed Samsung was providing the hardware (a Samsung XR headset) and Google the software (some version of Android), along the lines of their Samsung Galaxy phone collaboration.
What’s more, a Samsung AR glasses patent we highlighted recently showed that the planned device runs on Android. Leaks, patents, and speculation aren’t as reliable as official info – so take these details with a pinch of salt – but as the saying goes, where there’s smoke there’s fire.
Google and Samsung had previously teased that we’d find out about their XR efforts sometime before the end of 2024; however with reports that the Samsung hardware is delayed that promise might not be kept.
That said, there is already (kind of) an Android VR headset out there; in fact there are a few. The Meta Quest 3, Quest 3S and other HorizonOS devices run on an operating system that was derived from Android. While HorizonOS will likely remain its own entity, if Google wants to muscle in even without its own hardware it could launch an XR Play Store that’s downloadable on Quest.
The Quest hardware does already play nice with third-party launches like SideQuest, and given the number of legal disputes about platforms being too closed off – such as Apple walling off its devices by only allowing installs via its App Store (which has been described as monopolistic) – Meta may want to get ahead of similar accusations by allowing the Play Store onto its tech.
That is admittedly something of a pipe dream, but we’ll have to wait and see what Samsung and Google announce in the coming months. If Google is ready to go but Samsung isn’t, maybe the XR Play Store will launch elsewhere first.