Google presents the new operating system Android XR

Yesterday, Samsung presented the first glimpse of its new platform for virtual and augmented realities, a project being done in collaboration with Google and Samsung.

Now Google has launched Android XR, a new operating system designed for smart glasses and AR headsets. Android XR interacts with multimodal AI and Gemini, and according to Google, Android XR will understand the user's intentions and our surroundings to "help us accomplish things in a whole new way."

The operating system is developed in collaboration with Samsung and is the result of several years of investments in AI, augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR). The goal is to create a complete ecosystem of developers and manufacturers.

A preview version has now been released for developers, who can start building apps with AR Core, Android Studio, Jetpack Compose, Unity, and Open XR. The first device running Android XR will come from Samsung. Google reveals that Samsung's wearable device will be launched next year and may be showcased in conjunction with the Galaxy S25 presentation, which is expected to take place in January.

Several of Google's apps, such as YouTube, Google TV, Chrome, and Maps, have been optimized for headsets. Since Android XR is based on Android, regular apps from the Play Store will also work directly, without needing to be adapted.