News recently emerged from the AndriodXR camp, highlighting a core development insight, which some call a benefit boosting the new operating system above the veteran firm Meta.
The XR developer community is celebrating the AndroidXR feature, that being the platform’s offering of passthrough access, a feature Meta Quest developers do not yet have.
- EDIT [19/02] – Speaking directly to XR Today, an official spokesperson for Meta Reality Labs clarified its position on passthrough access on 18/02 by explaining: “Our Passthrough Camera API has currently been implemented in experimental mode with our partners — We’ve been testing it with select developers, and it will be expanding to broader access very soon.”
While Meta noted that the developer community may have access to passthrough video in early 2025, the move has not been implemented. In the meantime, AndriodXR is gaining industry praise for allowing such access.
Meta is moving forward with deep investments into the XR space. As competition rises once again, the veteran XR firm may be feeling the pressure. Recently, CTO Andrew Bosworth said, “This year likely determines whether this entire effort will go down as the work of visionaries or a legendary misadventure.”
This indicates a clear motivation for Meta going forward now that the AndriodXR OS is finding its footing. As the OS grows in industry prominence, a host of new competitors could come with it, putting additional pressure on Meta. Its upcoming moves may reflect this pressure.
Most notable is Samsung’s entry into the headset space with an XR device, which leverages the AndriodXR OS. Moreover, the Samsung headset comes as other leading XR technology firms, including Qualcomm, Sony, XREAL, and Magic Leap, are championing the AndriodXR OS.
On the other hand, the XR shark tank continues to grow. Google has entered into a definitive agreement with HTC VIVE, granting the leading XR company a substantial investment of $250 million. This investment provides HTC with significant XR-related support from Google and access to a non-exclusive license for HTC’s XR intellectual property. This move appears to help Google build a new portfolio alongside the AndroidXR OS, which has the potential to revitalize the XR industry in the latter half of the decade and advance its smart glasses initiatives.
More on AndriodXR
Google recently announced Android XR, a new operating system for extended reality devices and services. The company describes it as the “next generation of computing.”
Interestingly, the Android XR ecosystem emerges as Meta pushes its Horizon OS and Apple develops its visionOS. Google and its partners appear to be uniting several significant players in the Android XR ecosystem to create a competitive alternative to the operating systems offered by Apple and Meta.
The Android XR OS aims to enhance the future of artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and virtual reality experiences on headsets and smart glasses. Currently, Android XR is in a preview stage for developers only, with a broader release expected soon.
Developers who are getting hands-on experience with Android XR can start building applications using familiar tools such as ARCore, Android Studio, Jetpack Compose, Unity, and OpenXR.
Google has highlighted the crucial role that Gemini AI assistants will play in providing new ways of interacting with headsets and their visualizations. Additionally, because of its familiar Android background, the XR OS will support many existing mobile and tablet applications and content specifically designed for Android XR.
This initiative addresses a significant obstacle in the general adoption of XR technology: users require a wide range of applications and valuable services to encourage them to invest in XR devices.
