The era of extended reality is not just on the horizon — it’s knocking on our door. While Google might not be working on its own headset like we thought, Samsung is, and the companies havepartnered together on the venture. A new report shines a spotlight on the mysterious Micro XR platform by Google and its rumored collaboration with industry titans.
AsssembleDebug, who has long been spoiling upcoming Google features with his work on theGappsMod Flags Telegram channel, unveiled some new details onThe SP Androidabout Google’s work on a new platform for mixed and extended reality devices that some have dubbed the Android of XR. Micro XR, as it’s being called right now, was alluded to in several lines of code in recent updates to Google apps.
Despite the tight veil of secrecy Google has maintained around this platform, the latest Play Store and Google Play Services APKs revealed intriguing code segments. First is the Play Store declaring a new “ANDROID_XR” form factor in addition to the existing phone, tablet, foldable, wearable, auto, TV, and Chromebook form factors. This means we might soon see an array of devices from various companies harnessing the capabilities of the XR platform, not justSamsung’s speculated XR headset.
The Play Store APK also contained evidence of a new setup wizard app for Micro XR, referencing a package name ofcom.google.android.xr.setupwizard. No specifics are revealed about this app, but it should be similar to the wizards we’ve grown familiar with on our phones and TVs.
To ensure applications can distinguish between standard Android devices and those powered by Micro XR, a unique “uses-feature” tag has been added to the Google Play Services code. Devices harnessing the Micro XR platform will declareandroid.software.xr.immersiveto help applications recognize and adapt to the XR environment.
Lastly, there are several flags in both apps that reference the Micro XR platform, designed to allow Google’s engineers to test the new features in the production builds of the apps without making them available to the public. One from the Play Store,AndroidXr_is_android_xr, is believed to identify whether a device operates on the Android XR platform, and possibly highlight applications tailored for such devices. Another from Play Services,Common_android_xr_feature_flag_enabled, is likely intended to be enabled on the XR device itself to allow access to certain features.
Google’s venture into the XR world isn’t isolated to this news. Reports from earlier this year hinted at the collaboration between Google and Samsung on an Android-based Extended Reality headset. A project shrouded in mystery and codenamed “Project Moohan” revealed challenges, particularly with Apple’s Vision Pro headset entering the scene. Google’s ultimate goal seems twofold: to partner with Samsung for the XR headset and to pioneer the Micro XR software for manufacturers aiming to produce their own innovative eyewear.
To further emphasize the depth of this collaboration, aninterviewwith Samsung’s president revealed its XR device’s ongoing progress. Confirmations about Samsung working with Qualcomm for the chipset, and Google handling the software, attest to a formidable partnership ahead.
