Google's Android XR development tools enter the stable phase, XREAL AURA released simultaneously

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On October 29, Google announced at the Android Dev Summit 2026 that several core Android XR development tools have reached a stable stage. On the same day, the XREAL AURA, built in collaboration between Google and XREAL, was officially released, becoming the first wired XR glasses to run Android XR.

Image source: XREAL

These two pieces of news also reflect Google's XR ecosystem layout over the past nearly two years. In December 2024, Google, together with Samsung and Qualcomm, officially unveiled the Android XR operating system. Since then, the Samsung Galaxy XR headset has launched, XREAL has joined the hardware camp, and mainstream game engines such as Unity, Unreal Engine, and Godot have successively gained official support. Since the beginning of this year, Google has further extended Android XR to lightweight smart glasses and is advancing system-level AI interaction around Gemini.

From hardware to software, the outline of the Android XR ecosystem has gradually become clear. What we can see is that Google is bringing the operating system, app store, and developer resources that Android accumulated in the mobile internet era into the XR market, enabling more hardware manufacturers to launch products based on the same platform. As development tools mature, this ecosystem-building effort is beginning to enter a more concrete implementation phase.

From Samsung to XREAL, the Android XR hardware camp gradually expands

Looking back at the development of Android XR, Samsung was the first core partner confirmed by Google.

In December 2024, Google, together with Samsung and Qualcomm, jointly announced Android XR. The three companies cooperated in areas including the operating system, hardware R&D, and chip platforms, hoping to establish a common software foundation for the next generation of headsets and smart glasses.

By October 2025, the Samsung Galaxy XR was officially launched, becoming the first headset to run Android XR. The product starts at $1,799 and adopts an MR form factor, supporting color passthrough and eye and gesture interaction. Users can open multiple app windows in the real environment and can also switch to an immersive spatial experience. From its product positioning, this is a device aimed at the high-end XR market, tasked with demonstrating the full system capabilities of Android XR.

Image source: Samsung

The Galaxy XR also deeply integrates Gemini, allowing users to communicate with the AI assistant by voice, have it recognize what they are currently seeing, or provide assistance in conjunction with running apps. Google's services such as Google Maps, YouTube, and Google Photos have also been adapted for spatial environments.

In 2026, Google began extending Android XR to smart glasses. At this year's Google I/O conference in May, Google showcased Project Aura, a smart glasses product developed in collaboration with XREAL. On October 29, the XREAL AURA was officially released. Compared with the Galaxy XR, this product adopts a lighter optical see-through glasses form factor, with a field of view of 70 degrees and the glasses body weighing less than 95 grams.

To reduce the burden on the head, XREAL places the main computing unit and battery in an external computing module connected by cable, equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon Reality Elite platform. After putting on the glasses, users can directly see the real environment through the lenses and overlay app windows and 3D content in their field of view.

Image source: XREAL

The XREAL AURA supports features such as multi-window office work, audio and video entertainment, and spatial gaming. It can also connect to a laptop via USB-C, turning the computer screen into a virtual display whose position and size can be freely adjusted. Its limited-time launch price starts at $1,099. It is currently available for order in the United States, Canada, and South Korea, with shipments expected to begin in mid-November.

Google's hardware cooperation scope continues to expand. At this year's Google I/O conference, Google also announced further plans for smart glasses, including audio glasses that mainly interact with Gemini by voice and AI glasses with displays.

In terms of partners, in addition to Samsung, Google has also brought in eyewear brands such as Gentle Monster and Warby Parker. In July this year, Samsung showcased smart glasses designs jointly developed with these two brands at the Galaxy Unpacked event, with the first batch of audio glasses planned to launch in November this year.

Image source: Google

The application needs of these products differ significantly. Headsets are better suited for immersive gaming and complex spatial content, wired XR glasses can handle mobile office work and large-screen entertainment, while lightweight AI glasses are aimed at high-frequency daily scenarios such as navigation, translation, photography, and information queries.

Google is trying to connect these devices with Android XR. This route follows the development approach of Android smartphones: Google is responsible for the operating system, core services, and development tools, while partners can launch different products based on their own advantages in hardware, optics, industrial design, and sales channels.

For a consumer electronics giant like Samsung, Android XR can be combined with its existing Galaxy device ecosystem. For manufacturers focused on XR hardware such as XREAL, access to Android XR offers the opportunity to obtain more complete system software, Google Play app resources, and Gemini capabilities, reducing the investment needed to build an app ecosystem independently.

As more devices join, Google is also gradually expanding the user base covered by Android XR. However, what truly determines a platform's appeal is how many apps can run once devices go on sale, and whether those apps can fully leverage the characteristics of XR hardware.

As core development tools mature, Google begins competing for XR developers

Beyond hardware partnerships, the developer ecosystem is also a key area Google has recently invested in. At the Android Dev Summit on October 29, Google announced that multiple core tools and development libraries for Android XR have entered the stable stage. Among them, the 1.0 stable versions of Jetpack SceneCore, ARCore for Jetpack XR, and XR Runtime were released on October 21.

Image source: Google

Jetpack SceneCore allows developers to create, arrange, and manage content such as 2D windows and 3D models in spatial environments; ARCore for Jetpack XR provides capabilities such as environment perception and spatial anchors; XR Runtime provides foundational runtime support for XR apps.

When developing XR apps, developers often need to handle low-level functions such as device tracking, spatial positioning, and scene management. Now, Google is gradually integrating these capabilities into the Android development framework, so development teams can use the familiar Android technology stack to build spatial apps.

This update also includes the Android XR Emulator and Android XR Engine Hub. The former allows developers to simulate and test different form factors such as headsets, wired XR glasses, audio glasses, and display glasses without actual hardware. The latter further integrates development workflows for engines such as Unity, Unreal Engine, and Godot, supporting developers with real-time previews and performance analysis.

Image source: Google

Now that Engine Hub has entered the stable stage, it provides more complete tool support for existing XR teams to adapt to Android XR. For development teams that already have VR games or MR apps, the cost of cross-platform adaptation will drop significantly.

On the day XREAL AURA was released, Unity also announced seven games made with Unity that are launching or will soon launch for the device, and shared some development teams' adaptation experience.

Among them, Resolution Games brought its multiplayer cooperative tabletop game "Demeo" to the XREAL AURA platform. The development team said that Unity's cross-platform XR framework and the OpenXR standard are already quite mature, and the components the team had accumulated can continue to be reused across different headsets, reducing the work of redeveloping for new devices.

In addition, Owlchemy Labs, a VR game studio owned by Google, also brought "Hyper Visor" to XREAL AURA. This title uses gesture interaction to turn the real environment into an XR game space where players can shoot, fight, and interact.

Image source: Owlchemy Labs

The above cases demonstrate Android XR's appeal to existing VR developers. A group of teams that have already accumulated content and development experience on platforms such as Quest can use tools such as Unity and OpenXR to extend their titles to new devices and seek more users based on their existing projects.

However, compared with building an XR-native content library from scratch, Android XR also has a ready-made resource—Google Play.

According to Google's official introduction, a large number of compatible Android phone and tablet apps can run directly on Android XR headsets and XR glasses, presented as 2D windows in the spatial environment. Developers can also add spatial windows, 3D models, or immersive scenes to their existing apps, gradually expanding their XR features.

This gives Android XR a relatively rich base of foundational app resources early in the device lifecycle. Take XREAL AURA as an example: in addition to being able to use more than 150 apps built specifically for XR, the device can also access a large number of apps in Google Play. Users can open browsers, office software, video and audio platforms, and mobile games, and can also run native content designed for spatial interaction.

Image source: Google

This compatibility approach solves part of the app supply problem in the early days of a new platform. For ordinary users, after purchasing an XR device, they can directly use familiar software. For mobile app developers, existing products can also reach XR users through compatibility, and then decide based on market feedback whether to invest in native adaptation.

However, native content still determines how much differentiated experience XR devices can provide. Take games as an example: ordinary mobile games can get a larger virtual screen in glasses, but titles such as "Demeo" and "Hyper Visor" can directly leverage the spatial environment and gesture interaction, bringing gameplay different from that of phones and tablets.

As the number of Android XR hardware form factors increases, this type of content will also face new development requirements. Immersive headsets, XR glasses, and everyday AI glasses each differ in display capabilities, interaction methods, and use cases, and developers need to choose the appropriate adaptation approach based on the specific device.

Google has already provided the operating system, development tools, and app distribution channels. Next, the actual sales volume, user activity, and monetization performance of XR devices will determine whether development teams are willing to continue investing resources in this platform.

With Gemini becoming the common entry point, can Google replicate Android's success in the XR market?

Judging from Google's current product layout, Gemini is the core capability running through the different hardware form factors of Android XR.

As early as December 2024, when Android XR was first announced, Google listed Gemini as an important part of the platform. Compared with AI assistants on phones, XR devices can obtain more environmental information through cameras, sensors, and spatial interaction, allowing AI to directly participate in what users are doing.

This direction has already seen concrete applications on Galaxy XR and XREAL AURA. In Galaxy XR, users can use Gemini to learn about the content in front of them, or to obtain related information while browsing apps such as Google Maps. XREAL AURA further combines the real environment with virtual screens, allowing Gemini to understand the app the user is viewing and the surrounding scene.

Image source: Google

For future lightweight smart glasses, Gemini's role will also extend into daily life. According to the plan Google announced this year, audio glasses can perceive the surrounding environment through cameras and microphones, and combined with phone apps, complete operations such as route navigation, information queries, message handling, and real-time translation. Some tasks can also be completed by Gemini directly invoking related services.

From headsets to smart glasses, the way users access information is also changing. Immersive devices are mainly based on spatial windows, 3D content, and gesture interaction, while lightweight glasses rely more on voice and visual perception. Gemini provides a common set of AI interaction capabilities for these different devices.

Image source: Google

Google has a relatively complete technical and service foundation in this regard. In addition to the Gemini model, apps such as Google Maps, YouTube, Chrome, and Google Photos already have a large user base and can also be extended around different XR devices.

On October 29, Google also announced a new batch of agent development capabilities for the Android platform, including the Connected Apps Platform, which allows apps to provide services to the system AI assistant, and tools such as AppFunctions for exposing app functions. Although these capabilities are still at different stages of development and preview, it can be seen that Google is promoting a more direct connection between Android apps and AI agents.

As related capabilities gradually expand to more devices, Android XR has the opportunity to integrate Gemini, app services, and spatial interaction into the same system. Looking at the current XR market, this is also an important direction for Google in competing with Meta and Apple.

Image source: Google

Unlike Meta and Apple's in-house approach, Google chose to attract more hardware partners through Android XR, while using existing Android developers and Google Play app resources to expand platform coverage. This model once helped Android develop rapidly in the smartphone market. Facing devices at different prices and positions, Google can provide a unified software platform, and hardware manufacturers can launch products according to market demand.

The XR market also needs similar industrial division of labor. Headsets, XR glasses, and AI glasses involve multiple links such as displays, optics, chips, sensors, and overall design, and different manufacturers have their own technological accumulations. By opening its operating system and core AI capabilities to partners, Google can allow hardware companies to invest more resources in the products themselves and use the existing app ecosystem to shorten the content-building cycle after launch.

Final thoughts

Judging from the actions Google has already announced, Android XR is forming a relatively complete platform system. Manufacturers such as Samsung and XREAL are responsible for hardware implementation, Google provides the operating system, Gemini, and Google Play, development tool vendors such as Unity help content teams adapt devices, and developers provide apps and services on this basis.

This system has already begun to operate, but there is still some distance to a mature consumer ecosystem.

At present, the main Android XR hardware already on the market is only Galaxy XR and XREAL AURA, and lightweight smart glasses for daily wear are still in the product advancement stage. Although XREAL AURA has more than 150 apps developed specifically for XR, continuously updated native content, device user scale, and developer revenue still need to accumulate gradually with hardware sales.

This is also the most important test for Android XR next. At present, Google has completed multiple arrangements ranging from the operating system release and the first hardware launch to the gradual maturity of development tools. With the addition of XREAL AURA, Android XR has begun to connect to more different hardware form factors.

For Google, the key task next is to make more manufacturers willing to launch Android XR devices, enable developers to obtain sustained returns from this platform, and ultimately attract users to use more apps on XR devices.

Android once relied on a huge network of hardware partners and developers to become one of the most important operating systems in the smartphone era. Now, Google is trying to continue this model in the XR market. As for whether it can grow into the next-generation general-purpose XR platform, the answer will depend on the actual market performance of these hardware and applications in the coming years.

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