EcosystemPlatforms

Android XR

Android XR for third-party developers — SDK access, app model, distribution, capabilities & AI, and where it sits in the 2026 smart-glasses landscape.

Verified 2026-08-24 against primary sources

Android XR at a glance⚠ partly unverified
Third-party SDK
Jetpack XR SDK, public (DP4)developer.android.com
App model
Projected activity, phone-hosted (Android host)developer.android.com
Distribution today
No public glasses channel yetdeveloper.android.com
Public publishing
Not open for glassesdeveloper.android.com
Third-party UI on-lens
Glimmer on display glasses onlydeveloper.android.com
AI / assistant access
Gemini: invocable + Live APIdeveloper.android.com

Openness verdict. Open, well-documented SDK available to every developer (Jetpack XR SDK, Developer Preview 4), and Google has an on-the-record launch window — audio glasses "coming this fall" (2026), display glasses to follow. But as of July 2026 the glasses class is still pre-production: no consumer Android XR smart glasses have shipped, and there is no public app-distribution channel for the audio/display glasses class yet (Play distribution today covers only XR headsets and wired XR glasses).

Covered here: Android XR audio glasses · Android XR display glasses (in-lens optical see-through display class; Samsung's display model is codenamed 'Haean', reportedly targeted at 2027).

Not covered here: Samsung Galaxy XR (Project Moohan) · Wired XR glasses / tethered viewers (e.g. XREAL Project Aura) · Android XR headsets generally.

Overview

Android XR is Google's Android-based operating system for extended-reality devices, spanning immersive headsets and, in the class this page covers, lightweight smart glasses. Google's SDK formally distinguishes two glasses device classes: audio glasses (screen-free, driven by camera, speakers, microphones and Gemini) and display glasses (an in-lens optical see-through display), both treated as "augmented experience" devices distinct from headsets (developer.android.com). Google has confirmed hardware partnerships with Samsung and eyewear makers Gentle Monster and Warby Parker (Android Developers Blog, Dec 2025), and Gucci (Kering) is a confirmed in-class partner running Android XR + Gemini and targeting 2027 (reporting on Kering CEO Luca de Meo, Apr 2026). Unlike the draft framing that treated the launch as purely rumor, Google made an on-the-record commitment at Google I/O 2026 that Android XR audio glasses are "coming this fall" (2026) — audio-first, with display glasses to follow (blog.google, I/O 2026). As of July 2026 no consumer unit has shipped, but Samsung formally unveiled its Android XR intelligent eyewear at Galaxy Unpacked on 22 July 2026 — audio-first with no display, a built-in camera, the Snapdragon AR1 Gen1 platform and up to nine hours per charge, in Gentle Monster and Warby Parker designs, "scheduled to launch this fall in select markets" (Samsung Newsroom, Galaxy Unpacked; the fall / select-markets window comes from the 20 May Google I/O first look). Samsung disclosed neither price nor camera resolution, so the ~$379–$499 / 12MP figures circulating in secondary reporting remain unconfirmed. The only Android XR hardware actually on sale today is the Samsung Galaxy XR headset, which is out of scope here. Net: the platform, SDK, and an official launch window are all real and public; the glasses hardware and a public publishing path are the two gates still closed.

What you can buy

ModelPriceStatus
Samsung intelligent eyewear (Android XR audio glasses) — the Samsung/Google reference product
news.samsung.com
Not published. Neither Samsung release states a price. The 22 July 2026 Galaxy Unpacked release contains no price, no date and no availability sentence; the 20 May 2026 Google I/O release says only 'The first collections of intelligent eyewear are scheduled to launch this fall in select markets, with additional details to be announced in the coming months.'Announced, not available
Gentle Monster Intelligent Eyewear
gentlemonster.com
Not published. The product page is an email-capture teaser; the vendor FAQ answers timing and retail channel but states no price.Announced, not available
Warby Parker Intelligent Eyewear
warbyparker.com
Not published. The Intelligent Eyewear page carries no price and no preorder; the site's only price on that page is the unrelated site-wide banner "Premium eyewear, starting at $95", which refers to Warby Parker's ordinary eyeglasses, not this product.Announced, not available
XREAL Project Aura / XREAL AURA (Android XR wired XR glasses)
xreal.com
"The final retail price will be no more than US$1,500 before tax." Reservations only: Founder Priority Pass — "Your $299 deposit applies toward the final purchase price" (marked SOLD OUT). Launch Credit — "Reserve for $99 today. Get $199 toward XREAL AURA at launch", i.e. "Your $99 reservation becomes $199 Launch Credit." Enterprise/volume is quote-only via business@xreal.com.Pre-order
Android XR Developer Catalyst Program development kit (audio glasses / display glasses / wired XR glasses)
developer.android.com
No price — not a sale. Google lists development kits, technical resources and "non-recoupable grants" whose amounts Google determines "based on need and availability". No cost is stated for participation.Sold, purchase gated
Samsung display glasses (reported codename 'Haean')
source
Not published. No vendor page, no announcement naming this product.Announced, not available
Gucci / Kering Eyewear Android XR smart glasses
source
Not published. No vendor product page exists.Announced, not available

Cheapest way to run your own code: No Android XR smart glasses can be bought at any price as of 2026-07-30, so the cheapest path to running third-party code is US$0: the free Jetpack XR SDK plus the AI Glasses emulator bundled with Android Studio. The cheapest device with any published price is the XREAL AURA at "no more than US$1,500 before tax", but that is a pre-tax ceiling rather than a price, and the base figure is to be announced closer to its Fall 2026 shipping date.

What the listings leave out

Samsung intelligent eyewear (Android XR audio glasses) — the Samsung/Google reference product

  • 2 designs publicly shown, and Samsung states the collaboration offers "a range of frame styles, colors and lens options" without disclosing counts.
  • There is no price at all — not even a "TBA at launch" placeholder; it is simply absent from both primary releases as of 2026-07-30, and the ~$379–$499 figures in circulation are secondary reporting with no vendor corroboration.
  • There is no product name. "Intelligent eyewear" is a category noun used by all four companies, and no model designation or SKU exists.
  • The "this fall in select markets" commitment comes from the 20 May 2026 I/O release, not the 22 July Unpacked release, which states no timing whatsoever.
  • No market has been named — "select markets" is unqualified in every primary source.
  • A key input path needs an extra accessory: Samsung's own footnote states "Gesture interactions are only provided through Watch9", so gesture control requires a Galaxy Watch9 alongside the glasses and the phone.
  • Several headline features are conditioned: notes capture "may require compatible Samsung services and devices"; translation and navigation "may vary by language, region, app, service provider and network environment"; live visual sharing "may vary by app, service, market and applicable laws".
  • Camera resolution is undisclosed by Samsung; the 12 MP figure in circulation is unverified reporting.
  • No third-party app-distribution channel has been published for this device class — Google Play covers XR headsets and wired XR glasses only.
  • The product sells under two partner brands rather than as a Samsung-branded SKU, so "the price of the Samsung glasses" is likely to resolve to two different prices at two different retailers (see the Gentle Monster and Warby Parker entries).
  • Spec disclosure is partial: no weight, no IP rating, no storage, and no confirmation of on-device compute available to third parties.

Gentle Monster Intelligent Eyewear

  • 2 designs revealed so far, with the vendor saying the debut collection "will include a wider range of designs when it launches this fall" and not disclosing a total.
  • The vendor page carries no price and no preorder, reservation or deposit — only an email signup ("Be the first to discover…").
  • The retail channel is explicitly narrow: the vendor FAQ says it "will be available through Gentle Monster flagship stores and the official online store", so not through Samsung and not through general electronics retail.
  • "Select markets" is again unnamed, and Gentle Monster runs separate regional storefronts (US/KR/JP/SG/TW/AU/CA/EU) whose availability is likely to differ.
  • The number of launch designs is open by the vendor's own wording — the two shown are a preview, not the collection.
  • Gentle Monster sells prescription lenses across its regular lines, but the Intelligent Eyewear page makes no prescription claim.
  • This appears as a separate entry from the Samsung reference product because retail channel, market list, design count and eventual price belong to the brand, not to Samsung; the underlying hardware is the same.

Warby Parker Intelligent Eyewear

  • 2 frames shown to date, in the vendor's words "we previewed our second frame in the collection", with launch collection size undisclosed.
  • There is no price, preorder, reservation or waitlist deposit — only an email signup ("Be the first to know").
  • The $200–$400 range attributed to Warby Parker in press coverage is analyst and reporting inference; the vendor publishes nothing.
  • Warby Parker claims video capture ("photos and videos") while Samsung's release describes capture and "live visual sharing", so video is vendor-claimed but not spec'd.
  • The "coming this fall" timing arrives with no market list, and Warby Parker's own retail footprint is US and Canada, narrower than "select markets" may imply globally.
  • Prescription support is implied by positioning rather than stated as a confirmed SKU option with pricing.
  • This appears separately from the Samsung reference product because retail channel, region, frame count and eventual price are Warby Parker's; the hardware underneath is the same Samsung device.

XREAL Project Aura / XREAL AURA (Android XR wired XR glasses)

  • 2 memory/storage configurations (12 GB/256 GB, 16 GB/512 GB) and 2 IPD fit sizes (M 60–66 mm, L 66–72 mm), with insertable prescription lenses supported.
  • A ceiling is not a price: "no more than US$1,500 before tax" is a pre-tax maximum, XREAL says the base model price is announced closer to launch, and no figure exists for the 16 GB/512 GB configuration at all.
  • Both reservation tiers are deposits toward an unannounced final price rather than purchases, so the buyer commits money without knowing the amount.
  • The Founder Priority Pass ($299) shows SOLD OUT — "All 2,000 Founder Passes have been reserved in 36 hours", with the counter reading 0 of 2,000. The cheaper $99 Launch Credit remains open and is marked LIMITED TIME.
  • The $99 → $199 conversion is promotional rather than a discount off a known price, and its expiry is unstated beyond "LIMITED TIME".
  • Reservation position affects delivery, not entitlement: "EARLIER RESERVATIONS RECEIVE EARLIER ACCESS" / "Order to secure an early shipping position."
  • Refund terms for the deposits are not restated in the reservation block on the product page, so verify them at checkout rather than assuming refundability.
  • Availability is region-locked to 30 listed countries; everywhere else is notify-me only, and South Korea and Australia are included while much of the world is not.
  • Enterprise and bulk pricing is quote-only via business@xreal.com, with no published volume price.
  • The device class changes what the SDK gives you: this is the wired XR glasses class, a two-piece glasses-plus-tethered-puck system, not the lightweight all-day eyewear class. Some landscape framings scope it out of "smart glasses" entirely, but it is unambiguously Android XR and it is the class where Play distribution already works.
  • Prices are published in US dollars only, with no EUR, GBP, JPY or KRW figure despite the launch regions.

Android XR Developer Catalyst Program development kit (audio glasses / display glasses / wired XR glasses)

  • 3 kit types are offered: wired XR glasses, audio glasses and display glasses.
  • The kits are not purchasable at any price — the program is application-only and the 2026 application window is closed, so a developer arriving today has no hardware path until a future cycle.
  • Selection is discretionary, decided by a multi-stage review from a cross-functional Google team weighing vertical alignment, developer readiness and articulated funding need.
  • Shipping is region-locked to the US, Canada, Japan, the UK and the EU, so developers elsewhere are excluded even if selected.
  • Grant funding is milestone-gated on signed agreements, technical design and Google Play publishing, and the amounts are unpublished.
  • The Play-publishing milestone sits oddly against Google's own statement that glasses-class distribution is not open; read that milestone as applying to the supported XR classes.
  • Kit terms, loan-versus-keep status and return obligations are not published.

Samsung display glasses (reported codename 'Haean')

  • No configurations have been published, because the product has not been announced.
  • Samsung has never publicly announced this product, named it or confirmed a year; both "Haean" and 2027 are reporting rather than vendor statements.
  • Google's I/O 2026 statement that display glasses "follow" the audio glasses is the only on-the-record commitment, and it carries no date, no maker attribution and no price.
  • No specs, no design-partner attribution and no market list have been published.
  • Whether this is a distinct SKU or a later revision of the same eyewear line is unconfirmed.

Gucci / Kering Eyewear Android XR smart glasses

  • No configurations have been published, because no product page or spec sheet exists.
  • Everything in this entry rests on reporting of executive remarks rather than vendor documentation — there is no Kering or Gucci product page, press release or spec sheet.
  • The device class is unknown: nobody has stated whether it is audio glasses or display glasses.
  • Google listed Kering Eyewear as a partner as far back as I/O 2025, so the partnership predates any product commitment by more than a year with no shipped device.
  • Luxury positioning means the eventual price bears no relationship to the rest of this catalogue, and any figure quoted today is inference.

Access

The SDK is the Jetpack XR SDK, a Kotlin-first stack (Java usable via the Android framework) built around Jetpack Compose.

SDKJetpack XR SDK. For glasses the load-bearing libraries are Jetpack Projected (bridges a phone app to glasses hardware — sensors, speakers, camera, display) and Jetpack Compose Glimmer, a Compose UI toolkit optimized for display glasses; ARCore for Jetpack XR, Compose for XR and SceneCore round out the perception/3D surface (build guide)
LanguagesKotlin-first; Java usable via the Android framework
MaturityDeveloper Preview 4, released 19 May 2026, with the XR Runtime, SceneCore and ARCore perception libraries since reaching 1.0.0-beta02 on 12 August 2026 (Jetpack Projected and Compose Glimmer remain alpha) (DP4 blog)
Who can buildAll developers, since Developer Preview 3 in December 2025 — no allowlist to write and emulate apps
CostFree
Without hardwareAndroid Studio's bundled AI Glasses emulator simulates touchpad and voice input, so apps can be built without hardware
LicenseJetpack libraries are open-source (Apache 2.0); documentation is under Google's content license
Physical hardwarePre-release hardware is gated behind the Android XR Developer Catalyst Program — application-based; the 2026 cycle closed to applications on 30 June 2026 with selections notified 15 July, and development kits ship only to developers in the US, Canada, Japan, the UK and the EU
Docsdeveloper.android.com/develop/xr

App model

Glasses apps use a distinctive projected model, not a standalone on-device app. Per Google: "Unlike XR headsets that run a full APK on the device, audio glasses and display glasses use a dedicated activity that runs within your phone's existing app. This activity is projected from the host device to the glasses" (first-activity guide).

Where your code runsNatively on the paired phone (Android/Kotlin, compute and the app process stay phone-side) while UI and I/O are projected to the glasses over the phone link — the glasses are a tethered display/sensor surface, not a compute target
UIDisplay UI is authored in Jetpack Compose via Glimmer; audio-only glasses render no visual UI and lean on ASR/TTS and Gemini
Entry pointApps declare a projected launcher activity (XR_PROJECTED_LAUNCHER intent category) as their glasses entry point, and that activity must also declare android:requiredDisplayCategory="android.hardware.display.category.XR_PROJECTED"
The API surfaceApps obtain projected context via ProjectedContext.createProjectedActivityOptions(context), request hardware permissions through ProjectedActivityCompat.requestPermissions() (which superseded the deprecated ProjectedPermissionsResultContract in Jetpack Projected 1.0.0-alpha10, 15 July 2026, and was removed outright in 1.0.0-alpha11 on 12 August 2026 — the narrative guides still show the old contract), observe connection with ProjectedContext.isProjectedDeviceConnected() (returns a Flow<Boolean>), and can query ProjectedDeviceController.capabilities (e.g. CAPABILITY_VISUAL_UI) to branch between display and audio-only hardware
Known Preview limitationsLaunching a projected activity does not auto-turn-on the glasses display, and the display briefly flashes white on activity start (glasses first-activity guide)
Open standardsThere is a single first-party development system (Jetpack XR) for this class. WebXR and OpenXR are supported dev paths but Google's device-types page lists them exclusively for XR headsets and wired XR glasses, never for the audio/display glasses class (Android XR devices) — so on the projected glasses model treat both as undocumented and unavailable today; Google gives no rationale for the omission and has committed to nothing either way
Game enginesUnity, and newly Unreal and Godot, likewise target the immersive/headset side rather than the projected glasses model

One nuance is easy to overreach on, so state it precisely: Google's I/O 2026 post says the glasses pair with both Android and iOS phones (blog.google). That is a statement about hardware pairing and the first-party Gemini experience — it is not a documented third-party app path on iOS. A projected app is an Android Activity, declared in an Android manifest, and Google documents no iOS host SDK for it; so a third-party projected app today implies an Android host. Treat iPhone pairing as a consumer-hardware fact, not a developer-distribution one.

Distribution

Distribution is Google Play–based in principle but not yet open for glasses. Google's guidance is explicit: Play Store distribution is currently available only for immersive apps on XR headsets and wired XR glasses; for augmented experiences on AI (audio/display) glasses, developers should "get started developing and run and debug apps on the Android XR emulator," with "more updates on distribution coming in the future" (package-and-distribute).

Glasses apps todayThe publishing channel is unstated and unavailable. Treat glasses publishing as not-yet-open and gate any go-to-market on Google's forthcoming announcement
Headsets and wired XR glassesA standard Play Console account, choosing a mobile release track or a dedicated Android XR track. The XR track requires an android.software.xr.api.spatial or ...openxr manifest feature
ReviewNormal Google Play policies plus the Android XR app quality guidelines
The one documented reach pathNot distribution: an existing phone app's notifications are bridged to audio and display glasses through the standard Android notification framework "with little to no additional configuration", with optional glasses-side behaviour via NotificationCompat.ProjectedExtender (notification behavior). It is opt-in per app — "By default, app notifications are toggled off in the Glasses app" — and it surfaces an already-installed phone app on the glasses rather than publishing a projected glasses app

Google says the glasses also pair with iOS phones, but that is a hardware-pairing statement about the first-party experience; no third-party projected-app path on an iOS host is documented, so don't plan distribution around one.

Capabilities, limits & AI

CapabilityThird-party access
CameraAccessible through Jetpack Projected with runtime permission prompts (requested via ProjectedActivityCompat.requestPermissions(), which replaced the deprecated ProjectedPermissionsResultContract in Jetpack Projected 1.0.0-alpha10 and fully removed it in 1.0.0-alpha11); the glasses camera is a headline capability (Samsung's rumored unit cites 12MP, unconfirmed).
Mic/audio inon-device microphones with ASR/speech input via the projected stack.
Audio out / TTSSpeakers with text-to-speech synthesis.
On-lens displayDisplay glasses only, driven by Jetpack Compose Glimmer over an optical see-through panel — small, transparent, legibility-first (Google Sans Flex font added in DP4); audio glasses have no display.
Sensors / perceptionARCore for Jetpack XR brings motion tracking to the platform, but note a device-class caveat — the Geospatial/VPS API early preview announced in DP4 is for wired XR glasses (the tethered, out-of-scope class), not the in-scope projected audio/display glasses; Google's DP4 wording is "an early preview of the Geospatial API for wired XR Glasses… high-precision anchoring… in over 87 countries" (DP4 blog). Do not assume Geospatial anchoring is available on the projected glasses this page covers. Richer perception (depth, hand/eye tracking, spatial anchors) is documented primarily for headsets and may be a subset on glasses (verify per device).
InputTouchpad tap and swipe plus voice; custom gestures beyond these are not documented.
Reserved assistant / wake pathGemini is the platform's built-in assistant, and the reserved invocation is concretely the wake phrase "Hey Google" plus a frame-side tap (blog.google, I/O 2026) — analogous to how competing platforms reserve "Hey Meta."
AI & the assistantThird-party apps are not locked out of Gemini — a projected activity tagged XR_PROJECTED_LAUNCHER becomes discoverable by Gemini voice commands ("Open/Launch/Start [app name]"), and apps can integrate the Gemini Live API for real-time audio interactions (first-activity, build guide). Whether a third party can technically replace Gemini as the system assistant (versus only being invoked by it and building on the Gemini Live API) is not spelled out in a primary source — the documented model is invoke-and-integrate, so replaceability should be treated as unconfirmed rather than asserted. Likewise, the platform-wide on-device-vs-cloud AI split for glasses is not documented, though the third-party path is explicitly cloud — the Gemini Live API "does require a persistent internet connection" and is integrated and billed through Firebase AI Logic; given phone-hosted compute, treat the rest as an open question rather than a stated guarantee.

Roadmap

Momentum is steady and, importantly, has an on-the-record launch window: at Google I/O 2026 Google committed that Android XR audio glasses are "coming this fall" (2026) — audio-first, display glasses to follow, delivered via Samsung / Gentle Monster / Warby Parker frames and with iPhone host support (blog.google, I/O 2026, 9to5Google). Samsung then formally unveiled that hardware at Galaxy Unpacked on 22 July 2026 — audio-first intelligent eyewear with a built-in camera, Snapdragon AR1 Gen1 and up to nine hours per charge, launching this fall in select markets (Samsung Newsroom, Galaxy Unpacked; the fall / select-markets window is from the 20 May Google I/O first look); price and camera resolution stay undisclosed, so the ~$379–499 / 12MP specs from secondary reporting remain unverified. Dated SDK milestones: Dec 2025 — Developer Preview 3 opens AI-glasses development to all developers, ships Jetpack Projected + Glimmer + the AI Glasses emulator, and confirms Samsung / Gentle Monster / Warby Parker frame partners. 19 May 2026 — Developer Preview 4 adds a Device Availability API, ProjectedTestRule testing, new Glimmer components (Stacks, Title Chips) and Google Sans Flex, and signals XR Runtime/SceneCore/ARCore perception moving to Beta (the DP4 Geospatial preview is for wired XR glasses, not the projected class). 15 June 2026 — ecosystem update adds Unreal and Godot engine support (headset side) and the Android XR Engine Hub. 15 July 2026 — the Beta DP4 signalled lands: XR Runtime, SceneCore and ARCore for Jetpack XR all ship 1.0.0-beta01, while Jetpack Projected and Compose Glimmer stay alpha. 12 August 2026 — all three perception libraries move to 1.0.0-beta02 and Jetpack Projected 1.0.0-alpha11 removes the deprecated projected-permissions APIs outright; Google formalised the beta milestone in an 18 August 2026 post, with Jetpack Compose for XR still alpha. Longer-horizon in-scope hardware: Samsung is pursuing two SKUs — the audio device this fall 2026 and a separate display model codenamed 'Haean' targeted at 2027 (AndroidHeadlines) — and Gucci/Kering targets 2027. Still-open gate: a public glasses app-distribution channel ("coming in the future"). The trajectory points toward glasses GA on a named timeline; production hardware and public publishing are the two things not yet delivered.

In the landscape

Android XR is one platform in the third-party smart-glasses landscape. See how open it is relative to other platforms, how AI works across them, and the full platform comparison.

The third-party smart-glasses landscape

Can you build third-party apps for smart glasses today? A platform-by-platform comparison — Meta, Snap Spectacles, Brilliant Labs, Rokid, RayNeo, Even Realities, Vuzix, Android XR, Apple and more: which have an official SDK, how apps are built and distributed, and whether you can publish publicly.

How open is smart-glasses development?

A mental model for the openness spectrum in smart-glasses development — SDK availability, license, build-time gating, and publishing gating — with today's platforms placed on it.

AI on smart glasses

How third-party AI works across smart-glasses platforms — which first-party assistants are reserved (Meta AI, Gemini, Ari), where you bring your own AI (phone-side, cloud, on-device), wake-word limits, and the voice-in → AI → voice-out surface that generalizes even where the assistant is closed.

How third-party smart-glasses apps are distributed

Smart glasses don't have one app store. The app-model taxonomy — companion mobile app vs. an app that runs on the glasses (native or web) — and why a single platform (Meta) offers two entirely separate developer systems: DAT and Ray-Ban Display Web Apps.

Meta smart glasses (Meta DAT)

Meta smart glasses developer guide: Wearables Device Access Toolkit (DAT 0.8.0) capabilities, supported models (Ray-Ban Meta, Oakley Meta, Ray-Ban Display), 2026 distribution state, and how Extentos abstracts the toolkit.

Capabilities

The Extentos capability vocabulary — the vendor-agnostic SDK primitives (audio, camera, voice, assistant, display, hardware events) your handler subscribes to.