Following Google's earlier commercial failure ofGoogle Glass, an earlier head-worn product, Google acquired VR companies Tilt Brush and Owlchemy Labs and made other ventures into head-worn computing products including theGoogle Cardboard andGoogle Daydream VR headsets, which were both eventually discontinued. In 2021, Google revived its XR efforts with a project internally codenamedProject Iris, an AR headset powered by a new operating system. However, Google shelved the project afterApple released theVision Pro VR headset in 2024. One year later, Google announced Android XR as Project Iris'spiritual successor.
Google first experimented with the prospect ofsmartglasses with the introduction ofGoogle Glass in 2013.[2] The product was panned by critics due to privacy and ethical concerns,[3] leading Google to discontinue the consumer-facing model and focus on the enterprise model.[4][5] In May 2019, Google VR/AR head Clay Bavor toldCNET that the company was heavily invested inR&D regarding AR devices,[6] while a February 2020 report fromThe Information revealed that Google had no plans to develop a new pair ofaugmented reality (AR) smartglasses as of mid-2019, in part due to the highly publicized failure of Glass.[7] In June 2020, Google acquired North, a manufacturer of smartglasses, to assist inits hardware division's vision ofambient computing.[8] Shortly after the acquisition, the company began work on a new pair of AR smartglasses based on North designs,[9] whichThe New York Times confirmed in December 2021.[10]
In August 2021, following the announcement that thePixel 6 andPixel 6 Pro smartphones would feature the custom-developedTensorsystem-on-chip (SoC), Google hardware chiefRick Osterloh toldBusiness Insider that he believed that Tensor had long-term potential for AR-powered smartglasses,[11] and was echoed by CEOSundar Pichai in October.[12] In November, a "Google Labs" division led by Bavor was created to oversee Google's AR andvirtual reality (VR) ventures, unrelated to the defunct serviceof the same name,[13] while development on an ARoperating system began the next month for an unknown "innovative AR device", an effort spearheaded byMark Lucovsky.[14] Meanwhile, Google began work on two custom system-on-chips akin to Tensor, codenamed Alius and Alexandrite, which would power its smartglasses.[9]
In January 2022,The Verge reported that Google was building an AR headset as part of an effort internally codenamedProject Iris and overseen by Bavor.[15][9] This coincided with Google rivalApple's own initiative to develop amixed reality (MR) headset.[16] After Apple outmaneuvered Google by unveiling its headset, theVision Pro, in June 2023, which frustrated employees,[17][9]Business Insider reported that Project Iris had been canceled as part of Google's company-wide cost-cutting measures earlier in the year, which saw mass layoffs and the departure of Bavor.[18][19]
Earlier in 2022, Google executives had grown alarmed by reports on Apple's progress on the Vision Pro, which surpassed their own. The company struck a partnership withAndroid collaboratorSamsung, in which they would develop the software for an MR headset manufactured by Samsung, codenamed Project Moohan. Tensions soon arose between the two companies, with Samsung consolidating its control over the project to prevent Google from building a rival product.[9][18][20] "Moohan" is a reference to the Korean word forinfinity.[21] Google also acquired Raxium, an AR hardwarestartup, for approximately $1 billion in March 2022,[22] which was completed a month later.[23]
After Iris' cancellation, Google shifted its focus from hardware to software, which they hoped to license to third-party Android manufacturers.[18][19] Lucovsky left the company andShahram Izadi assumed leadership of Google's AR division, reporting to Googlesenior vice presidentHiroshi Lockheimer. A new team under Izadi began incorporating Iris' code into a new project codenamed Betty, intended to be part of a "Micro XR" platform that would be pitched to manufacturers. The former Raxium team continued to explore potential AR hardware projects under Greco's supervision, but was reportedly "firewalled" from the Moohan and Betty crews. A Google employee described the situation as "a weird bureaucratic mess".[9][20]
Meanwhile, at the annualGoogle I/O keynote in May 2024, Google demonstrated a pair of prototype smartglasses powered by Project Astra, amultimodal "AI assistant" fromGoogle DeepMind that uses theGemini Ultralarge language model.[24][25] These smartglasses were visually distinct from the Project Iris prototype demonstrated at I/O two years prior, indicating they were separate projects.[26] In a rare public appearance, Google co-founderSergey Brin called the glasses "the perfect hardware" forartificial intelligence (AI), acknowledging that Glass had been ahead of its time: "Unfortunately, we sort of messed up on the timing. I sort of wish I timed it a bit better."[27][28] Following the event,Business Insider reported that Google's XR platform would be named Android XR, was targeting an early 2025 launch, and would leverage Raxium's optical technology.[29]
Google announced the Android XR operating system on December 12, 2024, in New York City, with plans to launch it on Samsung's Moohan headset the following year. Viewed as the successor to Glass,Cardboard, andDaydream, the operating system was developed in collaboration with Samsung andQualcomm and is heavily integrated withGemini, Google'sgenerative AI–poweredchatbot.[21][30][31] In addition to Moohan, Google unveiled the Project Astra smartglasses it had previously demoed, also powered by Android XR and aiming for a 2025 release, though no definite timeline was set for the latter.[31][32] The glasses employ Raxium'smicroLED technology, allowing for "bright images without using a lot of power".[33][34]
Contrasting Android XR with the Vision Pro, Izadi and Android chief Sameer Samat emphasized theopen-platform nature of Google's approach, as opposed to Apple'swalled garden strategy.[35][33] Victoria Song ofThe Verge compared the experience of wearing these glasses toJ.A.R.V.I.S., a fictional AI in theMarvel Cinematic Universe,[35] and Ryan Christoffel of9to5Mac andMark Gurman ofBloomberg News noted Moohan's visual resemblance to the Vision Pro.[36][33] Several journalists who attended the announcement reflected on Google's decade-long journey from Glass to the present day.[31][34][37]
