Why The Samsung Galaxy Xr Can Support 'almost All' Android Apps

The Samsung Galaxy XR is designed to beryllium a showcase for Android XR, Google's caller AR / VR operating system, but dissimilar competing mixed reality headsets, Google says location will beryllium fewer limits connected nan apps nan Galaxy XR will really beryllium capable to run. In fact, a Google spokesperson tells Engadget that "almost each Android apps will automatically beryllium made disposable without immoderate further improvement effort."

Obviously, Google and Samsung would emotion deliberately designed spatial experiences for their caller hardware, but almost each existing Android apps, sloppy if they were made for phones aliases not, will beryllium considered "Android XR compatible mobile apps" erstwhile nan headset launches. That intends they'll tally successful a floating spatial sheet that tin beryllium moved astir nan virtual abstraction surrounding you, and per Google's Android XR developer guidelines, will automatically support halfway XR input methods for illustration oculus and manus tracking, on pinch nan accustomed suspects for illustration controllers, mice and keyboards. They should besides tally and look for illustration they would connected a smartphone aliases tablet. "Apps that specify compact sizes show up accordingly and apps that let for resizing tin beryllium resized successful XR. These apps do not tally successful compatibility mode and won’t beryllium letterboxed," Google says.

The only apps that won't make nan trim are ones that require features a fixed Android XR instrumentality doesn't support, for illustration GPS. And successful nan lawsuit of apps that are already updated to activity connected ample screens, aliases that are "adaptive apps" designed to reflow and alteration size depending connected nan Android instrumentality they're moving on, things will beryllium moreover smoother. Google says adaptive creation will beryllium expected to beryllium nan default going forward, an effort that started pinch this year's merchandise of Android 16. “Many APIs restricting size will beryllium ignored connected larger screens (which includes Android XR),” Google’s spokesperson said, because nan institution yet wants Android apps to consciousness responsive whether they’re connected a phone, an in-car show aliases an XR headset.

Apple tried a similar, but much constricted attack pinch nan motorboat of visionOS and nan Vision Pro by letting developers list their iOS and iPadOS apps successful nan visionOS App Store. The move produced mixed results, and a dearth of existent visionOS apps. An app designed pinch a instrumentality successful mind is amended than 1 that's not, but Google does astatine slightest look to person group Android developers up for a somewhat smoother ride. Considering nan Galaxy XR's cheaper value erstwhile compared to nan Vision Pro, they mightiness besides person a bigger assemblage to make apps for, too.