TL;DR
- We’ve captured some screenshots of the Android XR consumer interface, together with its Fast Settings panel and residential display screen.
- These screenshots had been taken from the lately launched Android XR emulator.
- Android XR is a brand new model of the Android working system designed for XR headsets and AR good glasses.
Google has lastly unveiled Android XR, a brand new model of the Android OS designed from the bottom up for XR gadgets like VR headsets and AR good glasses. Forward of its debut subsequent 12 months on the Samsung XR headset codenamed “Venture Moohan,” Google launched quite a lot of instruments to assist builders get began in porting their apps to the brand new platform. One among these instruments is the Android XR emulator, and due to it, we had been in a position to seize a couple of screenshots exhibiting off the consumer interface of the brand new OS.
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Earlier than we present you photos of Android XR, we have to point out a couple of issues. The Android XR emulator relies on Google’s core Android XR platform which implies it doesn’t have any producer customizations. Samsung could customise the UI a bit for its XR headset because it does for its different Android-based gadgets. The app launcher and Fast Settings panels, specifically, are seemingly targets for personalization, for instance. If you happen to evaluate the inventory model of Android from AOSP to Samsung’s One UI, you’ll see what I imply. It’s additionally price noting that the screenshots we’ve are from the primary construct of the Android XR emulator and that subsequent releases of the emulator might change issues.
With that out of the way in which, right here’s a primary have a look at some core elements of the Android XR consumer interface. These screenshots had been despatched to us by Android developer Narek, and so they showcase elements akin to app home windows, the Settings app, the house display screen, the app drawer, the recents menu, the keyboard, the Fast Settings, the notifications panel, and extra. The notifications, recents menu, and Settings look as you’d count on.
Apps just like the Google Play Retailer at present open with their pill UI, however there’s a header above them that allows you to reduce or shut the window. Curiously, the Play Retailer appears to already filter for XR apps, nevertheless it additionally reveals apps which can be deemed “appropriate” with Android XR.
Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority
A number of the larger UI modifications are within the dwelling display screen and the Fast Settings panel. The house display screen consists of two pages, one for pinned apps plus system shortcuts and one other for the total app checklist. The pinned apps web page accommodates apps that you simply’ve chosen to pin from the app checklist in addition to buttons to return to dwelling, open the recents menu, open the notifications panel, and open the Fast Settings panel. The app drawer is solely a listing of put in apps, as you’d count on.
The Fast Settings panel accommodates toggles for web, Bluetooth, and lots of frequent Android settings, nevertheless it additionally has some XR-specific stuff, too, akin to toggles for Boundary, Passthrough, Passthrough Window, Recenter, and extra.
Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority
In the meantime, it looks as if Gboard has additionally been optimized for XR, although the keyboard seems to be a bit cramped within the screenshot we had been despatched.
Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority
It’s seemingly you may resize it like you may with different home windows, as demonstrated in one of many display screen recordings the developer shared with us. It’s additionally doable that it simply seems to be a lot better in precise XR than it does in a 2D illustration of it, however we’ll want to attend to get our arms on precise {hardware} to confirm that.
For the movies under, do observe that Narek mentioned the body price of the display screen recording is uneven, however the precise emulator show was high-quality. In different phrases, don’t take these recordings as a real illustration of the smoothness of the Android XR expertise.
Google wasn’t keen to let reporters take images of or report their experiences utilizing Samsung’s prototype Android XR headset, so the Android Emulator is the closest we’ll get to exhibiting you the actual factor till actual {hardware} is on the market subsequent 12 months. What do you consider this primary have a look at the Android XR UI? Tell us within the feedback under!
