According to a new report from The Information, Google offered Meta an XR partnership, but Meta reportedly declined.
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The Information reports on a meeting between Google and Meta in late 2023 regarding a potential XR partnership between the two companies.
Google wanted Meta as a partner for Android XR, the XR operating system Google is developing for its upcoming XR headsets. In return, Google will give the Meta Quest headset access to key Google apps.
Meta rejected this offer. Probably because licensing Android XR means giving up the proprietary Quest operating system and Quest Store. The Quest headset uses a fork of Android modified by Meta. The company attempted to develop its own XR operating system several years ago, but abandoned that effort in 2021.
According to reports, Meta has been asking Google for some time to allow Meta Quest access to the Play Store and Google apps. This headset supports only a few 2D apps and is poorly integrated into the Android ecosystem, while competitor Apple supports most iPhone and iPad apps with the Vision Pro. A huge competitive advantage for Apple that Google can use as leverage against Meta.
The Information also reports that Google is trying to attract other headset manufacturers to Android XR in addition to Samsung. Separate reports say Samsung and Google’s mixed reality headsets will go on sale at the end of the year.
Meanwhile, Meta has partnered with LG and is in talks with other hardware partners that could manufacture headsets and license the Quest operating system, according to The Information. Meta has long said it would differentiate itself from Apple by aiming for an “open system” for XR, but this vision has yet to materialize.
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It’s unclear at this point how successful Google’s Android XR efforts will be. The company is known for abandoning new projects quickly, and convincing the developer community to invest in his Android XR may be difficult.
Google dabbled in VR with Cardboard and Daydream years ago, but quickly lost interest in the technology. The company plans his AR glasses project in 2023, and in early 2024 he laid off hundreds of employees working on AR hardware.
Meta may be speculating about Android XR’s failure and hoping that Google will eventually be forced to abide by Meta’s terms rather than the other way around. To achieve this, the Quest operating system must establish itself as the leading replacement for visionOS.
At the end of the day, all three players (Apple, Google, Meta) are only interested in who will control the future XR platform and therefore profit from the sale of their software. Meta’s CTO, Andrew Bosworth, confirmed through his X that Meta would welcome Play Store and Google apps on Meta Quest, in which case Google would be able to keep the revenue from his 2D apps. added.
That’s not what I meant so they can keep the economy off the Play Store for 2D apps.
– Boz (@boztank) March 1, 2024
But for Google, it’s much more than that. Google has become the Android of XR and he wants to gain the same dominance and position in the XR market that it currently has with Android smartphones.
