It looks like the Google Play Store could be expanding its catalog to include apps for XR headsets. And while we’ve seen news pop about these devices and collaborations between companies, we’ve yet to really see anything meaningful materialize. We know that Samsung and Google are working together to bring new hardware to the market, and while that may come sometime soon, it appears that new hints about XR hardware is now popping up in an unlikely place.
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Android Authority spotted changes to the Google Play Store that indicate that it may eventually support apps for XR devices. This doesn’t come as a complete surprise, since the Play Store already offers support for phones, tablets, and even smartwatches.
A natural move for the Google Play Store
XR devices would be a natural next step, especially if brands are looking to push them to the masses and make them appeal more to the mainstream. From what we’ve seen in the past, hardware is the easy part, with app and software support being the real issue, and really the main factors in what makes or breaks a device.
Of course, none of these changes for XR devices is live at the moment in the Play Store, and just something that was spotted in the code in version 43.3.32-31 of the Google Play Store app. Currently, there’s an icon for some XR hardware, along with the mention of such hardware.
Naturally, this is preparation for what’s to come. And since Google is collaborating with Samsung, we hope that the brand will launch something soon. And as far as we know, Samsung’s XR device won’t arrive until sometime in 2025.
Specifically, there have been indications that it will come in the first quarter, which would align well with Samsung’s Galaxy event. Of course, this is a delicate product category, which provides plenty of reasons for brands to be very cautious when approaching it. So for now we will just have to wait and see.
