Google has discontinued its internal project "Iris," aimed at developing augmented reality glasses, following challenges and changes in strategy.

 

Google has discontinued its internal project "Iris," aimed at developing augmented reality glasses, following challenges and changes in strategy.  The project, which had been in development for several years, was halted due to layoffs, company reshuffles, and the departure of Clay Bavor, Google's former chief of augmented and virtual reality, who left to start a startup with Salesforce co-CEO Bret Taylor. The Iris AR glasses were initially expected to launch in 2024 and were designed to resemble ordinary glasses. An early version resembled North's "Focals," a product acquired by Google in 2020. In a video demonstrating a real-time AR translation feature, Google showcased a newer version of the glasses. Despite discontinuing its AR hardware project, Google still has significant ambitions in augmented reality. Instead of developing hardware, the company creates an "Android for AR" and licenses its AR software to manufacturers. Google is actively developing Android XR for Samsung's "extended reality" wearable devices and is reportedly working on a new platform called "micro XR" for glasses. Before the release of its Pixel Fold this summer, Google had already been adapting Android to be compatible with the Galaxy Fold series of foldable phones.