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Google may have resumed work on Project Iris, its effort to make AR (augmented reality) glasses. Code strings found inside the latest version of the Google app for Android hint at the ongoing development of the product. This comes just a few months after a report claimed that the company had shelved the project.
Google’s Project Iris may be alive and kicking
We first heard about Project Iris in January 2022. Several tech giants, including Meta and Apple, were working on new AR and VR (virtual reality) headsets at that time. Google wanted a slice of this emerging market and started developing its own AR glasses. It demoed an early version of the product during Google I/O in May 2022. The glasses could translate spoken languages in real time and show transcriptions right in front of your eyeballs.
The company said it would start testing the futuristic glasses in public in July 2022. However, that never happened. In the meantime, both Meta and Apple went on to unveil their respective AR headsets. Then came the dreaded news in June 2023. Multiple people familiar with the matter confirmed that Google has pulled the plug on Project Iris. It reportedly wanted to focus on software solutions for such products.
However, Google hadn’t buried Project Iris for once and all. While the company was no longer actively working on the glasses, the sources said that the door was open for work to resume in the future. Some suggested that the firm may have folded the project into its joint mixed-reality venture with Qualcomm and Samsung announced in January this year. While things aren’t clear yet, Project Iris appears to be very much alive and kicking.
During a teardown of the Google app for Android (beta version), 9to5Google found a string tagged “Iris.” It explains how users can activate Google Assistant with a long press on their right temple without the saying “Hey Google” hotword. The string is as follows: <string name=”assistant_bisto_oobe_iris_finish_setup_description_no_hotword”>Just touch & hold the right temple to talk to your Assistant.</string>
Google may offer a deep Assistant integration with the product
As noted by the publication, there already exist some wearable devices, including the Sony LinkBuds, that let you summon Google Assistant with a similar gesture. However, this string isn’t related to those devices. It’s for products that Google has given the “iris_device” attribute. The company could refer to all AR glasses with the “Iris” codename, but chances are high that it’s a Google-made device.
This APK teardown also revealed that the product will feature a deep Assistant integration. The publication could find code strings hinting at Assistant actions such as calling friends and setting timers. Unfortunately, there’s no telling when Google’s Project Iris will see the light of day, if at all. It’s also unclear whether the device will be different from the one it’s developing jointly with Qualcomm and Samsung. Hopefully, it won’t be long before we have more information.