Android XR Poses a Crucial Challenge for Meta’s XR Aspirations

Meta has announced its ambition to become “the Android of XR.” Interestingly, Android XR itself harbors the same ambition.

The discussion isn’t just about performance specs or features; instead, a vital factor could decide if Meta can hold its ground against the rising tide of Google and Apple in the XR world: flat apps. These are your everyday apps like Spotify, TikTok, Snapchat, and Discord. While they may not dazzle when paired with a headset, Vision Pro has demonstrated the immense value added by merging the XR world with familiar apps rather than isolating us once we put the headset on. Android XR is now also leveraging this idea by supporting all existing Android apps available on the Play Store.

Even though Meta’s headsets are solid contenders in gaming, the potential applications of XR stretch well beyond just games. Companies that limit themselves to gaming, such as Nintendo, won’t match the scale of entities creating extensive computing platforms, like Microsoft. That’s partially why Microsoft’s value is significantly higher than Nintendo’s. Of course, Microsoft does more than just create a computing platform, but the analogy serves the point.

Right now, we have two strong XR players:

Meta’s Horizon OS, boasting the largest and most impressive library of immersive apps.
Google’s Android XR, holding the crown for the most extensive and comprehensive collection of flat apps.

For one of these platforms to dominate, each needs what the other has. But the question remains: who has a steeper hill to climb?

It seems that Meta might be facing a tougher challenge. Developers of immersive apps are on the lookout for growth opportunities—imagine a hit game attracting 25% more users by transitioning to Android XR. That’s an easy choice.

On the flip side, major flat apps, like Spotify and Snapchat, have little to gain from Horizon OS. They’d be fortunate if they saw even a tiny uptick—0.25% more users—compared to what they garner on Android as a whole.

You might think, “But Horizon OS is Android-based, so porting apps should be straightforward!” While technically feasible, the real hurdle for massive apps with vast user bases is not just about porting. It’s about the ongoing support and maintenance, both of which demand much more effort and resources.

Therefore, Google is in a better position to attract crucial immersive apps for Android XR than Meta is to pull essential flat apps onto Horizon OS. Without a solid lineup of flat apps, Meta’s headsets risk being boxed into the gaming console category instead of evolving into versatile computing devices.

And that’s not where Meta wants to end up. Over a decade ago, Meta entered the XR space with the intention of claiming it as the “next computing platform” before giants like Apple and Google could do so.

You might not view flat apps as critical to the XR journey, but there’s no denying that the platform offering both important flat and immersive apps will outperform one with access to just one side of the spectrum.

Even if Meta builds superior hardware—headsets that are consistently 20% faster, lighter, and more affordable than their Android XR counterparts—that won’t necessarily tip the scales in the absence of core flat apps on their system.

This poses a significant threat to Meta’s XR goals, lacking an easy fix to ensure their longevity in the race.