Google unveils Android XR design for transparent-display glasses

Google has unveiled its design approach for Android XR interfaces, the new platform for transparent-display glasses expected to launch this year. The company is working with Samsung on devices featuring AI capabilities and transparent lenses, while simultaneously building a separate developer ecosystem distinct from traditional Android.

As part of these preparations, Google introduced the Glimmer toolkit based on Jetpack Compose. This toolkit is designed to create interfaces that don't simply overlay the real world, but instead appear to float at arm's length—roughly one meter from the user. The design team envisions these elements as hovering in space rather than forming a dense layer over the environment.

Unlike visionOS with its tinted, glass-like panels, Google is focusing on a neutral palette and depth management. Instead of saturated colors and solid backgrounds, the interface employs a soft blur effect and depth-of-field techniques that mimic natural visual perception. The foundation consists of light elements with subtle shadows, which help prevent halos and excessive brightness on transparent lenses. Varying shadow intensity creates a sense of spatial hierarchy—more defined contours visually bring elements closer to the user.

Google has also refined the typography: a denser, more rounded version of Google Sans aims to maintain readability even against complex backgrounds. Since the glasses are primarily intended for outdoor use, notifications will appear and fade smoothly, avoiding sudden brightness spikes to minimize distraction and motion blur. This marks a departure from Material Design's vibrant aesthetic, offering instead a calmer, more airy visual language tailored to transparent displays.