The rollout of the first significant update for Google’s Android XR on the Samsung Galaxy XR is now underway, introducing a host of new features designed to enhance user experience. Among these is a beta version of Google’s innovative avatar system for video calls, known as Likeness, along with a Travel Mode and a beta for a built-in PC remote desktop feature called PC Connect.
Likeness (Beta)
Likeness serves as Google’s answer to creating realistic avatars for video calls within the Android XR ecosystem, akin to the non-spatial mode of Apple Vision Pro’s Personas. This feature replaces the traditional video feed from a phone’s selfie camera with a virtual representation, ensuring compatibility across various video calling platforms without requiring additional developer input.
To create your Likeness, users simply hold up their phone to scan their face, with the data securely transferred and stored on the headset. The Likeness app is currently available only on select Android device models. During video calls, the Galaxy XR’s advanced eye and face tracking capabilities bring your avatar to life in real-time, even displaying a virtual representation of your hands when raised.
Travel Mode
The newly introduced Travel Mode enhances the Android XR experience by ensuring accurate positional tracking while in motion, such as on planes or trains. This feature follows a trend initiated by Apple with the Vision Pro, which has since been adopted by other competitors like Meta, Pico, and Snap.
Without Travel Mode, the headset’s accelerometer and gyroscope misinterpret the vehicle’s movements as head movements, causing virtual elements to drift. By relying more on computer vision from the cameras, Travel Mode mitigates this issue, albeit with a slight compromise in tracking quality.
PC Connect (Beta)
PC Connect (beta) is another noteworthy addition, allowing users to connect to and control their Windows PC as a virtual screen within Android XR. This feature requires the installation of a streamer app on the PC, enabling users to mirror their entire desktop or a single window.
While there are numerous third-party applications available on the Google Play Store that offer similar functionality, such as Guy Godin’s Virtual Desktop, PC Connect provides a built-in alternative. Unlike Meta’s collaboration with Microsoft for a more advanced Windows 11 remote desktop system, Android XR’s PC Connect appears more basic at this stage, lacking some of the sophisticated features found in its competitors.
As we look ahead, the tech community will be keenly observing Google’s developments in Android XR throughout 2026, particularly regarding potential enhancements like a spatial version of Likeness or more advanced virtual monitor options for PC Connect.
