Google Cloud Brings XR to Mobile Devices

Google Cloud announced the availability of a new feature enabling users to engage in extended reality from their smartphones and eliminating the need to use wearable devices. The company stated the Immersive Stream for XR service, first previewed at Google I/O in 2022, is now available to Google Cloud customers.

The service is powered by cloud-based GPUs allowing customers to render and stream 3D content on their Google apps, running on both Android and iOS smartphones. The XR offering also supports tools developed by Unreal Engine, a 3D graphics generator, used to gain more traction from brands and content creators.

To access Immersive Stream, users are invited to click a link or scan a QR code, to immediately be transported to extended reality. For example, Google said it is using the XR tool for Google Map users to access its immersive view feature. The feature also boasts a landscape mode to enable the use of larger screens, such as tablets or laptop computers. Longer term, Google claimed enabling more accessible XR experiences on mobile can trigger innovative use cases in business and entertainment.