Google dipped a tentative toe in virtual reality hardware with Cardboard, its low-cost viewer for smartphones, but never really shipped the software to match. Setting up videos and apps made for Cardboard as a result can be cumbersome, in most cases requiring that you launch the experiences out of the viewer, on your phone’s touchscreen, before strapping Cardboard to your face.
But if some unfinished code in Android is any indication, virtual reality on mobile is about to become a lot more immersive: the recently updated Android N Developer Preview contains references to a “VR mode,” plus new developer hooks for managing 360-degree interfaces.
The references to virtual reality in the Android Developer Preview were spotted by Ars Technica, and point to a system for games and apps that tap into VR. A new service, “VR Listener,” appears to provide a way for developers to register their VR apps with Android. Users will be notified when they do so, and will have the choice of either permitting or denying requests on a per-app basis. Apps that successfully register will “be able to run when you are using applications in virtual reality mode,” according to code in a new settings screen within Android’s Special Access menu (Settings > Apps > Configure Apps > Special Access).
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