Google may have actually picked up AR Smart Glasses again and I’m super-hyped!

I was one of the people who were pretty devastated about Google’s decision to can Google Glass. I hadn’t even tried a pair on, ever, but the concept always looked really futuristic and fun to me. And sure, I enjoy all of the best VR headsets like the Quest 3, but those can’t really fill that void.

I’m a real advocate of AR’s potential. And when you’ve got this big, bulky headset strapped to your face, MR and AR capabilities aren’t as impressive. But when we’re talking about a seemingly normal, slim pair of specs with a tiny computer on the side? 

Well, now that’s impressive.

We already heard rumors about Google somewhat continuing its development of AR-focused products, but those made it out like what Google is making is a platform and not a product onto its own. But this new finding may suggest otherwise. And if it’s true, then Project Iris is still on the table.



Cool, so what's Project Iris? Well, as you might’ve guessed, it’s about another pair of Google-branded Smart Glasses. And a recent breakdown of the latest .apk file — this is what Android apps run on — shows that there are traces in there referring to Iris.

The bits of code themselves seem to make out functions too, like for example long pressing the right side of the specs to bring up Google Assistant. Not only that, but if it isn’t hard to see how Assistant in general would be a must-have feature on future pairs of Smart Glasses, so the string itself makes sense.

So, does this mean that Google is actually prepping assistants to work with its next rendition of smart glasses? Maybe, but it could also be a leftover piece of code from when Project Iris was still in active development.