Google particulars 'Glimmer,' its new design language for Android XR glasses

[ad_1] <img class="e_Gh" decoding="async" loading="eager" sizes="(min-width: 64rem) 51.25rem, 80vw" title="Google IO 2025 Android XR Glasses Protoype seen from side" srcset="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Google-IO-2025-Android-XR-Glasses-Protoype-seen-from-side.jpg 1920w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Google-IO-2025-Android-XR-Glasses-Protoype-seen-from-side-64w-36h.jpg 64w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Google-IO-2025-Android-XR-Glasses-Protoype-seen-from-side-1000w-563h.jpg 1000w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Google-IO-2025-Android-XR-Glasses-Protoype-seen-from-side-1536w-864h.jpg 1536w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Google-IO-2025-Android-XR-Glasses-Protoype-seen-from-side-675w-380h.jpg 675w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Google-IO-2025-Android-XR-Glasses-Protoype-seen-from-side-300w-170h.jpg 300w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Google-IO-2025-Android-XR-Glasses-Protoype-seen-from-side-1280w-720h.jpg 1280w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Google-IO-2025-Android-XR-Glasses-Protoype-seen-from-side-840w-472h.jpg 840w" alt="Google IO 2025 Android XR Glasses Protoype seen from side" src="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Google-IO-2025-Android-XR-Glasses-Protoype-seen-from-side.jpg"/> Lanh Nguyen / Android Authority

TL;DR

Google has revealed a brand new design language for Android XR glasses with built-in shows. The design language, referred to as “Glimmer,” depends on impartial parts and an interaction of sunshine colours and shadows. This implementation goes in opposition to the intense and vibrant visuals in Apple’s visionOS.

Google has formally printed particulars in regards to the person expertise for its upcoming Android XR glasses. The design staff at Google has simply revealed “Glimmer,” a library of Jetpack Compose instruments that may assist builders create UIs for clear screens, i.e., lenses in good glasses. David Allin Reese, a senior visible designer at Google, just lately defined the basics of this new design in a devoted weblog put up.

<img class="e_Gh" decoding="async" loading="lazy" sizes="(min-width: 64rem) 51.25rem, 80vw" title="Google Android XR Glimmer UI UX" srcset="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Google-Android-XR-Glimmer-UI-UX-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Google-Android-XR-Glimmer-UI-UX-64w-36h.jpg 64w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Google-Android-XR-Glimmer-UI-UX-1000w-563h.jpg 1000w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Google-Android-XR-Glimmer-UI-UX-1920w-1080h.jpg 1920w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Google-Android-XR-Glimmer-UI-UX-1536w-864h.jpg 1536w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Google-Android-XR-Glimmer-UI-UX-675w-380h.jpg 675w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Google-Android-XR-Glimmer-UI-UX-300w-170h.jpg 300w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Google-Android-XR-Glimmer-UI-UX-1280w-720h.jpg 1280w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Google-Android-XR-Glimmer-UI-UX-840w-472h.jpg 840w" alt="Google Android XR Glimmer UI UX" src="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Google-Android-XR-Glimmer-UI-UX-scaled.jpg"/> As we noticed in yesterday’s leak, Google is relying closely on clear parts. These parts are visually distinguishable from Apple’s visionOS, which is profoundly influenced by tinted and frosted glass and is dependent upon a play of distinction to make parts extra seen. In distinction, Google is utilizing the precept of placing the “interface at arm’s size.”

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<img class="e_Gh" decoding="async" loading="lazy" sizes="9.375rem" title="google preferred source badge light@2x" srcset="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/google_preferred_source_badge_light@2x.png 676w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/google_preferred_source_badge_light@2x-64w-20h.png 64w" alt="google preferred source badge light@2x" src="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/google_preferred_source_badge_light@2x.png"/><img class="e_Gh" decoding="async" loading="lazy" sizes="9.375rem" title="google preferred source badge dark@2x" srcset="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/google_preferred_source_badge_dark@2x.png 676w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/google_preferred_source_badge_dark@2x-64w-20h.png 64w" alt="google preferred source badge dark@2x" src="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/google_preferred_source_badge_dark@2x.png"/> As an alternative of mingling with completely different shades and colours, Google’s method hinges on shifting the show’s focus and blurring the background to make the lenses’ contents legible, very like we people do with our eyes. Consequently, the weather are textual content are projected onto clear screens in a approach that they seem roughly a meter away out of your face.

The UI is primarily designed with mild parts to forestall any darker shades from blocking passive imaginative and prescient, even when customers are partaking with what’s on the display. Google can also be straying away from Materials Design parts from Android telephones or tablets since they depend on vibrant colours and opaque backgrounds. As an alternative, Google for one thing it calls a extra “impartial look.”

<img class="e_Gh" decoding="async" loading="lazy" sizes="calc(min(calc(100vw - 1.875rem), 51.25rem) / 2)" title="Android XR glimmer button" srcset="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Android-XR-glimmer-button.jpg 2160w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Android-XR-glimmer-button-150w-150h.jpg 150w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Android-XR-glimmer-button-64w-64h.jpg 64w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Android-XR-glimmer-button-1000w-1000h.jpg 1000w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Android-XR-glimmer-button-1440w-1440h.jpg 1440w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Android-XR-glimmer-button-1080w-1080h.jpg 1080w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Android-XR-glimmer-button-864w-864h.jpg 864w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Android-XR-glimmer-button-380w-380h.jpg 380w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Android-XR-glimmer-button-300w-300h.jpg 300w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Android-XR-glimmer-button-675w-675h.jpg 675w" alt="Android XR glimmer button" src="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Android-XR-glimmer-button.jpg"/><img class="e_Gh" decoding="async" loading="lazy" sizes="calc(min(calc(100vw - 1.875rem), 51.25rem) / 2)" title="Android XR glimmer button 2" srcset="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Android-XR-glimmer-button-2.jpg 2160w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Android-XR-glimmer-button-2-150w-150h.jpg 150w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Android-XR-glimmer-button-2-64w-64h.jpg 64w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Android-XR-glimmer-button-2-1000w-1000h.jpg 1000w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Android-XR-glimmer-button-2-1440w-1440h.jpg 1440w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Android-XR-glimmer-button-2-1080w-1080h.jpg 1080w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Android-XR-glimmer-button-2-864w-864h.jpg 864w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Android-XR-glimmer-button-2-380w-380h.jpg 380w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Android-XR-glimmer-button-2-300w-300h.jpg 300w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Android-XR-glimmer-button-2-675w-675h.jpg 675w" alt="Android XR glimmer button 2" src="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Android-XR-glimmer-button-2.jpg"/> Slightly than utilizing darker colours for texts or visuals, Glimmer focuses on white or mild coloured parts backed by a darker shadow. That additionally addresses the issue of halation, which is when brilliant mild from the background bleeds into the darker parts. Moreover, shadows of variable power are used to determine a hierarchy. For example, a button showing underneath a pop-up message will doubtless characteristic a thicker and darker define to offer you a way that it’s nearer to you within the open house, and is, due to this fact, extra necessary.

Equally, the UI additionally makes use of completely different sizes of textual content to affect the notion of distance or significance. A thicker, rounder variation of the Google Sans font replaces the usual model on telephones to make the textual content simpler to learn, even with busy backgrounds.

Since Android XR glasses are supposed to be worn exterior, Google desires builders to implement notifications that fade in and fade out slowly to keep away from getting misplaced attributable to movement blur. The mild nudges usually tend to “invite” customers’ focus somewhat than “demanding” it, the staff says.