Meta has publicly stated that it wants to be “the Android of XR.” But you know who else wants to be the Android of XR? Android XR, of course.

Beyond debates about specs or features, one major factor is likely to determine whether Meta can fend off growing pressure from Google and Apple in the XR landscape: flat apps.

Flat apps—like Spotify, TikTok, Snapchat, and Discord—aren’t the most exciting use case for a headset. But Vision Pro (which supports a massive library of flat iPadOS apps) has shown just how much value is added by fusing the XR experience with the apps we already know and love (rather than completely separating us from them when we put on a headset). And now Android XR is making the same play by supporting all existing Android apps on the Play Store.

While Meta’s headsets excel in gaming, it’s clear that XR’s potential extends far beyond gaming alone.

A company focused solely on gaming (like Nintendo) will never reach the scale of a company building a broader computing platform (like Microsoft). That’s why Microsoft is worth 43 times as much as Nintendo. Admittedly, this isn’t a perfect comparison (as Microsoft does much more than just build a computing platform), but hopefully the analogy is clear.

So between Meta and Google, we have two XR platforms:

  • Meta’s Horizon OS has the largest and best library of immersive apps.
  • Google’s Android XR has the largest and best library of flat apps.

To dominate XR, both need what the other has. But who faces a bigger challenge?

Meta, it seems, is in a tougher spot.

Immersive app developers are hungry for growth. If a popular game can gain 25% more users by porting to Android XR, the decision if obvious.

By contrast, major flat apps (like Spotify, TikTok, Snapchat, and Discord) stand to gain relatively little growth from porting to Horizon OS. They’d be lucky to gain even 0.25% more users than they already have on the entirety of Android.

And you might be thinking, “Horizon OS is based on Android, so porting apps should be easy!” That’s true—the technical side of porting may be relatively simple. But for massive apps with huge userbases and constant updates, the real challenge is in the ongoing support and maintenance, which is no small commitment.

As a result, Google is better positioned to attract key immersive apps to Android XR than Meta is to bring critical flat apps to Horizon OS. Without a critical mass of flat apps, Meta’s headset risk being relegated as immersive gaming consoles rather than general computing devices.

SEE ALSO
Meta Announces Quest 3S, Launching Next Month With an Aggressive $300 Starting Price

And that’s very much not where Meta wants to be. In fact, the whole reason Meta got into XR a decade ago was quite literally to control XR as the “next computing platform” before Apple or Google could take over.

You may not find flat apps to be an essential part of the XR experience, but there’s no doubt that if one platform has both key flat apps and key immersive apps, it will beat out the platform that has only one or the other.

Even if Meta makes better hardware (let’s say they just consistently make headsets that are 20% faster, lighter, and cheaper than the equivalent Android XR headset), I still don’t think that will matter in the long run, compared to whether or not they have core flat apps available on their platform.

This is an existential risk to Meta’s XR ambitions, and one that doesn’t have any obvious solutions.

Newsletter graphic

This article may contain affiliate links. If you click an affiliate link and buy a product we may receive a small commission which helps support the publication. More information.


Ben Lang
Ben is the world's most senior professional analyst solely dedicated to the XR industry, having founded Road to VR in 2011—a year before the Oculus Kickstarter sparked a resurgence that led to the modern XR landscape. He has authored more than 3,000 articles chronicling the evolution of the XR industry over more than a decade. With that unique perspective, Ben has been consistently recognized as one of the most influential voices in XR, giving keynotes and joining panel and podcast discussions at key industry events. He is a self-described "journalist and analyst, not evangelist."
  • Olle

    Mark Zuckerbergs Snow Crash dream will crash I agree.

  • guest

    They should ignore 2D apps altogether. About a century ago all the vaudville stages setup film cameras but then went out of business because cinematography killed them!

  • Nevets

    This will hardly have taken Meta by surprise. but what is their plan B?

    • Jeff

      One could theorize that Meta decided to open up and rebrand their OS as "Horizon" for 3rd party manufacturers as a reaction to finding out behind the scenes that Google had their own renewed ambitions with Android XR. It would make sense for Meta to try to beat Google to punch. It also might explain why LG suddenly dropped out of collaboration with Meta so shortly after the announcement.. perhaps they too found out about what Google had brewing.

      I disagree with the article that Meta has more ground to make up, though. Flat apps are convenience ecosystem thing, but they are secondary. It's the same situation as Apple. The compelling feature of VR is gaming experiences and the new players are wayyyyy behind. However, if they would just throw a friggin bone to PCVR, then they could at least say they are in the game and with better visuals / optics / whatever compared to Meta.

      • Christian Schildwaechter

        They opened HorizonOS to others in preparation of AndroidXR, but always considered allowing 3rd party Quest. It just made no sense with Meta selling hardware at cost and keeping all software revenue, leaving others no way to make money. This problem remains. AndroidXR will follow Androids model of Google providing the OS, keeping all software revenue, and others selling hardware with profit.

        So AndroidXR HMDs will be much more expensive than comparable Quests, forcing vendors to focus on the high price productivity sector willing to pay more for different specs. The XR2+ Gen 2 in Samsung's HMD can drive 4.3K/eye, but is basically the same SoC as in Quest 3 with CPU/GPU clocked 20%/15% higher. It cannot run games anywhere near 4K or 3K and would struggle at 2.5K. So Samsung using "state of the art" 4K displays only makes sense for increasing readability in flat apps needing more pixels than performance.

        At least for a while we'll get cheap Quest with lots of games lacking hires displays and 2D productivy apps, and much, much more expensive AndroidXR HMD with higher specs and Play store access that gradually get games, mostly because just like with Pico, Quest ports are easy, plus hires PCVR streaming.

    • Christian Schildwaechter

      We might be on plan E by now.

      Plan A: use VR gaming as a spring board to grow self-sustaining VR platform with 10mn active users, then grow to at least 100mn, making flat app Android developers want to port apps to Quest OS before Google/Apple enter XR leveraging their app stores. [grew too slow]

      Plan B: Merge accounts with Facebook, create VR social venues, hype up metaverse, rename company to Meta, then enter the professional market with a VR conferencing HMD, make Meta the default virtual world for everything. [flopped]

      Plan C: Switch message to mixed reality and making XR HMDs tools to enhance the real world instead of only a virtual metaverse, to attract a larger audience. [didn't draw new users]

      Plan D: Open up closed ecosystem to licenses that release special interest HMDs to make the platform more versatile, gaining partners against AndroidXR. [missing business model for partners, so far nothing]

      Plan E: Show XR glasses Orion concept, ready in 2030, buy 5% of EssilorLuxottica for USD 5bn to push Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses, add AI everywhere, continue with A-D, keep trying with 98% of the money coming from ads easily paying for another decade. [too early to tell]

      Still 21 letters left in the alphabet.

      • Dragon Marble

        You are way too dismissive of the success Meta has achieved in the XR space so far. They are the only company that has demonstrated a long term strategy and sustained focus.

        Yes, they haven't achieved mass adoption. Who has? And who said mass adoption in 2025 was even part of the plan?

        Google has no credibility. Sony has clue. Apple basically tells everyone: you poor people will just have to wait.

        Meanwhile, there are millions of happy Quest users today, and and many VR developers making a living (or even a fortune) on the Horizon platform. None of them count, and we are just waiting for Google to save us all?

        • Christian Schildwaechter

          That would be great if plan A had been to make Quest users happy. I'm not so sure though that (so far) Meta invested more than USD 5000 per currently active Quest user into their XR venture just for that.

  • Rob

    I have been very active with VR for 7 years now. And the honest answer is I almost only use it for gaming . Around 5 hours a week on average. For internet browsing or WhatsApp a phone is still a lot easier and comfortable to use than putting a headset on your head. I dont use it for these things. And I dont think the mainstream public that are still a little sceptical of VR headsets are not going to put it on their heads for chatting or internet browsing. In VR gaming Meta still has a large lead. With its own exclusive titles like Asgards Wrath 2 and Batman. But also because it supports almost all 3rd party VR games including pcvr with SteamVR support.

    • Mandub

      Consider flat apps on future AR glasses—as an extension of people's phones. That's the vision.

      • Rob

        I still doubt if the mainstream public will put such glasses on their heads many hours a day for using simple apps that also work perfectly on phones or tablets. Only time will tell.

    • That's not the idea.
      You aren't meant to don an HMD just to use IG, for example.

      No: the idea is that what if you're in-HMD and suddenly feel like using IG.
      You won't hafta take-off your Quest just to do that: instead, use the IG app.
      Of course, you could alternatively go to the IG website in Quest's browser,
      but you see my point.
      []^. )

  • Memyself

    Competition is welcomed. Complacency is not.

  • Albert Hartman

    VR is a rich person's game right now with only Meta, Apple, MSFT, Sony, and a few others with enough money to play. So talking generically about what XR approaches will work best is less important than talking about the specific characters of the few companies involved. In this short list of companies, the most important features that motivate & distinguish them from each other is their particular profits priorities. Apple & walled gardens, Meta & monetizing your social graph, etc. In a world where the tech is levelling out you can predict the fortunes of the companies involved by just guessing what their actions to confine their users will probably be. And you can also pick the likely winners this way.

  • Octogod

    Who uses flat mobile apps in XR?

    They might be theoretically useful, but the real value of these tools is engaging with the unique benefits they provide. If not wowed, and only provided analogs of their 2D versions, they'll leave the HMD completely.

    • Mandub

      Who uses fully immersive apps on AR glasses?

      AR glasses will be way more popular than VR headsets, which is why flat apps are a much bigger deal.

    • You *never* use the Quest's browser …??
      *That's* a flat app.

  • JakeDunnegan

    I'd guess the solution would be to do with Google Android what Meta did with Steam not all that long ago.

    Make it a two-way street that's freely open (by way of an app in either direction) and let the chips fall where they may.

    That way, Quest users can get all the flat apps they want, and all the Google XR users can get whatever available games are on Meta.

    It's not a battle that Meta can win – but Google has also proven that they suck at making game platforms. (Anyone still using Stadia? No? Huh.) Netflix couldn't either. Amazon has yet to make a successful game created by an in-house team. It's not exactly easy becoming a successful game platform.

    • Rob

      I read in the past that Meta already offered such cooperation to Google in the past. But Google declined.

      • Christian Schildwaechter

        Meta offered Google to keep all revenue from flat apps for allowing Quest access to Play store. Google stuck to their Play store rules that funnel all revenue to Google, which includes all XR apps. Both tried to keep themselves the one making all the money on the expected huge future XR market.

        This conflict of interests had been obvious for years, so nobody was surprised that the talks went nowhere. And of course both sides claimed that they were willing to cooperate, forgetting to mention that they both demanded conditions the other side clearly couldn't accept.

  • Rob

    The flat apps market might theoretically be a large consumer market but with phones as a strong competitor I doubt VR will ever dominate it. More interesting might be which company wins the XR business battle. I still think XR offers incredible possibilities in businesses like architecture, education, sales, design, urban planning etc. But so far business XR hasnt really taken off yet.

    • Dragon Marble

      You are making a great point except the "ever" part. Today's headsets can't compete with phones and TVs when it comes to 2D content. 3D content is what matters for XR until form factor becomes a nonissue.

      The idea of "floating monitors" sound great? Except they are not floating: you are carrying then on your face and you can really feel it.

  • Mandub

    Meta’s Horizon OS has the largest and best library of immersive apps.
    Google’s Android XR has the largest and best library of flat apps.

    Flat apps are a much bigger deal because AR glasses will be way more popular than VR headsets. It's pretty clear flat apps make more sense than immersive apps on AR glasses.

  • I think Meta should cut bait before a *major* catastrophe
    that's presently staring them right in the face actually occurs:
    bifurcation's good for nobody.
    So shitcan "HorizonOS" *now* then adopt AndroidXR before it's too late.

    OK, OS-wise, they lost-out to the Googs.
    Tough toenails, that's business.

    But *hardware*-wise, Meta can absolutely be

  • Dragon Marble

    "A popular [Immersive app] can gain 25% more users by porting to Android XR." You've lost me there, Ben. What's that number based on? Don't you need headsets for immersive apps? Are you predicting that the Android headsets will gain 25% or more market share instantly?

    People don't just put on headsets to do things they normally do on phones. I may use the flat apps when I already have my Vision Pro on my head. But that's not what I bought the device for.

  • xyzs

    Unless the hardware is amazingly superior to Meta’s, I am not supporting Google and their OS.

    I don’t give a damn about the million apps from their crappy play store to run in vr, my iPhone is here for phone apps, I don’t need them in vr.

    Google abandoned VR (and wasted huge money in shit projects like stadia) and now, they come back when they see Apple joined the xr world, and beg for users to adopt their platform.
    What a joke.

  • Dragon Marble

    Folks, can someone explain to me why flat apps are becoming such a hot topic among VR enthusiasts these days? If the things that wowed all of us weren't enough for the majority of people to put headsets on their heads, what makes us think that the mundane things no one was even thinking about 10 years ago would somehow do the trick today?

    • Christian Schildwaechter

      Because the XR marked driven by gaming showed to be a rather small niche, with not even most gamers caring about VR. So the only way to get to the required user numbers for XR to become a new mass medium like smartphones with similar profit opportunities, is XR attract other, much larger groups. Esp. those that currently use smartphones, which are literally billions, something not a lot of people saw coming before the iPhone released. Just like few saw running flat apps as a big deal before AVP released. The billions of smartphone users obviously care about the flat apps they use all the time, so they must work with XR HMDs either native, streamed, emulated or some other way.

      XR HMDs embracing flat apps isn't about existing VR users. It's about attracting those that don't really care about what VR is currently offering, which is mostly gaming. Which is of course a hot topic among VR enthusiasts, as on the one hand this provides an opportunity to finally grow the market with a lot of following benefits, while at the same time moving the focus away from gaming.