Google’s Android XR Glasses Use Gemini for Live Edits
Google demonstrated a prototype of Android XR smart glasses at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2026. It features real-time photo editing and a range of AI-powered features powered by the Gemini model.
A company demonstrator used the glasses’ camera, together with a device called the Nano Banana, to capture an image and apply an on-the-fly edit that altered the photograph’s background. The demonstration included an edited group photograph with La Sagrada Família as the revised backdrop. The event also featured other routine capabilities for current AI-enabled eyewear, many of which mirror functions already seen in competing devices.
Comparable products from another manufacturer support image restyling into stylised forms such as cartoons or oil paintings. However, the company presenting at MWC demonstrated more photorealistic rendering during its preview. A Google collaboration with Xreal, known as Project Aura, was noted to share several of the same feature sets when those prototypes were previewed late in the previous year.
Earlier prototypes shown in December included a live translation feature capable of transcribing and translating spoken Chinese into English, and the MWC demonstrations returned to similar translation examples. The glasses were also shown to identify real-world objects and trigger contextual actions through Gemini. In one example, recognition of a Queen album played a track. In another, a poster with an address produced walking directions and a map. The prototypes additionally handled a live Google Meet session that combined video sharing with live conversation.
Presenters made it clear that the units shown at MWC were prototypes and not representative of finished consumer designs. The MWC builds included clip-on prescription elements described as temporary, and no firm details were provided on whether final production models would offer integrated prescription lenses.
The company indicated that additional details about future releases, including display-free AI glasses, Project Aura, and related collaborations, would be announced in the coming months. Samsung, meanwhile, has stated it will launch an Android XR device later this year, featuring tools built on Gemini. Google I/O 2026, scheduled to begin on 19 May, may include additional announcements concerning upcoming products.
