The second Android N developers preview has been released. It supports new emojis and UI tweaks. Apart from that, a few reference related to virtual reality is hidden in the code.
It seems that Android apps will soon be able to register via “VR Listener” or “VR Helper” and you can see this by going to Settings -> Apps -> Configure apps -> Special Access -> VR helper services.
It seems more like the “Notification Access” screen. The VR helper services screen will have apps that can be plugged into API, users can allow or deny the permission.
There is also a permission warning in the Settings which is related to VR services:
It seems that the helper app will pop up when the Android kicks into VR mode.. We’re also not sure how comprehensive this “Virtual Reality Mode” is.
As of now Googles, VR product only consists Cardboard apps, but Google will soon expand its offering. It is also coming up with smartphone powered Gear VR-style headset and in addition to that a standalone VR headset.
It’s working on the version of Android that will support VR application, as reported by Wall Street Journal.
The Android N framework also has a new hardware support flag called “config Sustained Performance Mode Supported.”
In future, when the virtual reality will become new mass product, Androids would have no option but to upgrade. All major smartphone manufacturers are turning to make their own smartphone supported VR Gear, it was inevitable for Google to upgrade their Android version. It will give a major push to virtual reality.
