Google is partnering with Warby Parker and Gentle Monster to develop Android XR smart glasses, marking a renewed push into AI-powered eyewear as the company looks to bring Gemini into devices people can wear throughout the day.
The partnerships were announced around Google I/O 2026, where the company previewed intelligent eyewear designed to offer directions, text messaging, photo capture, and other hands-free features without requiring users to take out a phone.
Google said it is working with eyewear brands including Gentle Monster and Warby Parker to create stylish glasses built on Android XR, with more partners expected in the future.
Warby Parker confirmed it is developing next-generation glasses in partnership with Google and Samsung, describing the product as AI-powered eyewear designed for all-day wear. The company said the glasses are meant to understand context, connect information, and provide hands-free support during daily use.
The first Android XR glasses are expected to include audio focused models with cameras, followed by versions with optical displays. The devices will support Gemini features such as real-time translation, object identification, music playback, note saving, and photo editing through voice commands.
Google is positioning the glasses as a more practical entry point for AI hardware than bulky mixed reality headsets. The company is also working with Xreal on Project Aura, a more immersive Android XR device with spatial computing features, while Warby Parker and Gentle Monster appear focused on consumer-friendly eyewear that looks closer to normal glasses.
The move places Google back into a category it helped define more than a decade ago with Google Glass, but the new strategy is different. Instead of pushing a single Google-designed device, the company is building Android XR as a platform and leaning on eyewear brands to solve one of the hardest problems in smart glasses: making a product people actually want to wear.
The partnerships also put Google more directly against Meta, whose Ray-Ban smart glasses with EssilorLuxottica have helped revive consumer interest in camera and AI-enabled eyewear.
Google’s advantage is Gemini, Android, Maps, Search, Photos, and Workspace, which could give its glasses a deeper software layer if the company can make the hardware feel natural enough for daily use.
The first Android XR glasses from Warby Parker and Gentle Monster are expected later this year, with display-equipped models likely to follow as Google expands its wearable AI roadmap.
