Remember Google Glass? The market’s first widespread release of “smart glasses” in 2014 lasted less than a year, from full public sale to Google’s announcement that it was halting sales.
Google Glass continued onward for enterprise users for a few more years, but it must’ve been a rude shock to see Meta’s smart glasses succeed with its Ray-Ban and Oakley partnerships in the 2020s.
Now Google has announced that it’s ready to try again. On Monday, December 8, 2025, Google wrote that new Google AI glasses would arrive next year.
what’s coming?
Nobody’s sure exactly what form Google Glass Redux will take. I’m not sure if Google should ditch the Android XR name that they’ve chosen and revive the name Glass. On the one hand, Google has some cachet for bringing the first widely known pair of smart glasses to market.
For a time from 2014 to 2015, they were widely referenced in pop culture and at water coolers in small talk. On the other hand, they were beloved by early adopters for their sci-fi brush with The Future and as equally derided and mocked by non-techies as a symbol of social awkwardness.
Even though Meta’s line of AI glasses incorporates AI, and Google Glass didn’t, they’re largely the same concept. The time had to change more so than the base concept. Ten years since Google Glass belly flopped seems to be the right amount of time for Google to try again.
“We are working with Samsung and our partners Gentle Monster and Warby Parker to design stylish, lightweight glasses that you can wear comfortably all day,” Google wrote in its blog post. These are the Android XR glasses mentioned at Google I/O 2025.
Google also says there’s a wired headset, currently codenamed Project Aura, that’ll release alongside the wireless Android XR glasses. Both pairs are set to release sometime in 2026, but Google won’t be any more specific on the timeframe.
The post Google Is Trying Smart Glasses Again in 2026. Here’s What We Know. appeared first on VICE.
