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Samsung Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+ Said to Lack Support for Google's Daydream VR Platform

Samsung Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+ Said to Lack Support for Google's Daydream VR Platform

By Shekhar Thakran | Updated: 3 April 2017 11:34 IST

Highlights

The devices reportedly show error while installing Daydream app
Samsung already has Oculus as partner for Gear VR
Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ were launched last week

Samsung launched its Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ smartphones last week and even though the flagship devices feature top-notch specs in almost every aspect, it seems like the South Korean company decided to opt out of support for Google's ambitious Daydream VR platform. The newly unveiled devices reportedly lack support for Google Daydream and even though it does not seem like a very jarring absence at first, it might indicate the growing distance between the two companies.

The Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ smartphones show an error message that says a compatible version is missing when you try to install the Daydream app on these two devices, as per a report by VRHeads. However, this doesn't necessarily mean that the support for Daydream cannot be provided on these smartphones later on, and we've reached out to the company to see if it can comment on plans.

Just like on other Android phones, there is just one line of the system permission files that prevents Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ smartphones from installing Daydream, VRHeads points out. This is where things get a little tricky. Google only allows partners who meet the Daydream specifications to add this line of code. Considering that Samsung already has a partnership with Oculus for its Gear VR headset and platform, it is currently not clear if the company will be offering both these platforms through its devices.

As the latest Galaxy smartphones feature the most capable hardware in the existing Android smartphone market, it is unlikely to be the aspect that hinders the support for Google's VR platform. Gear VR already comes with a host of apps and games but opting out of support for Google's VR platform seems to be a big step on the part of Samsung, if that indeed turns out to be the case.

Samsung has been a flag-bearer for Android for quite some time now but Google's own Pixel smartphones might have created some distance between the two companies that were together pushing the Android platform earlier. We will have to wait and see if the Daydream VR support is added later or the companies decide to take different approach towards virtual reality.

In this week's episode of Orbital, we talk about whether the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ can be the smash hits Samsung needs. You can subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or RSS, or just hit the play button below.

Samsung Galaxy S8

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Gorgeous looks and excellent construction quality
Brilliant displays
Phenomenal camera quality
Class-leading performance

Bad
No flat screen option
Nearly unusable fingerprint reader
Software stuffed with unnecessary features

Read detailed Samsung Galaxy S8 review

Display 5.80-inch

Processor Samsung Exynos 8895

Front Camera 8-megapixel

Rear Camera 12-megapixel

RAM 4GB

Storage 64GB

Battery Capacity 3000mAh

OS Android 7.0

Resolution 1440x2960 pixels

More Samsung mobiles Samsung mobiles price in India

Samsung Galaxy S8+

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS
Variants

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Gorgeous looks and excellent construction quality
Brilliant displays
Phenomenal camera quality
Class-leading performance

Bad
No flat screen option
Nearly unusable fingerprint reader
Software stuffed with unnecessary features

Read detailed Samsung Galaxy S8+ review

Display 6.20-inch

Processor Samsung Exynos 8895

Front Camera 8-megapixel

Rear Camera 12-megapixel

RAM 4GB

Storage 64GB

Battery Capacity 3500mAh

OS Android 7.0

Resolution 1440x2960 pixels

More Samsung mobiles Samsung mobiles price in India

Choose a variant

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Further reading: Samsung Galaxy S8 Daydream Support, Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus Daydream Support, Google Daydream VR, Samsung Gear VR, Wearables, Mobiles, Android, Samsung