Google VR broke on iOS 14

App & System Services Core OS
Learning_N055 OP
Created Dec ’20
Replies 11
Boosts 0
Views 12k
Participants 11
Hello,

We are having issue with an app that we have developed for our client which is having AR+VR experiences in one app for iPhone.

The app is working flawlessly on iPhones till iOS 13, but the VR is broke on iOS 14. After launching VR experience on an iPhone having iOS 14 the view keeps spinning rapidly.
We have noticed many people are facing same issue with their VR apps after updating their iPhone OS to iOS 14.

We have used Google VR SDK for VR development and EasyAR SDK for AR development and developed the app using Unity 2019.3 game engine.

After going through Google VR's website we noticed that they are pointing to a new open-source SDK/Plugin, i.e. Cardboard XR which works with iPhone having iOS 14. We have tried the open-source plugin with their own sample scene and observed that, although the VR works with iOS 14, there are other bugs/glitches within the plugin with which we will not be able to release the app.

This issue of iOS 14 being incompatible with Google VR SDK came at the end moment when we were releasing final distribution builds. We have waited for long from September end to see if the issue get's resolved in the next update of iOS 14 but even the current iOS 14.2.1 version is having the same issue.

So, could you please let us know by when or in which update, this issue will get resolved with Google VR SDK apps, developed using Unity.

If you have any alternate solution to this, please let us know.
I appreciate your quick response as our client is awaiting app release.


Thanks!
Replies  11
Boosts  0
Views  12k
Participants  11
Natdecap OP
Feb ’21
HOW AM I ABLE TO WATCH VR VIDEOS ON MY PHONE?!
1
Learning_N055 OP
Feb ’21
Hi Natdecap,

Can you explain more, like the iOS version you are using and the iPhone model. Whether the app you are using to watch VR Videos is created using Unity and Google VR SDK.
As per my research, Unity and Google are no longer officially supporting Cardboard VR. And support for the same is removed in iOS 14.

Please let me know if you have any information on how we can make it work.

Thanks!
0
Milark OP
Mar ’21
This still has not been addressed by apple after months. They broke a major feature and are completely silent about it.
2
nitroman OP
Mar ’21
Still broken or is there any solution yet?

It seems Apple have really thrown a spanner in the works and broken Google Cardboard VR and Unity in iOS 14.

It’s now 14.4.1 and still no fix from what I understand. This is very well known issue ... why has it not been addressed yet by Apple developers?

Anyone?
2
bushiK OP
Apr ’21
There is a new version of the SDK using unity. This version is deprecated in iOS 14. There are HelloWorlds for the new version. See below.

See this thread on StackOverflow: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/64051081/ios-14-google-cardboard-view-is-broken
And this thread on Github: https://github.com/googlevr/cardboard/issues/118#issuecomment-698565712

I would like to link the Google Developers page, but apple does not let you post links from developers.google, but its down this path: /cardboard/develop/unity/quickstart

TLDR;
update to new unity sdk
1
Spaceod OP
Aug ’21

Yeah, mine also having the same issue, I use DeoVR and Google cardboard app, the view keep spinning like crazy, it’s been almost a year now, and each time I finished updating to the latest ios I checked on it and hoping it fixed but still not fixed, I use Xr and ios 14.7.1

0
ketan ubhada OP
Oct ’21

Same issue @Spaceod,

I use DeoVR and Google cardboard app, the view keep spinning like crazy, it’s been almost a year now, and each time I finished updating to the latest ios I checked on it and hoping it fixed but still not fixed, I use Xr and ios 14.7.1

0
sfritsch09 OP
Dec ’21

The Google VR Api is broken so you have to use the VRPlayer which is one of the top 3 apps when you search in app store. Open the app and go to settings under rendering api choose OpenGL and it will work :)

0
420_69 OP
Dec ’21

Its been so long and this issue has not yet been fixed. Also, if anyone reads this there is an app called "Within VR" on the app store that works with iOS 14 and IPhone SE 2nd Generation

0
philipturner OP
Jan ’22

Google killed the Google Cardboard project in March 2021 (alongside Swift for TensorFlow). The remnants of that code are all Objective-C and OpenGL, neither of which I’m a fan of. Their VR expeditions app keeps spinning nonstop on iPhone 12 and up, and I can guarantee it’s because they last updated in 2015.

However, I have a solution that might help. ARHeadsetKit is geared toward AR, but it can become VR if you make the entire world filled with virtual objects. Furthermore, you’d be the first personal to go through its tutorials while owning Google Cardboard!

I’ve always struggled to reach my target audience with ARHeadsetKit, and I’d be extremely excited if someone was willing to incorporate my past work into an app that goes on the iOS App Store or something like that. If you find this worthwhile and want to bypass the wait time of me responding on Apple Developer Forums, please contact me through the email linked on my GitHub profile.

0
pcullenalicante OP
Jun ’22

Sfritsch09 said you can het around the problem using VRplayer but how do you point VRPlayer to the Everton App Data Files.

0
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