Samsung's Galaxy S8 Doesn't Support Google Daydream VR

Samsung’s Galaxy S8 is an innovative piece of hardware that also promises to deliver fantastic VR experiences. However, it looks like Samsung’s newest flagship doesn’t appear to work with Google’s own VR platform, Daydream.

If users try to install Google Daydream on the Samsung Galaxy S8, they will be greeted by an error message stating that a compatible version of the software is missing, as discovered by VRHeads. There’s no apparent reason why Google Daydream isn’t supported. The Galaxy S8’s specifications is more than hefty enough to handle the top-tier mobile VR and completely surpasses Google Daydream’s hardware requirements.

It’s possible that Samsung may have disabled support for Google Daydream as part of an agreement, or the company simply didn’t enable it in the first place, as speculated by 9To5Google. This might simply be part of Samsung’s strategy to get more users hooked to the Oculus-powered Gear VR instead of other competing mobile VR headsets.

This might be a big disappointment for some users considering that Google Daydream offers exclusive and excellent VR experiences that’s not available on other platforms. Another great thing about Daydream is that it’s available to several other Android Nougat smartphones and not just on high-end devices like the Pixel or the Pixel XL.

However, Samsung’s Gear VR isn’t lightweight when it comes to offering content either. Thanks to its partnership with Oculus, the Gear VR has plenty of content from various developers and publishers.

One thing that’s really holding back the Gear VR is its compatibility. The newest model only works with the Galaxy S8, S8+, S7, S7 Edge, S6, S6 Edge, S6 Edge+ and the Note 5.

With the Galaxy S8 and S8+ not officially supporting Google Daydream, skilled users can still hack their way around this issue. However, they will need to wait for more people to get their hands on the device first before root access will become available, according to Android Community.