Cardboard

Cardboard in brief

Cardboard turns a compatible Android phone into a simple virtual reality viewer when used with a Cardboard-style headset. It is aimed at people trying mobile VR for the first time, as well as developers and testers working with Google’s Cardboard platform.

What it does

The app helps pair a phone with a viewer by scanning its QR code, so the display can be adjusted for that headset’s lenses. It also provides a starting point for VR experiences and lets users explore compatible content from a stereoscopic interface rather than the usual flat phone screen.

As a Libraries & Demo app, Cardboard is also useful as a reference for the Cardboard SDK. That makes it more relevant to experimentation and development than a general-purpose entertainment app. The experience depends on the phone’s sensors and the viewer being used, so results can vary between devices.

Who should use it

• New VR users: A straightforward way to test phone-based virtual reality with a supported viewer.
• Developers and testers: A practical demonstration of Google’s Cardboard platform and its viewer setup.
• Existing headset owners: A central place to configure a compatible viewer and start supported experiences.

At a glance

Cardboard is published by Google LLC and has recorded more than 10,000,000 installs. Its rating is 3.38 out of 5 from 162,864 reviews, suggesting a broad but mixed response. It makes the most sense if you already have, or plan to try, a compatible mobile VR viewer; without one, its main functions have limited use.