Web/API/XRSystem/devicechange event

A devicechange event is fired on an XRSystem object whenever the whenever the availability of immersive XR devices has changed; for example, a VR headset or AR goggles have been connected or disconnected. It's a generic Event with no added properties.

Note: Not to be confused with the MediaDevices devicechange event.

Bubbles	No
Cancelable	No
Interface	`Event`
Event handler	`XRSystem.ondevicechange`

Usage notes

devicechange events are not delivered if the document which owns the XRSystem object has been granted permission to do so through the xr-spatial-tracking feature policy.

You can use this event to, for example, monitor for the availability of a WebXR-compatible device so that you can enable a UI element which the user can use to activate immersive mode. This is shown in the example below.

Example

The example shown here handles the devicechange event by toggling the availability of the "Enter XR" button based on whether or not any immersive devices are currently available.

if (navigator.xr) {
  navigator.xr.addEventListener("devicechange", event => {
    navigator.xr.isSessionSupported("immersive-vr")
    .then(immersiveOK) => {
      if (immersiveOK) {
        enableXRButton.disabled = false;
      } else {
        enableXRButton.disabled = true;
      }
    });
  });
}

When devicechange is received, the handler set up in this code calls the XR method isSessionSupported() to find out if there's a device available that can handle immersive VR presentations. If there is, the button to enter XR mode is enabled; otherwise it's disabled.

You can also use the ondevicechange event handler property to set a single handler for devicechange events:

if (navigator.xr) {
  navigator.xr.ondevicechange = event => {
    /* ... etc ... */
  };
}

Specifications

Specification	Status	Comment
WebXR Device APIThe definition of 'devicechange event' in that specification.	Working Draft	Initial definition.

Browser compatibility

Update compatibility data on GitHub

	Desktop						Mobile
	Chrome	Edge	Firefox	Internet Explorer	Opera	Safari	Android webview	Chrome for Android	Firefox for Android	Opera for Android	Safari on iOS	Samsung Internet
`devicechange` event Experimental'	Chrome Full support 79	Edge Full support 79	Firefox No support No	IE No support No	Opera No support No	Safari No support No	WebView Android No support No	Chrome Android Full support 79	Firefox Android No support No	Opera Android No support No	Safari iOS No support No	Samsung Internet Android Full support 11.2

Legend

Full support: Full support
No support: No support
Experimental. Expect behavior to change in the future.': Experimental. Expect behavior to change in the future.