What can you do in ARCore right now?

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By Essa Kidwell
last updated

ARCore is a new set of API's, Frameworks and tools to allow real-time Augmented Reality (AR) apps to work on a standard Android device. What is AR as opposed to Virtual Reality (VR)? Great question! It's a program that will put digital objects and visuals in your view of the actual world through your VR Headset or, in this case, your phone screen. Based on the work they've done with Project Tango, ARCore removes the need for specialized hardware making room scale VR in reach of the common Cell Phone.

How do You Install The ARCore App?

Before you had to jump through way too many hoops just to get ARCore working on your phone. Now that ARCore version 1.0 has been released, getting it onto your phone is that much easier and you can download it right from the Google Play Store! Now, remember, ARCore is just an app you download that will allow the other supporting ARCore apps to work. So when you click on the app and it opens like a library, don't be discouraged. To use the full benefit of this app, check out the list of other apps below.

After you download other apps that use ARCore you just launch those apps from your phone!

See on Google Play Store

What Apps are Available?

While there used to be only a precious few ARCore apps, the list has expanded and will only continue to do so! If ARCore is already installed on your device, check out these games and apps to see what you can do! If not, continue to learn how to get ARCore on your phone!

All of the ARCore apps currently on the PlayStore are free, so I've made this even easier by putting them in general sections!

Games

Space

If there's one thing that's wildly popular in ARCore, is people making apps about viewing space. Any of these apps will plug our solar system right into your living room to have an up close and personal experience with!

Stickers

AR Stickers are fun for the whole family. Take the sticker options from your selected app, plug them into your reality to come up with some super cool videos and images!

AR Friends

These apps here will show you all of the little friends you can plug into your world, much like an AR Sticker, and interact with!

Shopping/Planning

Want to know what that couch you're interested in buying will look like in the corner of your room before you buy it? These apps are here to help you figure that out! Big names like Amazon have already made their shopping apps AR compatible!\

Experiences

Experiences in AR are pretty cool, even if they're not interactive games. Download any of these apps to put yourself in a different reality that takes over the world around you!

Educating

These fun apps will give you some sort of an educating experience! From learning anatomy to seeing how things could possibly be repaired, these apps are here to show you a thing or two!

Measuring apps

Please, trust these measuring apps as far as you can throw a boulder. While they are cool and I have hopes for the future of accuracy in measuring by pointing a camera at something, none of these have been proved to be accurate even 40% of the time.

Misc

These are a group of miscellaneous apps that don't really have a place in another category. While they utilize the ARCore function on your phone, they don't actually appear to have much of a purpose outside of the apps displaying machines.

Thoughts

Have you tried ARCore on your phone yet? What do you think of the apps so far? What are you hopeful for in the future? What are your complaints and praises? Let us know in the comment section below!

Updated March 20th, 2018: We've updated this article with even more ARCore apps that have just released!

Essa Kidwell
Essa Kidwell

Essa Kidwell is an expert in all things VR and mobile devices who can always be found with an Oculus Go, a Pixel 2, and an iPhone 7+. They've been taking things apart just to put them back together for quite some time. If you've got a troubleshooting issue with any of your tech, they're the one you want to go to! Find them on Twitter @OriginalSluggo or Instagram @CosmeticChronus.