What's ARCore? - Building AR apps on Android

Move over, ARkit. ARCore for Android is here! ARCore is a (Google invented) SDK for building augmented reality apps on Android. It uses three key technologies to integrate virtual content with the real world as seen through your phone's camera.

ARCore key technologies

• Motion tracking allows the phone to understand and track its position relative to the world;
• Environmental understanding allows the phone to detect the size and location of flat horizontal surfaces like the ground or a coffee table;
• Light estimation allows the phone to estimate the environment's current lighting conditions.

"With ARCore, shape brand new experiences that seamlessly blend the digital and physical worlds. Transform the future of work and play at Android scale."

Tell me, how does ARCore work?

Basically, ARCore is doing two things: tracking the position of the mobile device as it moves, and building its own understanding of the real world. It does so by identifying features (and how those points move over time), combining this information with the phone's sensors (position and orientation).

Interested in building AR apps for Android? Visit the Google Developers page!

Currently, ARCore is in it's early preview modus. It works with Google Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL and Samsung S8. If you like, you can start experimenting with building new AR experiences. It's also an opportunity to give feedback.