The world might be collectively holding its breath for the release of Apple Vision Pro in 2024, but it’s easy to forget Apple has been working on another augmented reality platform for six years already.
ARKit is the technology that brings augmented reality to iPhone and iPad, and despite never quite catching on with the masses, there have been some amazing apps and games released in this space. So if the $3499 price tag puts Vision Pro out of your reach, rest assured there’s a whole catalog of great ARKit apps to explore using a device you probably already own. Here are six of our favorites.
MeasureKit [$2.99/£2.99]
MeasureKit has been one of our favorite ARKit apps from the very beginning of Apple’s augmented reality initiative. It’s arguably the best measuring app on the market, letting you use your iPhone’s camera (in conjunction with its other sensors) to measure distances, angles, levels and more. Distances aren’t to-the-centimeter accurate, but an intuitive UI makes it a great tool for roughly sizing up areas quickly and efficiently.
Night Sky [Free]
For all the stargazers out there, Night Sky is almost as wondrous a sight as the real thing. As much an educational tool as a cool showcase of AR’s potential, Night Sky has you point your iPhone at a starry sky, then proceeds to identify stars, planets, constellations and satellites in real-time. The AR Grand Orrery, meanwhile, offers a virtual model of the solar system for you to explore.
Giphy World [Free]
Have you been told by some fresh-faced Gen Z-er that GIFs are for boomers? Don’t you dare feel ashamed. In fact, we advise you take your GIF game to the next level by downloading Giphy World, an app that lets you insert three-dimensional GIF stickers into the world around you. Then, share your monstrous scenes with your friends. It’s bright, bold, a little bit tacky, and really very silly indeed. What more incentive do you need?
IKEA Place [Free]
Yes, the digital catalog for an internationally renowned Scandinavian furniture retailer (to say nothing of the meatballs) really is one of the best ARKit apps on the App Store. It’s the way in which you can plop an item from their flat pack store cupboard out of the catalog and into the room that proved quietly revolutionary, allowing you to visualize the look better than ever before. Other retailers would follow suit, but Ikea did it first.
Housecraft [Free]
Housecraft takes the premise offered by Ikea Place and opens it out significantly beyond those blue cavernous walls. With Houscraft, you can use your iPhone’s camera(s) to scan any 3D object and then position it in your environment. It’s an invaluable tool for visualizing how a prospective piece of new furniture might look. It’s also designed by the creator of the wonderful Threes! game, so you just know that the interface is going to be wonderfully intuitive.
JigSpace [$49.99/£44.99 a month]
JigSpace on iOS is where AR gets serious. It’s a full-on 3D presentation-creation app, which provides powerful tools to create and view detailed 3D objects and place them into a real-world environment. You can upload your own CAD files, textures and the like, add animations and exploded views, and access a library of 3D objects. Sharing these so-called ‘jigs’ is a simple matter, too, whether by QR code or website embed.
