Mobile AR News News


News: Startup Phiar Prepares Beta Launch of AR Driving Navigation App for iPhone
Google pushed a new kind of augmented reality walking navigation to the mainstream last year, and now startup Phiar is hoping users will use its AR app in the same way for driving navigation.

News: Mobile AR App Octi Evolves into Social Network via Facial Recognition Tech
In a world full of augmented reality camera effects apps, one app is going in a more social direction.

News: Snapchat Turns Real World into AR Scavenger Hunt with Nearly Instant Object Recognition
While Snapchat is no stranger to location-based AR scavenger hunts, the app's new world-facing game adds some environmental understanding to the mix.

News: Mastercard Develops Mobile AR App to Explain Rewards & Benefits to Cardholders
It's a good sign for any emerging technology when one of the leaders of an industry adopts it. So when Mastercard, a brand so recognizable that it dropped its name from its logo at CES last year, decides to develop a mobile augmented reality app, the moment is a milestone for the AR industry.

News: Explore the Grueling Wartime Trenches of Golden Globe Winning Movie '1917' via Web-Based AR Experience
Filmed in what appears to be a single continuous shot, war film 1917 is now the front-runner to conquer the Best Picture category of the Academy Awards after bringing home the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture in the drama category.

News: Instagram Creators Launch Filters for Harry Potter, Pokémon & Simpsons Characters in Augmented Reality
The developer who gained notoriety for his What Disney Are You? augmented reality filter on Instagram is striking again while the iron is hot.

News: USA Today Deepens Story on Afghanistan War with AR Experience
The augmented reality team at USA Today closed out a prolific year of immersive storytelling with a hard-hitting companion piece exploring the controversial conflict in Afghanistan.

News: This Viral Instagram Augmented Reality Filter Will Tell You Which Disney Character You Really Are
One Instagram creator's augmented reality homage to Disney's deep bench of animated characters has earned him fifteen minutes of fame.

News: Snapchat, Facebook, Google, 8th Wall, & Immersion Bring Holiday Cheer via Augmented Reality
Sending Christmas cards via snail mail is so passé. Why spend the time and money for a bougie photoshoot, saccharine card design, and postage when you can use augmented reality to instantly dress up photos and videos to send to friends and family instead?

News: Google Lens Delivers AR Try-On for L'Oreal's Garnier Products at Walmart
Sure, it's the giving season, but sometimes you've just got to treat yourself to some cosmetics. If you're shopping at Walmart, L'Oreal just made that a shade easier when shopping for Garnier hair color products with an assist from Google Lens and the Modiface AR platform.

News: 8th Wall's Web AR Brings Album Art of Pink Floyd to Life
What better band than Pink Floyd, the pioneers of psychedelic and progressive rock, to show the music industry how to reinvent album art for the augmented reality age?

News: Snapchat Launches Trailer Reaction AR Lens for Tom Cruise Movie 'Top Gun: Maverick'
Usually, flying into unknown territory would mean riding into the "danger zone", but Paramount and Snapchat are taking the trip anyway with one of Summer 2020's most anticipated movie sequels.

News: Dior Returns to Instagram AR with Virtual Makeup Effect to Promote Holiday Collection
The cosmetics brands are among the earliest adopters of augmented reality, using virtual try-on tools to preview shades of makeup before buying.

News: Facebook Messenger Blasts Out Trio of Star Wars AR Effects for 'Rise of Skywalker'
While "Baby Yoda" from The Mandalorian threatens to overshadow it, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker arrives in theaters next week, which means it's time for Disney and Lucasfilm to ramp up its promotional strategy.

News: Google Update Adds Real-World Occlusion to ARCore with Depth API
Apple's ARKit has built a considerable lead in terms of features over Google's ARCore, but Google's latest update to ARCore adds a capability that makes the platform a bit more competitive with ARKit.

News: Now You Can Drive Elon Musk's Tesla Cybertruck in AR from the Comfort of Your Home via iOS & Android
What do you do when your favorite new car is still two years away from hitting the road? Look to augmented reality, of course.

News: New York Times Debuts Location-Based Air Pollution AR Visualization for Apple iOS Devices
After establishing itself as a leader among media companies in augmented reality in journalism over the course of 2018, The New York Times pulled back from the technology this year.

News: HBO Conjures More Snapchat AR Experiences to Promote 'His Dark Materials'
As far as HBO is concerned, it's not augmented reality — it's Snapchat. The premium cable network is leaning hard on Snapchat's AR magic tricks to promote yet another series, this time for the adaptation of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series of novels.

News: Facebook Adds Image Tracking Effects & Slider Controls to Spark AR for Instagram
After opening up its Spark AR platform on Instagram for all creators, Facebook is already expanding the platform's capabilities on its Snapchat killer.

News: Startup Illumix Brings Mobile Horror Franchise Five Nights at Freddy's into Augmented Reality Gaming
A little over a year after emerging from stealth, augmented reality gaming startup Illumix has launched its first title using a familiar formula, but with a new twist.

News: Hello Kitty Challenges Pokémon GO's Reign as Top AR Game with Kawaii World
After three years and change, no one seems to be able to knock Pokémon GO off its augmented reality throne. Zombies, dinosaurs, and ghosts have all met defeat at the hands of the pocket monsters. Heck, not even the world's most popular wizard and Pokémon GO's developer can replicate the original's success.

News: Snapchat Gives Users the Ultimate Selfie Filter with Time Machine Aging AR Lens
After achieving viral and financial success with its Gender Swap and Baby Face camera filters, Snapchat has returned with the augmented reality equivalent of Benjamin Button.

News: Nintendo Crafts AR Experience via Google Lens for Pokémon Sword & Shield Game Packaging
Pokémon, Google, and augmented reality go together like wasabi, soy, and ginger, and the trio has come together again for the release of the latest game from the Pokémon universe.

News: Starbucks Uses Instagram AR to Promote Sustainability via Holiday Campaign
Starbucks is spicing things up ahead of this holiday season with a little augmented reality joy. This week the company launched its first Instagram filter, called Holijoy, delivered like an early Christmas gift and packing four seasonal lenses.

News: Disney Plus Serves Up Snapchat Lens to Promote Live-Action 'Lady & the Tramp'
Unless you've been totally off the grid, there's a good chance you're aware that the Disney Plus streaming video service launched this week. And, if you're on this site, you're likely salivating over the new Star Wars series, The Mandalorian.

News: Snapchat Transports Gucci Fans to Trippy Tropical Island for Holiday Promotion
Baby, it's cold outside, but, with some help from Snapchat augmented reality, Gucci is thawing our wintery hearths with a virtual trip to the tropics.

News: Kohl's Partners With Snapchat AR for Holiday Pop-Up & Black Friday Promotions
All Kohl's wants for Christmas is Snapchat augmented reality. In conjunction with a holiday pop-up hosted in New York City from Nov. 7 through Nov. 10, Snapchat ran a sponsored portal lens available to targeted Snapchat users in the AR carousel. The experience gave users the ability to virtually transport themselves to the pop-up.

News: Apple iOS-Powered Sesame Street Yourself App Turns Kids into Their Favorite Characters via ARKit 3's New Features
The longest-running children's television show in the United States, Sesame Street, hasn't survived 50 years without leveraging new technology along the way.

News: Coca-Cola Opens a Can of Augmented Reality to Get Consumers into the Holiday Spirit
Halloween is barely in the rearview mirror, but Coca-Cola is ready to bypass Thanksgiving altogether to accelerate the arrival of Christmas, and the brand has enlisted augmented reality as an accomplice.

News: HBO Returns to the AR Well with 'Watchmen' Lens on Snapchat
After leaning on augmented reality for its outdoor advertising, HBO has called on augmented reality again via Snapchat to promote its Watchmen series.

News: 'Terminator: Dark Fate' Invades Snapchat with Pair of Augmented Reality Camera Effects
The original iterations of the Terminator film franchise have served as the inspiration (via the heads-up display of the T-800) for future augmented reality dreams, so it is fitting that the current crop of AR gives the latest installment in the series a promotional boost.

News: HBO 'Watchmen' Promo Rains Dead Squid Down on LA & New York via Augmented Reality Ad
Bus stops can provide shelter in the event of rain, and now they also protect you from augmented reality squid.

News: Snapchat Spooky AR Experiences from Lens Studio Creators Get You Ready for Halloween
Homemade Halloween costumes that exhibit the maker's creativity are always better than off-the-shelf versions. It turns out that the same is true with virtual costumers.

News: Mobile Developer Within Tells Interactive Halloween Tales via Wonderscope AR App
The Halloween season is the perfect time for telling scary stories, but augmented reality is here to bring the tradition of frightening children to the modern age.

News: Target Treats Shoppers with Augmented Reality Tricks via Snapchat
Big-box retailer Target has been on a bit of an augmented reality advertising shopping spree via Snapchat lately.

News: Disney's 'Maleficent' Brings Its Magic to YouTube with Augmented Reality Make-Up Experience
Dark mode themes for mobile apps are all the rage these days, but YouTube is taking that a bit literally with its latest augmented reality experience.

News: This Facebook AR Filter Lets You Become the 'Joker' Just in Time for Halloween
Whether you loved or hated the blockbuster hit Joker for its slapdash violence and unflattering portrayal of mental illness, if you have been online lately, you know you can't afford to miss it.

News: Harry Potter Fans Can Now Summon a Wizarding World Sorting Hat in Augmented Reality
If you need to know whether you are really a Hufflepuff or a Gryffindor, then it's time to get yourself an augmented reality sorting hat.

News: Team Behind Popular Photo App FaceTune2 Jumps on the AR Bandwagon with Cosmetics Try-On Filters
Following in the steps of Snapchat, Instagram, and YouCam, another popular photo app has gotten into the virtual try-on augmented reality game.

News: Apple's ARKit 3 Casts Next-Level Illusions via Meisai AR App
Now that iOS 13 is in the wild, developers are starting to show off the magical augmented reality powers ARKit 3 can deliver.