Apple AR: Houzz ARKit App Beats IKEA to the App Store

With the official release of iOS 11, the availability of an app that uses the much-hyped ARKit platform to place virtual furniture in one's home was expected.

The fact that the app comes from Houzz, and not IKEA, may come as a surprise, considering that the latter was featured during the ARKit presentation at WWDC.

Yet, an update to Houzz's View in My Room 3D app brings support for ARKit's surface detection and motion tracking capabilities ahead of the arrival of the IKEA Places app.

Apple AR: Houzz ARKit App Beats IKEA to the App Store — *Image via Houzz*

Houzz customers are able to place "true-to-scale" digital representations of furniture and other home décor products in their rooms. Users can place multiple objects at a time, and the wares are displayed with ambient lighting taken into account.

The app saves each previewed product to a shopping list for later purchase within the app, which supports Apple Pay. For those who are not ready to throw their money at Houzz just yet, the app also doubles as a Pinterest-like idea board, allowing users to capture their prospective designs for later reference.

"We've created a true AR-enabled home design and shopping experience where you can experience the largest 3D product catalog available in your home, and also buy the items you love directly on the Houzz app. At Houzz, we're focused on building tools that transform how you renovate and design your home and that deliver the single best experience for this industry," said Alon Cohen, president and cofounder of Houzz, in a statement provided to Next Reality.

The company has already enjoyed success with the app prior to the ARKit enhancement. Launched earlier this year, more than a million users people have used the app's AR features when buying products, and those who used it were 11 times more likely to make a purchase and spent nearly three times as much as time within the app.

(Android uses, don't be jealous; Houzz promises a 3D update next week.)