Ahead of Mobile World Congress (MWC) next week, Google announced it’s bringing ARCore, it’s augmented reality SDK, out of preview and to a number of flagship smartphones in its 1.0 version. Google Lens, the company’s tool to help users identify real-world objects, is also making its way from Pixel to more flagship devices soon – albeit still in preview.

Anuj Gosalia, Director of Engineering at the company’s AR team, says ARCore 1.0 will also launch alongside the ability for developers to publish AR apps to the Play Store. Gosalia maintains ARCore “works on 100 million Android smartphones, and advanced AR capabilities are available on all of these devices.”

Here’s the 13 different models ARCore is supporting now:

  • Google’s Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL
  • Samsung Galaxy S8, S8+, Note8, S7 and S7 edge
  • LG’s V30 and V30+ (Android O only)
  • ASUS’s Zenfone AR
  • OnePlus’s OnePlus 5
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Google says they’re partnering with manufacturers to bring ARCore to other devices moving forward, including upcoming phones from Samsung, Huawei, LGE, Motorola, ASUS, Xiaomi, HMD/Nokia, ZTE, Sony Mobile, and Vivo.

Once Google throws the switch, you’ll be able to download ARCore here.

ARCore 1.0 also comes along with a few new features Google says will add “additional improvements and support to make [the] AR development process faster and easier.” ARCore 1.0 is said to feature improved environmental understanding that lets you place virtual assets on irregularly shaped surfaces such as couches, tree branches, and pillows.

Google showcased a few AR experiences coming soon, including one from Snapchat showing off an immersive portal to FC Barcelona’s Camp Nou stadium, room visualizations from Sotheby’s International Realty, Porsche’s Mission E Concept vehicle, OTTO AR’s furniture app, and Ghostbusters World, which you can see in action below.

Snapchat’s FC Barcelona AR experience will launch in mid-March to all Snapchat users globally through Snapcode.

Google Lens—which can be used for image detection such as saving a phone number or address to a contact from a business card, or getting details about a physical book, landmark or painting in a museum—is also making its way to many more devices since it was announced late last year.

Google Photos internal Lens function is coming to all English-language users with the latest version of the app on Android and iOS 9 and newer.

image courtesy Google

The Lens function in Google Assistant, which was previously only available on Pixel devices, will be arriving to English-language users on supported devices “over the coming weeks.” Flagship devices from Samsung, Huawei, LG, Motorola, Sony, and HMD/Nokia will get the camera-based Lens experience within Google Assistant. The company plans to bring support for more devices in the future.

Google Lens since launch has seen updates allowing text selection features and the ability to create contacts and events from a photo. In the coming weeks, Google plans to improve Lens’ ability to recognize common animals and plants, like different dog breeds and flowers.

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Well before the first modern XR products hit the market, Scott recognized the potential of the technology and set out to understand and document its growth. He has been professionally reporting on the space for nearly a decade as Editor at Road to VR, authoring more than 3,500 articles on the topic. Scott brings that seasoned insight to his reporting from major industry events across the globe.
  • ArA

    Fuck AR gimmickshit, We just need high quality VR. no pokemon crap

    • Laurence Nairne

      Why can two different computer vision technologies not co-exist in your world? It’s not like it’s the same people working on them!

      • Gladys

        Goℴgle paying all people 99 US dollars per hour to do easy tasks onnet .. Do work for few peroid of time daily & enjoy more time with your relatives .. Anyone can have this official post!!on weekend I got a latest Aston Martin DB5 just after earning $10,000 this-past/four weeks .it looks the most rewarding however you could not forgive yourself if you do not go to this.!xg631e:➛➛➛ http://GoogleVideoMakeMoneyOnTheInternet/earn/cash/$99/per-hr ♥♥♥z♥♥♥a♥m♥f♥u♥♥g♥♥♥r♥♥♥u♥♥♥m♥i♥♥d♥♥♥f♥♥t♥♥k♥♥♥w♥r♥♥q♥♥t♥♥q♥♥♥z♥♥♥h♥g♥♥♥x♥f♥r:!of663m:fezq

  • Wooow! It’s interesting to see that some of the newly allowed phones were the ones that were working with the ARCoreForAll harck