Augmented reality apps have long become the new normal, seeping into many aspects of our daily lives and reinventing them. If you think that’s a stretch, take a look at this study: 48% of customers are already using an AR app or willing to apply the technology to assess new products and services. When compared with their non-AR equivalents, AR solutions show a whopping 200% increase in user engagement. As it goes in the forecast, augmented reality app development revenue will reach the $27.4 billion mark by 2023. Meanwhile, almost two-thirds of organizations don’t even use this tech.
Now, you must be thinking: “Is it time for my company to consider augmented reality apps? They would probably take us to the next level” The answer is “Yes, definitely.” In fact, we’ve gathered the best AR services of 2022 to get you inspired and give you a gentle nudge to come up with your own idea. Dive in!
Blippar is a type of AR browser. It evokes augmented reality experiences from everyday objects and places via a smartphone, a tablet, or a wearable. After a user points their phone at an item, whether it is a celeb, a logo, a gadget, a piece of art, or a lovely dog, an AR app scans it, recognizes it, and provides information about it.
The company also offers large brands the option to cooperate with them, and through this collaboration, create their own AR content. For instance, whenever users ‘blipp’ any Netflix poster, a series character pops out of it through an AR app and provides a trailer link for the premiere.
2. Civilisations AR
The BBC’s Civilisations AR is a great example of how augmented reality app development can be applied in education. The virtual collection consists of 30 historical artifacts. Users can dive into ancient Egypt’s secrets, Renaissance masterpieces, and many more, locating, rotating, and resizing them at will. What’s more, you can not only learn an Egyptian mummy’s history but also see it inside thanks to an X-ray feature.
3. Houzz
Another great augmented reality app is Houzz. It helps sellers of home goods and furniture promote their services. With the help of Houzz, people plan the interior of their houses, choosing furniture that matches the design. All they need to do is download Houzz and take a picture of any room. The 3D technologies used in the application allow seeing the room in real-time. The user simply places an item in the desired location, be it a chair, table, or vase. Houzz also has an e-commerce feature that allows users to browse and buy in-app products. It even shows how the product will look in different lighting conditions.
4. Mondly
Mondly, with a VR version of the app for the Gear VR, and AR built into the application, breathes fresh air into the way we learn a new language. Students can choose from 33 foreign languages and explore interactive exercises to improve vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation. The education process is enhanced with a dictionary, verb conjugator, and advanced speech recognition technology.
5. WallaMe
Thanks to the WallaMe AR app, people can leave hidden messages in various locations around the globe. These messages can be discovered exclusively by app users. To create a special message, you need to capture a wall, street, or sign, and then use an in-app drawing and painting toolkit. In case the message is made private, only friends can see it, while the public message can be explored by everyone.
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6. IKEA Place
Our list of top AR apps is impossible without IKEA Place. This home decor app takes into account the complete plan of the user’s house. It allows to measure and imagine how products will look at customers’ homes more accurately. In the IKEA Place app, users can simply drag and drop furniture onto the 3D image and look at it in different colors, shapes, and sizes. What makes this app special is that it analyzes the design and plan of the house, allowing customers to make the best choice.
7. Ink Hunter
Ink Hunter is the application that allows using a smartphone camera to see a virtual tattoo on any part of the body before you ink it forever. The service lets tattoo enthusiasts try on premade tattoos or their own designs. Thanks to the in-app editor and its rendering technique, tattoos look as close to real-life as possible without doing them with an actual needle. The AR app processes both black-and-white and color tattoos.
8. Amikasa
Amikasa is a 3D floor planner powered with augmented reality that helps you design your dream interior. With the app, you can style a perfect room using 3D models of various furniture, accessories, and decor from real brands before even buying the stuff. What’s more, you can tweak the colors of the items. If you’re unsure of the resulting design, you can share your augmented rooms with friends within the app to get some well-advised suggestions.
9. GIPHY World
The GIPHY World app was created for those users who wanted to bring more bright colors to their everyday life. The combination of augmented reality and GIFs turns ordinary photos and videos into works of art. Using 3D graphics, the application allows you to create interesting and unique content for social networks.
10. SketchAR
One of the most creative from the list of the top AR apps is SketchAR. This is the perfect app for anyone looking to practice different painting techniques. It lets users unleash their artistry and turn their photos into sketches. The app essentially traces AR and makes it easy to draw perfect lines. It is available for Android, iOS, and Microsoft HoloLens headsets.
11. AR Ruler
With AR Ruler, it’s super easy to measure and display linear sizes of 3D objects in centimeters, meters, millimeters, inches, feet, or yards. Besides simple straight measurements, you can measure angles, volume, and area. Even more, based on these figures, you can generate a plan projection for drawn objects. Unfortunately, the current AR app version is not perfect in terms of accuracy, but it is considered a reliable tool to get rough measurements.
12. Augment
Another top AR app is Augment. The difference from other similar apps is that Augment is aimed at store owners. The app is a great helper in creating augmented product images. Sellers can fully customize Augment to suit their use and experience through their mobile app or website. It will be especially useful for pop-up shops, farmers’ markets, event sales, and other temporary physical retail ventures.
13. Find Your Car with AR
If you have no idea where you parked, Find Your Car with AR will come to the rescue. Once you’ve downloaded the augmented reality car finder and set your car’s location, the app creates a visible marker that shows the location of the missing vehicle, the distance you are from the parking spot, and the direction you should walk in to find the place. It proved to be most useful when it comes to remembering where you had parked in crowded areas (stadiums, outdoor concert venues, convention centers) or areas covered in massive parking lots. By the way, car owners can also use the AR app to find their seats at large stadiums, theaters, or concert halls.
14. Roar
Roar functions as an AR shopping adviser and lets users take shots of thousands of product labels to instantly compare them by price or retailer. Furthermore, it allows its users to source ingredients, see reviews, and explore coupons or promotions. AR experiences include photos, videos, text, audio, 3D models, and motion graphics. Even more, you can buy the items you wanted within the application: just scan a poster for an upcoming movie release to purchase tickets for a theater in a matter of seconds.
15. Sun Seeker
Another AR app for Android and iOS is Sun Seeker. It serves as both a flat-screen compass and a 3D augmented reality view, each detailing the path of the Sun. The application contains useful information for gardeners, photographers, architects, and real estate buyers. Users can track the maximum height of a star, its hourly intervals, sunrise and sunset times, as well as other important data. Sun Seeker also allows you to track the sun’s winter and summer solstice paths from anywhere on earth as the app connects to the GPS on the user’s smartphone.
16. SkyView
SkyView is one of the top AR apps for observing famous constellations, stars, and other stellar objects through the smartphone screen. The extended version of the app costs $ 2, however, users can try some features for free on Android. The application allows to search for the desired constellations, and even travel in time to see constellations in the past or future. Users can even follow the movement of the International Space Station or watch sunrises on other planets.
17. YouCam Makeup
YouCam Makeup is a renowned AR makeup and selfie camera that acts as a makeup and fashion assistant, letting you try on a range of top beauty products and accessories before you commit to buying them. Such world brands like L’Oreal, Maybelline, and Urban Decay are represented in the app. What’s more, users can share looks, follow others, purchase products, and review featured items.
18. Thyng
Thyng is an AR app powered by ARCore and ARKit, allowing you to create augmented reality scenes by adding your own shots/videos, placing animated figures, or 3D objects on desired spots. After completing a scene, you can take a snapshot or record a short video and then share your creation with followers via an application or social media platforms.
The world is changing: will you innovate or let others do that?
AR app development offers a brand new immersive touchpoint with surroundings. Our list contains only eleven of the top augmented reality apps, but there are tons more. Despite the market being oversaturated with ready-made solutions, there is always space to create a one-of-a-kind offering that will take off. Power up your business with augmented reality app development. And if you don’t know how, contact us to bring your idea concept to reality.