Google’s ARCore 1.2 enables multiplayer AR across iOS and Android

Google’s ARCore platform is set to receive a substantial update that will make it possible for iOS and Android users to play AR games together.

ARCore 1.2 adds support for a number of features such as wall detection, ‘Cloud Anchors’ and ‘Augmented Images.’

Cloud Anchors is a framework that will let Android and iOS users see the same images in an AR space. It works by syncing the location of an AR item in the cloud and sending it back to other users of the same game or app.

Google is also building this technology to work with Apple’s ARKit platform. If the app is built with the same Cloud Anchor framework for iOS and Android, players will be able to game together.

While this system will allow both apps to know where AR content is located, developers will still have to build multiplayer functionality into their games.

Wall detection is another addition to ARCore, and will help developers create the same apps for both iOS and Android since iOS added this feature to ARKit at the beginning of 2018.

Augmented Images is a feature that will let an app scan something in the real world to make some sort of AR interaction take place.

For example, scanning a movie poster could cause a trailer to start playing on top of the poster.

Via: Ars Technica