50+ Best Augmented Reality iPhone Apps
65Augmented reality apps have come a long way over the years. You don’t need fancy goggles to try realistic AR games and content on your iOS device either. Thanks to ARKit, developers are bringing more interactive apps to the App Store. Whether you are looking for interactive games, educational apps, or rich travel guides, there is an app out there for you:
- Augmented reality iPhone games
- Math & science AR apps for iOS
- AR navigation apps
- Photo & camera apps
Here are 50+ augmented reality iOS apps well worth checking out:
LightSpace: a clever app that lets you paint with light. You can walk around your paintings to see them from every angle. It is possible to record videos while you paint.
InkHunter: lets you try augmented reality tattoos before getting a real one.
1600: an interactive AR app that gets kids and adults familiar with what happens at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. You can explore from different angles by moving your phone.
AR Runner: an AR game you can play indoors and outside and compete against others worldwide. It has 4 game modes, 4 field sizes and 6 shapes.
IKEA Place: this iPhone augmented reality app uses ARKit to let you try IKEA items at your place.
Jurassic World Alive: thanks to this app, you can experience dinosaurs on your iOS devices everywhere you go. You get to discover dinosaurs on a map, collect rare breeds, create hybrid creatures, and use augmented reality to interact with creatures.
Transparent Earth: a nifty app that lets you see the other side of the world under your feet.
Iron Man HUD for iPhone: an AR application that uses your iPhone’s camera to create a HUD on your screen. It comes with Jarvis interaction, multiple modes, and ability to record video and take screen shots.
Paint Space AR: another app that lets you draw in the air with virtual brushes. Special effects such as snow, rain, and fireworks are also available.
Dimension: a trippy app that merges physical and digital worlds through ARKit, allowing you to explore augmented reality dimensions all around you.
Vuforia Chalk: lets you draw on your screen (arrows, instructions) and share your AR view with others.
Augment: lets you share 3D models in AR with your customers. Allows them to try before they buy.
Dinosaurs Everywhere: brings dinosaurs back to life, allowing you to use your phone or a VR headset to see them all around you. 10 different dinosaur species are available.
Quiver: a 3D coloring app with AR to bring your children a more interactive experience. Your artwork is brought to life on your smartphone.
Layar Reality Browser: a free application that displays digital information on the top of what you see through your camera. The app has a lot of potential, and a lot of you wrote to me to include it in this list. I still believe it has some issues that need to be resolved but it’s free.
Geobe AR: a social augmented reality app that lets you use paintings, text, and objects to interact with your world and share interactions to social media sites.
Fidget Spinner: so you can’t get enough of fidget spinners? Thanks to this app you can play with virtual ones on your phone. They feature 3D visuals, real sounds, and accurate real-time physics.
Roomle: a room planner that brings your ideas to life using augmented reality. A 3D catalog of over 1000 furniture and living accessories is available.
SunSeeker: SunSeeker is one cool iPhone app that shows you everything you need about the sun, its path in the sky, and other interesting information about the sun.
Dishpointer: it shows you how the satellites are lined up in the sky. No matter what’s in your way, this app will reveal all.
Flow: powered by Amazon, this app shows you info about items all around you. Just point your camera at video games, packaged goods, and everything else to get started.
Math & science AR apps
Graphmented: an ARKit app that brings graphs and charts to life on your desk. Lets you explore, record, and present 3D charts. You will be able to easily rotate, scale and move graphs.
Augmented Reality Solar System: this ARKit app brings planets from our solar system to your home, allowing you to interact with them and learn a thing or two in the process. You can walk right up to them to get a closer look.
Solar System AR: brings the solar system to your place using ARKit. It has the Sun, Venus, Earth, Moon, Mercury, and Mars. You get a time slider too.
Star Chart: gives you your very own virtual star chart on your iPhone. Just point your iPhone to the sky and this app will tell you what you are looking at.
Elements 4D: an interactive app that helps you learn more about elements and their names. You can combine elements to see how they react.
AirMeasure: an augmented reality measuring toolkit with over 15 modes to use on your phone. You can use it to trace outline of a room, measure distance, and draw 3D cubes.
Pocket Universe: a great astronomy app for iPhone that lets you discover stars and planets in the sky without even needing a book. Just point your iPhone to the sky, and you are all set.
DanKam for iPhone: an augmented reality application for those who are suffering from color-blindness. It is an experimental application at this point, but it could have huge potential.
Photo & camera apps
Leo: this is an augmented reality camera app that lets you take photos with realistic 3D objects. You will be able to capture and share mixed reality videos with others. The app is powered by ARKit.
Waazy: an AR video maker that lets you record cool video with AR lens. Lets you add multiple AR characters at the same time and share your work with the world.
AR Camera: this AR app lets you create collage with your photos and place them anywhere. It features flexible collage layout and frame.
SketchWiz: turns your camera into a sketcher. Changes the way you see your world and can be used to create some awesome artwork.
Dog Identifier: this app uses machine learning and Vision API for dog breed identification. It supports over 100 dog breeds.
Augmented reality iPhone games
shARk by Curiscope: brings virtual sharks into your world. You will be able to find and feed virtual sharks.
Drone Blaster: a game that involves moving around to dodge enemy lasers and collecting floating items in your path.
Bowmaster: an AR archery game that lets you shoot at targets around you on your smartphone.
AR Dragon: an augmented reality pet simulator for those of you who have a thing for dragons. Each day your dragon grows larger in size with no two dragons looking the same.
AR Airplanes: lets you fly a RC airplane in an augmented reality environment. It uses ARKit.
Color BlastAR: an augmented reality game for kids that encourages them to find treasure chests and hidden items to blast zombies.
AR Dino Defense: another app that brings dinosaurs to life, challenging you to defend against them.
dinosAR: another augmented reality dinosaur app for iOS. It brings dinosaurs to life, with 12 creatures currently available. It can record video too.
AR Soccer: as suggested by a few of our readers, this is soccer meets augmented reality. Gives you a virtual ball to play with at all times.
AR Sports Basketball: this ARKit app lets you play an augmented reality game of basketball on your desk.
AR Invaders: want to fight aliens in your backyard? That’s what this application offers. It has multiple levels of difficulty and can be played in 360 degree mode standing up.
FirePower: a very interested augmented reality game for iPhone that lets you shoot at cars on your phone. Great for stress relief.
Asteroids AR: allows you to open a wormhole in your living room, test your reaction skills, and use upgrades to enhance your spaceship.
Alice in Wonderland AR Quest: this augmented reality iPhone game lets you enter the Wonderland on your phone, go through portals and follow the white rabbit.
Star Wars Jedi Challenges: brings a smartphone-powered Star Wars AR experience to your home. You will be able to engage in lightsaber battles or try Holochess.
powARdup: another game that lets you battle through wave of enemies in AR. It features laser pointer controls fro 20 ship customization options.
ARDefender: this game blends your game with your reality, making your experience with it more fun. Game play is pretty decent too.
AR navigation apps for iOS
SpyGlass: turns your iPhone into a spyglass. Shows you a compass, GPS info, and much more on the go. Very useful for outdoors.
Theodolite: a cool little app that acts as your compass, GPS, map, and two-axis inclinometer. Great for hiking and active sports in general.
Compass360: an augmented reality compass that displays geographic directions around you right on your iPhone (over your reality). It’s simply a compass on steroids.
Places Extreme: an AR app that helps you discover information about places around you. It supports Apple Watch. Simply point your device at places and touch them on the screen to see reviews, opening/closing hours, and other info.
Wind Seeker: a 3D augmented reality application that shows you wind and weather conditions in your area.
Augmented Car Finder: a fun car finder that takes advantage of augmented reality technology to show you where you have parked your car. It’s not perfect but one of the better ones on the market.
Localscope: gives you a whole new way to explore your local area and what’s all around you. It takes advantage of data from multiple search engines and geo social networks to help you get more done in your local area.
Peaks USA: great application for those into climbing mountains. Shows you information on nearby peaks right on your phone.
Wikitude: another cool augmented iPhone application that helps you explore your surroundings effectively on your phone. POIs are displayed on your screen, and you can find what you are looking for on your phone like never before. It’s free too.
London Tube: if you happen to live in London and are looking for an app to help you get around your city more effectively, London Tube comes in handy.
GeoTravel: a travel guide on steroids. Not only helps you get around more conveniently in a foreign city, it takes advantage of AR technology to help you get to your POI faster.
So what’s your favorite augmented reality app for iPhone?
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I’m missing out on Layar…. any specific reason why you left this one out?
Yes. The app was unstable when we tried it. But could be included with the next update or so.
I had Layar for a while, and was not too impressed with the UI.
It seemed to clunky, and not as polished as it could be.
Have you tried junaio (www.junaio.com)? It’s our online and mobile augmented reality platform with social capabilities. You can place cool 3D content in your pictures, geo-tag links/webpages in the world. There is a live-view feature that allows you to search for anything and is powered by Google.
It would be nice if you mention Star Walk: http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=295430577&mt=8
I love augmented reality apps – my new favorite one to use is Holiday Cam – very fun and festive one which mixes augmented reality techniques and holiday greeting cards! I hope you Enjoy it as much as i do —http://bit.ly/8OZmiA
Hi Chatsauvage i too love Augmented Reality please teach me the basics of AR
[…] in December, it seems clear that this will be one of the next big things. (Or see on iPhoneNess here for a list of augmented reality iPhone apps). However, current handling by holding your smartphone […]
Hi,
I’m the author of an iPhone AR application called ‘Calq’ (http://www.calq.me – currently in review stage on App Store).
It is basically a search engine mashup that aggregates geocoded searches from:
– Bing
– Google
– Flickr
– Panormaio
– Wikipedia
– Foursquare
– Gowalla
– Qype
– …
and present the results in a 3D browsable AR view.
If you’re interested in testing, let me know !
Regards
Calq – augmented reality engine, is both:
– an AR search engine: mashup (search with Google, Bing, Flickr, Foursquare, and more …)
– an embeddable engine reusable for third-party projects
Soon available on iPhone – visit us at http://www.calq.me
My favourite is sky seige. Tnx for the share
Just this week, we released Unearthed, a free app where you scan paranormal creatures all over the world to help the Agency solve a mystery. There's tons of features on there (map, creating networks of friends, recent news feeds, etc). Check it out and drop us some feedback!
what about ARSoccer? you can kick a soccer ball with your feet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4p7-4fBwPw
Did you even look at the apps? AR Soccer is already there.
Thanks for the list. I am checking out some of the apps to see what they are like.
what do you think about spectrek?
look this http://www.airraidgame.com/
Colorblind Vision – experience what it's like to be colorblind in realtime http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/colorblind-vision/…
AR Waypoints – view waypoints from KML and GPX files in augmented reality http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ar-waypoints/id408…
photo frame – put your face on various background and take photo. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/cool-faces-app/id4…
love it. should have a few good new concepts out in the public domain in early 2011.. looking forward to hearing your comments on them then! smallestturtle.com
Great post. Wondering what your take is on the different apps when you cluster it more… xmpl: Info browsing Layar, Junaio, Wikitude. AR navigation: Compass 360, Wikitude drive etc. AR games, AR social etc. etc.
cheers!
I see. You are suggesting better organization. Great idea!
Star Wars: Falcon Gunner. Any Star Wars nerd's dream come true 🙂
Great overview, thanks. Also check out the new Where To? with Augmented Reality: http://www.futuretap.com/blog/whereto-3d/
Can anyone point me out for where I can find the source code examples for AR? My AR application is very simple. Not doing anything fency. I have few Map Points with Latitude, Longitude, title, subtitle, and image. I want to display them on AR View such that they don't overlap with each other when couple of MapPoints are close together. I am struggeling with framing a frame with different starting and ending points but not got around so far. Can you thinkg something that can be useful for me in this regards?
Does something like this help: http://cmgresearch.blogspot.com/2010/10/augmented…
I like augmented reality but eventually it will go too far. There needs to be a balance. People like the extra functionality but it's nice to explore things on your own.
Agree. But other, more advanced augmentation technologies are on their way. The sky\’s the limit. I am not sure we won\’t push it too far. Exciting nevertheless.
You forgot AirRaid, the only game which really gives meaning to augmented reality gaming.
In my opinion, it hasn't gone far enough. I am eager to get to the point where everyone had contact lenses with built-in heads up displayes, where we can program our boss to look like a Nazgul, the sky to be red, and our co-workers to look like Sesame Street muppets. I'm sure that before the contact lens tech is in place, everyone will be wearing stereo eyeglass displays (already on the market), connected to the phones (via bluetooth eventually.) Imagine the games that will be possible when you and the other players have systems which recognize that a certain hand gesture from you shoots lightning from your hand to the target. Or when you walk around your own yard, but what you see and hear are consistent with the battleground of your favorite FPS game? I'm ready, bring it on before I'm too old to enjoy it! 🙂
Then turn off your phone!
Hi, you may be interested to see a french AR app about culture, museums and art : CultureClic: http://www.cultureclic.fr/en
I am a graduate student in Media Psychology and working on my dissertation. I am in search of a person/company that can help me (actually, I can't really help much because I am not a designer or software writer!) create a smartphone application that uses augmented reality to display information. I understand that creating software is not inexpensive therefore, I am hoping to find some funding for this endeavor and/or someone who might be interested exploring this idea while at the same time, assisting a student. ANY suggestions and information will be GREATLY appreciated! Thank You
Duck Hunt AR revival with augmented reality http://itunes.apple.com/app/duck-hunt-ar/id423234…
[youtube e-UFfDDmh8U http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-UFfDDmh8U youtube]
It's our online and mobile augmented reality platform with social capabilities. You can place cool 3D content in your pictures, geo-tag links/webpages in the world. There is a live-view feature that allows you to search for anything and is powered by Google. Thailand Hotels
And what about AR-Terminator and AR-Matrix?
[youtube GbEV_BH3AFE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbEV_BH3AFE youtube]
If new apps are added or we have missed them, we will add with the next update.
Just this week, we released Unearthed, a free app where you scan paranormal creatures all over the world to help the Agency solve a mystery. There's tons of features on there (map, creating networks of friends, recent news feeds, etc). Check it out and drop us some feedback!
AR apps are coming thick and fast now, but I particularly like Virtual Tags which combines AR and geotagging with social media. Version 2 went live in the app store yesterday too. The app can be seen in action at http://www.virtualtags.net
The new features are covered in their press release here – http://www.prlog.org/11562439-virtual-tags-introd…
DanKam for iphone looks good. i'm going to download it.
A lot of AR apps out there. My favorite is uDecore, http://www.udecore.com perfect when you want to buy furniture or re decorate your house 🙂
[youtube nfWHCFa7JxI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfWHCFa7JxI youtube]
Turbcast is a great travel app AR
These are great apps, and makes one wonder aobut the possibilties for the future.
Word Lens is the best Augmented Reality app I've seen to date. It translates the Spanish language to English.
http://questvisual.com/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2OfQdYrHRs
<iframe width="480" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/h2OfQdYrHRs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
One of my favorite AG app is RC Helicopter by Androne .In this app we basically control a helicopter control using iPhone with remote camera using wifi which gives a true experience of augmented reality.
About video playing in AR try Viseo, that plays video using the augmented reality built on image recognition, http://www.viseo-app.com
[youtube 2MyRoirw4cY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MyRoirw4cY youtube]
Check out 'Halloween Friends' as well, an app that we have developed for the season. It uses facial identification to turn the people around you into monsters and zombies. Great for a laugh, and a good example of augmented reality!
If you are colorblind, try http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/colorpixel/id46561… –> this is an app that can identify colors using your camera
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBi7iqa3O8U
Thanks for sharing this 🙂
We just released a new AR app, MoonWalking, which brings Tranquility Base (site of the first Apollo moon landing) down to Earth to watch history unfold in front of you as an immersive virtual world. http://www.moon-walking.com
i think all this is cool
I'd like to mention my own app. It's new to the AR app community and I just want to spread the word. It's called EarthScribe and its a GPS based AR app for graffiti/urban art. The website is http://earthscri.be and for the app store: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/earthscribe-mobile…
This AR garbage needs to stop. Nothing in reality is being “augmented” by looking through the camera of your phone.
wow, how sad is your life? It's for FUN. Try it sometime lol
[youtube 1WAb3iuPqoo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WAb3iuPqoo youtube]
Check out http://www.blackplaques.com, has AR location overlays for historical stories around London.
And the NCP Car Park Finder app which has a parked car AR mode.
Check out AR Pizza at http://itunes.apple.com/tw/app/ar-pizza/id5553948…
an AR app with pattern recognition to help you cut a pizza in any number of slices
whats next?
(The "real" x-ray vision)
-so many lawsuits
Hey there! I just found your site when I was surfing around digg.com.
It looks as though someone enjoyed your site so
much they decided to bookmark it. I’ll certainly be returning here more often.
Did not know we were getting mentions on Digg. Thanks for letting me know.
Please check out our 3d animated AR app, Two Left Feet, just released and currently being featured in the New and Noteworthy on the App Store, reviewed by Gizmodo and c|net. We have promotional pricing for today and tomorrow too (ending midnight on the 4/9)
AppStore: http://www.appstore.com/twoleftfeet
Website: http://www.twoleftfeetapp.com
Thank you!
What about AR-Code? It’s an interesting app! I use it often to have information about movies scanning the posters. I found also a video http://youtu.be/g2GgoF7ZRo8
You missed instaMOTION™
it is a Top 5 Overall Education App and its an Augmented Reality App
instaMOTIONar.com
It is available on the App Store and Google Play