Google has announced a major development with ARCore.
The company's augmented reality platform, which has been in testing and limited to a handful of devices and developers for the past year, is finally now out of beta. As a result of that, Google is launching the 1.0 software developer kit (SDK), allowing third-party developers to more easily create AR apps for Android phones.
As of today, ARCore is available for these phones: Google Pixel, Google Pixel XL, Google Pixel 2, Google Pixel 2 XL, Samsung Galaxy S8, Samsung Galaxy S8+, Samsung Galaxy Note 8, Samsung Galaxy S7, Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, LG V30 (Android Oreo only), LG V30+ (Android Oreo only), ASUS Zenfone AR, and OnePlus 5.
The Samsung phones aren't surprising, given Samsung and Google announced last year they were working to bring “immersive new experiences for consumers” to Samsung phones, including the Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+, and Galaxy Note 8. Also, Samsung S8 phones could already run the developer preview version of ARCore.
Anyway, Google said devices from more manufacturers will add ARCore compatibility later this year, including Huawei, Motorola, Xiaomi, Nokia, ZTE, Sony Mobile, and Vivo. Samsung, LG, and ASUS will even announce new devices with ARCore support. Google ultimately wants ARCore running on 100 million old and new devices.
And finally, Google has revealed that it gave certain developers and companies early access to ARCore 1.0. One of those partners is Snap, which used it to create an immersive AR experience that's now live in the Snapchat app for Android. Other partners include Ghostbusters World, Porsche, HD.com, and OTTO.
Keep in mind Variety recently reported that Google is planning to really push AR at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next week. This ARCore 1.0 release will clearly play a major role in that push.