More to explore with ARKit 6

ARKit 6 introduces 4K video, so you can capture stunning high-resolution videos of AR experiences — perfect for professional video editing, film production, social media apps, and more. Video and capture capabilities are expanded with support for HDR video and high-resolution background image capture. ARKit 6 also brings Location Anchors to new cities, such as Montreal, Sydney, Singapore, and Tokyo, and it features improvements to Motion Capture.

4K Video

ARKit 6 introduces the option to capture a 4K video feed using the back camera during an ARKit session. 4K video is perfect for apps that integrate virtual and real-world content together for video creation, such as social media, professional video editing, and film production apps.

Requires iPhone 11 or later or iPad Pro (5th generation).

Depth API

The advanced scene understanding capabilities built into the LiDAR Scanner allow this API to use per-pixel depth information about the surrounding environment. When combined with the 3D mesh data generated by Scene Geometry, this depth information makes virtual object occlusion even more realistic by enabling instant placement of virtual objects and blending them seamlessly with their physical surroundings. This can drive new capabilities within your apps, like taking more precise measurements and applying effects to a user’s environment.

Instant AR

The LiDAR Scanner enables incredibly quick plane detection, allowing for the instant placement of AR objects in the real world without scanning. Instant AR placement is automatically enabled on iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, and iPad Pro for all apps built with ARKit, without any code changes.

The Depth API and Instant AR are specific to devices equipped with the LiDAR Scanner: iPad Pro 11-inch (2nd generation), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (4th generation), iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max.

Motion Capture

Capture the motion of a person in real time with a single camera. By understanding body position and movement as a series of joints and bones, you can use motion and poses as an input to the AR experience — placing people at the center of AR. Height estimation improves on iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPad Pro in all apps built with ARKit, without any code changes.

Simultaneous front and back camera

Simultaneously use face and world tracking on the front and back cameras, opening up new possibilities. For example, users can interact with AR content in the back camera view using just their face.

Image and video capture improvements

With ARKit 6, you can capture a high-resolution background image during an ARKit session, which is great for enabling higher-quality virtual object reconstruction and for photography apps that want to guide users to the perfect shot while maximizing final image quality. ARKit 6 also introduces support for HDR video and adds EXIF tags, such as exposure and white balance, to every ARKit frame. And you can now directly control the setting exposure, white balance, and focus of the camera during an ARKit session.

Scene Geometry

Create a topological map of your space with labels identifying floors, walls, ceilings, windows, doors, and seats. This deep understanding of the real world unlocks object occlusion and real-world physics for virtual objects, and also gives you more information to power your AR workflows.

People Occlusion

AR content realistically passes behind and in front of people in the real world, making AR experiences more immersive while also enabling green-screen-style effects in almost any environment. Depth estimation improves on iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPad Pro in all apps built with ARKit, without any code changes.

Additional improvements

Motion Capture now includes tracking for your left and right ears, with improved overall body pose detection. Detect up to 100 images at a time and get an automatic estimate of the physical size of the object in the image. 3D object detection is more robust, as objects are better recognized in complex environments.