Augmented reality’s usefulness in creating social media apps and exclusive social experience

The AR technology revolutionizes the world of mobile-phone users as it introduces the social-media apps with user-specified features, and keep people well-connected.

 

Introduction

 

The name Snapchat is synonymous to Augmented Reality. These days, people mistake Snapchat for being the sole representative of ‘Augmented Reality’ due to its immense popularity. Snapchat’s popularity also attests to augmented reality’s popularity in today’s world. This utilitarian technology simplifies a variety of tasks in different fields. Hence, it is important to learn about the basics of Augmented Reality technology. It combines the elements of virtual world with ‘real world’ scenarios to improve an individual’s social experience. The ‘mixed reality spectrum’ heightens the visual and auditory senses. This article explains AR’s implementation in ‘real world’ scenarios and its usefulness for social media apps.

 

Augmented Reality Definition and Method of Working

 

Definition

 

The Augmented Reality uses digitally rendered images. It superimposes the images onto the background/elements of real world. The superimposing of digitally rendered images creates a sense of illusion. The Pokémon Go and the IKEA app for iPhone are examples of popular AR apps. It is easy to superimpose a ‘digitally rendered’ image with the use of these apps. An individual needs to place the camera in front of the selected spot before placing images. These apps show an overlay of virtual images in the selected ‘real-world’ spot. The overlaying of virtual images allows individuals to look at the future scenarios at present time.

 

What is AR and How it Works

 

The methodology of Augmented Reality differs from one scenario to another. The camera and mobile app are two primary elements of AR in Smartphones. The app overlays the virtual image on the phone’s screen and onto the selected position after analyzing the marker. The app analyzes different angles of the camera for flawless overlaying. It also measures the distance between the marker and Smartphone’s camera. It is a complex mechanism. It is also necessary to have an improved connection to cellular data for AR overlaying. A few advance-quality Smartphones can offer the features of AR due to these requirements.

Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) Differences

 

The Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality both create pleasing immersive experiences for the users. The main difference lies in the severity of immersive experience. The users need a viewer/goggle to experience ‘Virtual Reality’. The viewer shuts the ‘real world’ completely from the user. The users only visualize virtual images within the viewing parameter. The Augmented Reality does not create an entirely immersive experience for users. It allows two different surroundings to coexist. The users can supplement virtual images with the real-world.

 

Social Media Apps & Augmented Reality

 

The social media apps try to improve the engagement rate for the users with enhanced interactivity. The popular social media networks use the features Augmented Reality to their advantage. The Snapchat is the forerunner in this league and Facebook uses the AR Camera Effects. The creators of social media apps can use AR to guarantee satisfactory user-experience.

 

 

 

Steps to Create New Social Media Apps with AR

 

• It is necessary to build a simplest interface for the users. The users can utilize the interface to take photos or record videos inside the app with the use of phone’s camera.
• The app developers need to integrate accessible editing tools to let users add special effects to videos/photos
• The ‘editing mode’s programming needs to accept the text columns and let the users add captions.
• The app needs to let the users immediately share the recorded videos or captured photos.
• The developer may code the app to make the time-limit of shared post visible to a specific group.
• It is essential to use the phone’s GPS technology during the development of Geo-filters. The social-media app becomes interactive due to this addition.

 

Examples of AR-Based Social Media Apps

 

Snapchat

 

The founders of this popular messaging app aim to deliver interactive user experience with novel innovations. The amazing filters with AR technology let users share maximum number of real-time images and videos. The puppy dog and flower-crown filters let users capture creative selfies. The location-specific stickers add personal touch to users’ posts. The ‘World Stickers’ option let the users add AR objects to real-world scenes.

 

Facebook

 

The Facebook favors the use of instantly usable AR devices instead of Augmented Reality glasses. Mark Zuckerberg believes ‘augmented reality’ can support more than the mobile games on Smartphones. It can use geo-location filters to enhance photos or videos. The Facebook’s advanced AR can individually recognize different objects within a video. It flawlessly integrates the virtual/digital/animated objects to real-world and creates lovely 3D images. The experts can experience AR effects on this platform with GPS location and object recognition.

 

ARKit of iOS 11

 

The developers of Apple Inc. introduced ARKit in WWDC 2017. The Apple believes in AR’s capability to enhance user-experience. The ARKit framework let developers experiment with AR technology to its fullest extent. The developers can use ARKit to flawlessly blend digital objects with the real scenes. They can create unique apps beyond the restrictions of phone’s screen size. They can use ARKit also to create excellent immersive experience for users.

 

Augmented Reality’s Future

 

The ‘augmented reality’ is in the process of reconditioning and updating. The continuous advancement in this field brings forth innovations such as Windows 10 VR headsets or Oculus VR sets. The future of this technology is expected to witness numerous advance modifications.

Geolocation Services

 

It is possible to use AR for Geolocation services. It can deliver vital information to users as the GPS. It can display reviews on selected products/services/locations and help users in decision-making.

 

Retail Marketing

 

The ‘augmented reality’ works as the bridge between the digital world and the physical world. The retail businesses can use this feature in digital marketing and let customers form better engagement with the products. The viewers stay on the AR-based marketing campaigns for 75 seconds. The average dwelling time for audiences on TV or radio ads is 2.5 seconds.

 

 

The social media or messenger apps using ‘augmented reality’ can attract multiple users with its exclusive features. The AR technology revolutionizes the world of mobile-phone users. The Smartphone users may live at the juncture of imaginary and real scenarios with future AR apps. The technological revolution may introduce the social-media apps with user-specified features.