Fantasy and Reality Collide in Mobile App Development

One of the latest trends taking over mobile app development is bringing virtual experiences to life through augmented reality.

This trend has been seen in a number of games or film editors that place virtual objects right in front of you using your mobile device’s camera. Also seen in social media, Snapchat and Instagram use facial recognition to create interactive filters. Perhaps the most expansive example of this mobile app development is Google Maps. They use satellite technology to give you step-by-step directions that use the view right in front of you through your camera. Google even recently introduced a new feature that brings a virtual fox on your screen to follow for directions.

While these technological advancements seem daunting, more and more developers have obtained the tools to integrate them into their web and mobile platforms. Using physics-based techniques, companies have increased their access to 3D technology to use your surroundings and create content based on your location. This gives those companies a whole new market in mobile app development to invent useful and powerful apps that enhance consumers’ everyday experiences. It has even been said that at the rate the technology is moving currently, it will be difficult to determine the difference between a digital and physical scene.

The possibilities of these advancements are near endless. They have already been used in games like Pokemon Go, social media platforms, as well as navigation and public transportation apps. As augmented reality progresses, it will no longer be a figure of speech to say you have the “world at your fingertips”.