Enable AR in your Android app

Enable AR to use augmented reality features in your new or existing app.

Configure your app to be AR Required or AR Optional

To save space on individual devices, all AR features are stored in an app called Google Play Services for AR that is updated separately by the Play Store. Android apps that use AR features communicate with Google Play Services for AR using the ARCore SDK. An app that supports AR features can be configured in two ways: AR Requiredand AR Optional. This designation determines how the app interacts with the Google Play Services for AR app.

An AR Requiredapp cannot function without ARCore. It requires an ARCore supported device that has installed Google Play Services for AR.

The Google Play Store will only make AR Required apps available on devices that support ARCore.
When users install an AR Required app, the Google Play Store will automatically install Google Play Services for AR on their device. However, your app must still perform additional runtime checks in case Google Play Services for AR is out of date or has been manually uninstalled.

An AR Optionalapp uses ARCore to enhance existing functionality. It has optional AR features which are only activated on ARCore supported devices that have installed Google Play Services for AR.

AR Optional apps can be installed and run on devices that don’t support ARCore.
When users install an AR Optional app, the Google Play Store will notautomatically install Google Play Services for AR on the device.

	AR Required	AR Optional
AR Feature usage	Your app needs ARCore for basic functionality.	ARCore augments your app's functionality. Your app can run without ARCore support.
Play Store visibility	Your app is only listed in the Play Store on devices that support ARCore.	Your app follows normal listing procedures .
Google Play Services for AR installation method	The Play Store installs Google Play Services for AR alongside your app.	Your app uses `ArCoreApk.requestInstall()` to download and install ARCore.
Android `minSdkVersion` requirements	Android 7.0 (API Level 24)	Android 4.4 (API Level 19), though running any AR functionality requires at least Android 7.0 (API Level 24)
Must use `ArCoreApk.checkAvailability()` or `ArCoreApk.checkAvailabilityAsync()` to check ARCore support and install status
Must use `ArCoreApk.requestInstall()` to install Google Play Services for AR

To make your app AR Required or AR Optional, update your AndroidManifest.xml to include the following entries:

AR Required

 < uses 
 - 
 permission 
  
 android 
 : 
 name 
 = 
 "android.permission.CAMERA" 
  
 / 
>

< !-- 
  
 Limits 
  
 app 
  
 visibility 
  
 in 
  
 the 
  
 Google 
  
 Play 
  
 Store 
  
 to 
  
 ARCore 
  
 supported 
  
 devices 
  
 ( 
 https 
 : 
 //developers.google.com/ar/devices). -- 
>
< uses 
 - 
 feature 
  
 android 
 : 
 name 
 = 
 "android.hardware.camera.ar" 
  
 / 
>

< application 
  
 … 
>  
 … 
  
< !-- 
  
 "AR Required" 
  
 app 
 , 
  
 requires 
  
 "Google Play Services for AR" 
  
 ( 
 ARCore 
 ) 
  
 to 
  
 be 
  
 installed 
 , 
  
 as 
  
 the 
  
 app 
  
 does 
  
 not 
  
 include 
  
 any 
  
 non 
 - 
 AR 
  
 features 
 . 
  
 -- 
>  
< meta 
 - 
 data 
  
 android 
 : 
 name 
 = 
 "com.google.ar.core" 
  
 android 
 : 
 value 
 = 
 "required" 
  
 / 
>
< / 
 application 
>

AR Optional

 < uses 
 - 
 permission 
  
 android 
 : 
 name 
 = 
 "android.permission.CAMERA" 
  
 / 
>

< !-- 
  
 If 
  
 your 
  
 app 
  
 was 
  
 previously 
  
 AR 
  
 Required 
 , 
  
 don 
 ' 
 t 
  
 forget 
  
 to 
  
 remove 
  
 the 
  
 ` 
< uses 
 - 
 feature 
  
 android 
 : 
 name 
 = 
 "android.hardware.camera.ar" 
  
 / 
> ` 
  
 entry 
 , 
  
 as 
  
 this 
  
 would 
  
 limit 
  
 app 
  
 visibility 
  
 in 
  
 the 
  
 Google 
  
 Play 
  
 Store 
  
 to 
  
 only 
  
 ARCore 
  
 supported 
  
 devices 
 . 
  
 -- 
>

< application 
  
 … 
>  
 … 
  
< !-- 
  
 "AR Optional" 
  
 app 
 , 
  
 contains 
  
 non 
 - 
 AR 
  
 features 
  
 that 
  
 can 
  
 be 
  
 used 
  
 when 
  
 "Google Play Services for AR" 
  
 ( 
 ARCore 
 ) 
  
 is 
  
 not 
  
 available 
 . 
  
 -- 
>  
< meta 
 - 
 data 
  
 android 
 : 
 name 
 = 
 "com.google.ar.core" 
  
 android 
 : 
 value 
 = 
 "optional" 
  
 / 
>
< / 
 application 
>

Then, modify your app's build.gradle to specify a minSdkVersion of at least 24 :

   
 android 
  
 { 
  
 defaultConfig 
  
 { 
  
 … 
  
 minSdkVersion 
  
 24 
  
 } 
  
 }

Add build dependencies

To add ARCore to your Android Studio project, do the following:

Make sure your project's build.gradle file includes Google's Maven repository.

  allprojects 
  
 { 
  
 repositories 
  
 { 
  
 google 
 () 
  
 … 
  
 } 
 }

Add the latest ARCore library as a dependency in your app's build.gradle file.

  dependencies 
  
 { 
  
 … 
  
 implementation 
  
 ' 
 com 
 . 
 google 
 . 
 ar 
 : 
 core 
 : 
 1.33.0 
 ' 
 }

Perform runtime checks

During runtime, perform the following to ensure that AR features on your app run smoothly.

Check if ARCore is supported

Both AR Required and AR Optional apps should use ArCoreApk.checkAvailability() or ArCoreApk.checkAvailabilityAsync() to determine if the current device supports ARCore. On devices that do not support ARCore, apps should disable AR-related functionality and hide associated UI elements.

Kotlin

  override 
  
 fun 
  
 onCreate 
 ( 
 savedInstanceState 
 : 
  
 Bundle?) 
  
 { 
  
 super 
 . 
 onCreate 
 ( 
 savedInstanceState 
 ) 
  
 // Enable AR-related functionality on ARCore supported devices only. 
  
 maybeEnableArButton 
 () 
  
 … 
 } 
 fun 
  
 maybeEnableArButton 
 () 
  
 { 
  
 ArCoreApk 
 . 
 getInstance 
 (). 
 checkAvailabilityAsync 
 ( 
 this 
 ) 
  
 { 
  
 availability 
  
 - 
>  
 if 
  
 ( 
 availability 
 . 
 isSupported 
 ) 
  
 { 
  
 mArButton 
 . 
 visibility 
  
 = 
  
 View 
 . 
 VISIBLE 
  
 mArButton 
 . 
 isEnabled 
  
 = 
  
 true 
  
 } 
  
 else 
  
 { 
  
 // The device is unsupported or unknown. 
  
 mArButton 
 . 
 visibility 
  
 = 
  
 View 
 . 
 INVISIBLE 
  
 mArButton 
 . 
 isEnabled 
  
 = 
  
 false 
  
 } 
  
 } 
 }

Java

  @Override 
 protected 
  
 void 
  
 onCreate 
 ( 
 Bundle 
  
 savedInstanceState 
 ) 
  
 { 
  
 super 
 . 
 onCreate 
 ( 
 savedInstanceState 
 ); 
  
 // Enable AR-related functionality on ARCore supported devices only. 
  
 maybeEnableArButton 
 (); 
  
 … 
 } 
 void 
  
 maybeEnableArButton 
 () 
  
 { 
  
 ArCoreApk 
 . 
 getInstance 
 (). 
 checkAvailabilityAsync 
 ( 
 this 
 , 
  
 availability 
  
 - 
>  
 { 
  
 if 
  
 ( 
 availability 
 . 
 isSupported 
 ()) 
  
 { 
  
 mArButton 
 . 
 setVisibility 
 ( 
 View 
 . 
 VISIBLE 
 ); 
  
 mArButton 
 . 
 setEnabled 
 ( 
 true 
 ); 
  
 } 
  
 else 
  
 { 
  
 // The device is unsupported or unknown. 
  
 mArButton 
 . 
 setVisibility 
 ( 
 View 
 . 
 INVISIBLE 
 ); 
  
 mArButton 
 . 
 setEnabled 
 ( 
 false 
 ); 
  
 } 
  
 }); 
 }

Even though Google Play Services for AR is installed alongside your AR Required app, users with unsupported devices might install it from an external source. Using ArCoreApk.checkAvailability() or ArCoreApk.checkAvailabilityAsync() to check for ARCore support ensures a consistent experience.

ArCoreApk.checkAvailability() may need to query network resources to determine whether the device supports ARCore. During this time, it will return UNKNOWN_CHECKING . To reduce the perceived latency and pop-in, apps should call ArCoreApk.checkAvailability() once early in its life cycle to initiate the query, ignoring the returned value. This way, a cached result will be available immediately when an AR-entering UI element might be displayed.

Check if Google Play Services for AR is installed

Both AR Required and AR Optional apps must use ArCoreApk.requestInstall() before creating an ARCore session to check whether a compatible version of Google Play Services for AR is (still) installed and to ensure that all required ARCore device profile data has been downloaded.

Kotlin

  // requestInstall(Activity, true) will triggers installation of 
 // Google Play Services for AR if necessary. 
 var 
  
 mUserRequestedInstall 
  
 = 
  
 true 
 override 
  
 fun 
  
 onResume 
 () 
  
 { 
  
 super 
 . 
 onResume 
 () 
  
 // Check camera permission. 
  
 … 
  
 // Ensure that Google Play Services for AR and ARCore device profile data are 
  
 // installed and up to date. 
  
 try 
  
 { 
  
 if 
  
 ( 
 mSession 
  
 == 
  
 null 
 ) 
  
 { 
  
 when 
  
 ( 
 ArCoreApk 
 . 
 getInstance 
 (). 
 requestInstall 
 ( 
 this 
 , 
  
 mUserRequestedInstall 
 )) 
  
 { 
  
 ArCoreApk 
 . 
 InstallStatus 
 . 
 INSTALLED 
  
 - 
>  
 { 
  
 // Success: Safe to create the AR session. 
  
 mSession 
  
 = 
  
 Session 
 ( 
 this 
 ) 
  
 } 
  
 ArCoreApk 
 . 
 InstallStatus 
 . 
 INSTALL_REQUESTED 
  
 - 
>  
 { 
  
 // When this method returns `INSTALL_REQUESTED`: 
  
 // 1. ARCore pauses this activity. 
  
 // 2. ARCore prompts the user to install or update Google Play 
  
 //    Services for AR (market://details?id=com.google.ar.core). 
  
 // 3. ARCore downloads the latest device profile data. 
  
 // 4. ARCore resumes this activity. The next invocation of 
  
 //    requestInstall() will either return `INSTALLED` or throw an 
  
 //    exception if the installation or update did not succeed. 
  
 mUserRequestedInstall 
  
 = 
  
 false 
  
 return 
  
 } 
  
 } 
  
 } 
  
 } 
  
 catch 
  
 ( 
 e 
 : 
  
 UnavailableUserDeclinedInstallationException 
 ) 
  
 { 
  
 // Display an appropriate message to the user and return gracefully. 
  
 Toast 
 . 
 makeText 
 ( 
 this 
 , 
  
 "TODO: handle exception " 
  
 + 
  
 e 
 , 
  
 Toast 
 . 
 LENGTH_LONG 
 ) 
  
 . 
 show 
 () 
  
 return 
  
 } 
  
 catch 
  
 ( 
 … 
 ) 
  
 { 
  
 … 
  
 return 
  
 // mSession remains null, since session creation has failed. 
  
 } 
  
 … 
 }

Java

  // requestInstall(Activity, true) will trigger installation of 
 // Google Play Services for AR if necessary. 
 private 
  
 boolean 
  
 mUserRequestedInstall 
  
 = 
  
 true 
 ; 
 @Override 
 protected 
  
 void 
  
 onResume 
 () 
  
 { 
  
 super 
 . 
 onResume 
 (); 
  
 // Check camera permission. 
  
 … 
  
 // Ensure that Google Play Services for AR and ARCore device profile data are 
  
 // installed and up to date. 
  
 try 
  
 { 
  
 if 
  
 ( 
 mSession 
  
 == 
  
 null 
 ) 
  
 { 
  
 switch 
  
 ( 
 ArCoreApk 
 . 
 getInstance 
 (). 
 requestInstall 
 ( 
 this 
 , 
  
 mUserRequestedInstall 
 )) 
  
 { 
  
 case 
  
 INSTALLED 
 : 
  
 // Success: Safe to create the AR session. 
  
 mSession 
  
 = 
  
 new 
  
 Session 
 ( 
 this 
 ); 
  
 break 
 ; 
  
 case 
  
 INSTALL_REQUESTED 
 : 
  
 // When this method returns `INSTALL_REQUESTED`: 
  
 // 1. ARCore pauses this activity. 
  
 // 2. ARCore prompts the user to install or update Google Play 
  
 //    Services for AR (market://details?id=com.google.ar.core). 
  
 // 3. ARCore downloads the latest device profile data. 
  
 // 4. ARCore resumes this activity. The next invocation of 
  
 //    requestInstall() will either return `INSTALLED` or throw an 
  
 //    exception if the installation or update did not succeed. 
  
 mUserRequestedInstall 
  
 = 
  
 false 
 ; 
  
 return 
 ; 
  
 } 
  
 } 
  
 } 
  
 catch 
  
 ( 
 UnavailableUserDeclinedInstallationException 
  
 e 
 ) 
  
 { 
  
 // Display an appropriate message to the user and return gracefully. 
  
 Toast 
 . 
 makeText 
 ( 
 this 
 , 
  
 "TODO: handle exception " 
  
 + 
  
 e 
 , 
  
 Toast 
 . 
 LENGTH_LONG 
 ) 
  
 . 
 show 
 (); 
  
 return 
 ; 
  
 } 
  
 catch 
  
 ( 
 … 
 ) 
  
 { 
  
 … 
  
 return 
 ; 
  
 // mSession remains null, since session creation has failed. 
  
 } 
  
 … 
 }

Request camera permission

Both AR Optional and AR Required apps must ensure that the camera permission has been granted before creating an AR Session.

Kotlin

  override 
  
 fun 
  
 onResume 
 () 
  
 { 
  
 super 
 . 
 onResume 
 () 
  
 // ARCore requires camera permission to operate. 
  
 if 
  
 ( 
 ! 
 CameraPermissionHelper 
 . 
 hasCameraPermission 
 ( 
 this 
 )) 
  
 { 
  
 CameraPermissionHelper 
 . 
 requestCameraPermission 
 ( 
 this 
 ) 
  
 return 
  
 } 
  
 … 
 }

Java

  @Override 
 protected 
  
 void 
  
 onResume 
 () 
  
 { 
  
 super 
 . 
 onResume 
 (); 
  
 // ARCore requires camera permission to operate. 
  
 if 
  
 ( 
 ! 
 CameraPermissionHelper 
 . 
 hasCameraPermission 
 ( 
 this 
 )) 
  
 { 
  
 CameraPermissionHelper 
 . 
 requestCameraPermission 
 ( 
 this 
 ); 
  
 return 
 ; 
  
 } 
  
 … 
 }

Your AR activity must also implement onRequestPermissionsResult() .

Kotlin

  override 
  
 fun 
  
 onRequestPermissionsResult 
 ( 
  
 requestCode 
 : 
  
 Int 
 , 
  
 permissions 
 : 
  
 Array<String> 
 , 
  
 results 
 : 
  
 IntArray 
 ) 
  
 { 
  
 super 
 . 
 onRequestPermissionsResult 
 ( 
 requestCode 
 , 
  
 permissions 
 , 
  
 results 
 ) 
  
 if 
  
 ( 
 ! 
 CameraPermissionHelper 
 . 
 hasCameraPermission 
 ( 
 this 
 )) 
  
 { 
  
 Toast 
 . 
 makeText 
 ( 
 this 
 , 
  
 "Camera permission is needed to run this application" 
 , 
  
 Toast 
 . 
 LENGTH_LONG 
 ) 
  
 . 
 show 
 () 
  
 if 
  
 ( 
 ! 
 CameraPermissionHelper 
 . 
 shouldShowRequestPermissionRationale 
 ( 
 this 
 )) 
  
 { 
  
 // Permission denied with checking "Do not ask again". 
  
 CameraPermissionHelper 
 . 
 launchPermissionSettings 
 ( 
 this 
 ) 
  
 } 
  
 finish 
 () 
  
 } 
 }

Java

  @Override 
 public 
  
 void 
  
 onRequestPermissionsResult 
 ( 
 int 
  
 requestCode 
 , 
  
 String 
 [] 
  
 permissions 
 , 
  
 int 
 [] 
  
 results 
 ) 
  
 { 
  
 super 
 . 
 onRequestPermissionsResult 
 ( 
 requestCode 
 , 
  
 permissions 
 , 
  
 results 
 ); 
  
 if 
  
 ( 
 ! 
 CameraPermissionHelper 
 . 
 hasCameraPermission 
 ( 
 this 
 )) 
  
 { 
  
 Toast 
 . 
 makeText 
 ( 
 this 
 , 
  
 "Camera permission is needed to run this application" 
 , 
  
 Toast 
 . 
 LENGTH_LONG 
 ) 
  
 . 
 show 
 (); 
  
 if 
  
 ( 
 ! 
 CameraPermissionHelper 
 . 
 shouldShowRequestPermissionRationale 
 ( 
 this 
 )) 
  
 { 
  
 // Permission denied with checking "Do not ask again". 
  
 CameraPermissionHelper 
 . 
 launchPermissionSettings 
 ( 
 this 
 ); 
  
 } 
  
 finish 
 (); 
  
 } 
 }

Comply with User Privacy Requirements

To publish your app on the Play Store, make sure that your app complies with ARCore's User Privacy Requirements .

What’s next

Learn how to configure an ARCore session .

Enable AR in your Android app Stay organized with collections Save and categorize content based on your preferences.

Configure your app to be AR Required or AR Optional

AR Required

AR Optional

Add build dependencies

Perform runtime checks

Check if ARCore is supported

Kotlin

Java

Check if Google Play Services for AR is installed

Kotlin

Java

Request camera permission

Kotlin

Java

Kotlin

Java

Comply with User Privacy Requirements

What’s next

Enable AR in your Android app