Apple added a VR mode to Maps in iOS 11 which gets better with its newly introduced ARKit

tech2 News StaffJun 30, 2017 12:29:45 IST

Apple while unveiling iOS 11 at WWDC earlier this month showcased the company's emphasis on Augmented Reality (AR) and its capabilities. Apple, however, did not talk mention the now popularly dubbed "Godzilla" mode that was added to Apple Maps. It's powered by ARKit.

Apple's 'flyover' feature built into Maps, earlier allowed users to experience a pre-scripted cinematic tour around prime locations in a city. The newly introduced ARKit packs in an entirely different experience with the ability to fly and explore Apple's 3D-enabled cities freely instead of a cinematic tour. Now, though the ARKit is not available for a tryout in the public beta of iOS 11, the new feature will give users an experience similar to what some may call, Google's Earth VR.

So.. Apple put an awesome VR mode in Apple Maps (powered by ARKit) and didn’t even talk about it in the Keynote ? Wow pic.twitter.com/2ZBBXj4NYM

— Felix Lapalme (@lap_felix) June 27, 2017

Apple's ARKit is confirmed to be at work behind this, as developers at iDownloadBlog did try and block the rear camera during the walkaround and the system prompted, asking the camera to be aimed at a different surface owing to inadequate contrast.

The flyover feature, even without the ARKit, allows users to hover around cities listed by Apple supporting 'flyover'. What's even better is this is a fully baked in VR capability which allows users to move on the map by walking around while being tracked by the device's gyroscope data.