TikTok Debuts Its First AR Effect to Use LiDAR in iPhone 12 Pro Models

Thursday January 7, 2021 2:04 am PST by Tim Hardwick

TikTok has launched its first augmented reality effect to make use of the LiDAR technology present in iPhone 12 Pro devices (via TechCrunch).

To ring in 2021 we released our first AR effect on the new iPhone 12 Pro, using LiDAR technology which allows us to create effects that interact with your environment - visually bridging the digital and physical worlds. We're excited to develop more innovative effects in 2021! pic.twitter.com/6yFD2FfHta — TikTokComms (@TikTokComms) January 6, 2021

Shared on TikTok's official Twitter account, the effect celebrates the New Year with golden balloons and explosions of confetti that react to the presence of real objects in the environment.

First introduced on the iPad Pro in March 2020, and since expanded to the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max, the LiDAR Scanner is a small sensor that uses 3D sensing to measure the distance to surrounding objects up to five meters away.

Using the technology's APIs, developers can create enhanced augmented reality experiences and utilize unique capabilities in their apps, such as the ability to measure a person's height instantly.

In TikTok's new AR effect, the behavior of the virtual confetti makes it seem like it's actually in the room, as it gently settles on the man's arms and the furniture around him. TikTok says the AR filter is being rolled out globally with the exception of a few countries, and is just the first of "more innovative effects" to come this year.

Snapchat was one of the first apps to use the iPhone 12 Pro LiDAR Scanner for AR. Apple is expected to expand its LiDAR tech to the entire iPhone 13 lineup in 2021, rather than only the Pro and Pro Max models, according to a recent supply chain report.

Tags: LiDAR Scanner, TikTok