Wayfair launches augmented reality feature for Android
Wayfair – the popular online furniture retailer – has launched an augmented reality feature for Android devices, the company announced Tuesday.
The home-good company's "View in Room 3D" function, part of Wayfair's mobile shopping app, allows shoppers to place virtual furniture in areas of their homes. It's an easy way to see how different pieces will look, and make sure they'll fit in your space, before you buy.
The feature first rolled out for iOS 11 in September, coinciding with the highly anticipated release of ARKit. Its Android counterpart uses ARCore, Google's answer to Apple's augmented reality tool.
Wayfair wasn't the only company to take advantage of ARKit for such a use case: Ikea had a similar idea, and Amazon wasn't far behind. But Wayfair is a bit late to the game on the Android front. Android users got Ikea's app on Monday, and Amazon's moved over in late February.
Still, it's clear that ARCore is good news for Android-loyal furniture shoppers.
“The launch of ARCore brings the power of augmented reality to even more consumers," said Wayfair cofounder and cochairman Steve Conine in an emailed statement, "and we’re proud to deliver a useful and practical application of this innovative technology to our customer."
Monica wrote for Mashable's Tech section with a focus on retail, internet of things, and the intersections of technology and social justice. She holds a degree in creative writing from Brown University, and has previously written for Dow Jones Media, the New York Post, Yahoo Finance, and others. In her free time, she can be found attempting to cook Asian food, buying board games, and looking for new hobbies.
