Nearby Interaction API
The Nearby Interactions API was introduced with iOS 14 and allows developers to take advantage of the high-end U1 broadband chip available on the iPhone 11 and beyond. The U1 chip, which allows accurate location and spatial awareness of devices, could be used for things like tracking the distance between one iPhone and the other. With iOS 15 and watchOS 8, Apple has extended these capabilities to the Apple Watch, as the Apple Watch Series 6 and later also feature the U1 chip. This year, iOS 16 brings an exciting new option for developers working with the Nearby Interaction API, which is the ability to integrate the U1 chip with augmented reality through ARKit. As reported by the company at a WWDC 2022 session, iOS is already using the U1 chip in conjunction with ARKit to locate precision-able AirTags. With the help of the data provided by the U1 chip in combination with the iPhone camera, the Find My application can accurately guide the user to his AirTag. Developers will now also be able to create similar experiences in their applications using the U1 chip and ARKit, making distance and instruction information even more consistent and accurate. Apple says the best uses for this API are the experiences that guide users to a particular nearby object, such as an unplaced object, an object of interest, or an object that the user wants to interact with. An application can, for example, tell users if the object they are looking for is in front of them or behind them.
U1, ARKit and Apple AR / VR headphones
Many recent rumors mention the release of a new augmented reality headset by Apple sometime in late 2022 or early 2023. Although the product was not announced at WWDC 2022 and the company did not say a word about augmented or augmented reality during introductory speech, much is said about AR and VR in WWDC sessions. For a device that is expected to have many cameras and advanced sensors, including an ultra-wide chip, it is clear that it will have accurate spatial awareness. And while there is no SDK for the new handset as it has not been officially announced, Apple really seems to want developers to prepare their applications for this kind of interaction before the handset is announced. When the company first announced the U1 chip with the iPhone 11, it said experiences like the faster AirDrop would be just the beginning. The U1 is now used for things like car keys in the Wallet app and finding the AirTag, but the chip will certainly play an important role in Apple’s augmented reality headphones. In a related note, ARKit has also been updated to iOS 16 to include support for 4K HDR video and advanced indoor scanning – another important step towards an AR / VR device. FTC: We use affiliate links that automatically generate revenue. More. Take a look at 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Apple news:
