The augmented reality stuff Google showcased during the launch event of Pixel 2 has finally made to the Play Store. Available exclusively to Google’s own Pixel devices, the ARCore app and AR Stickers are currently only supported by the recently released Android 8.1 Oreo update.
While it’s understandable for the AR Stickers app to be Pixel exclusive, but the ARCore app which is the platform developers are going to use to create AR based apps should be available to more devices. Even Google’s Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P devices, which received the Android 8.1 officially aren’t supported by the ARCore app currently.
As for the Android Nougat, Marshmallow, Lollipop or below versions of Android, Google’s intent looks pretty clear. These versions of Android won’t be getting any official support for ARCore or AR Stickers. Even Android 8.0 Oreo won’t get ARCore support, but there’s good hope that manufacturers will release the Android 8.1 update for at-least their Android 8.0 supported devices.
Anyway, we’re hopeful that the knowledgeable folks over at XDA and other Android developers communities will find a way to run both ARCore and AR Stickers on Nougat, Marshmallow, and Lollipop versions of Android. We’ll be keeping a close watch on the forums for any news regarding this. Stay tuned..
Also Read: How to use AR Stickers on Google Pixel Android devices
