Put Your iPhone 12 Pro’s Incredible LiDAR Scanner to the Test with These Apps

Apple is betting heavily on augmented reality this year. One of the biggest changes to the iPhone 12 Pro lineup, as well as the 2020 iPad Pro models, was the addition of LiDAR.

The Light Detection and Ranging Scanner, or LiDAR Scanner for short, is a small sensor next to the camera system that’s used to better determine the distance of an object. It does this by measuring how long it takes the light to reach an object and reflect it back.

This gives your iPhone 12 Pro, or your iPad Pro a better understanding of the objects around you – how far or close they are, and it can even determine the height or width of an object pretty accurately.

Of course, that all sounds pretty neat. But as of right now, there aren’t many uses for the LiDAR scanner in your everyday life. Apps and games that make use of augmented reality, or AR, are working to make the overall experience even better in the iPhone 12 Pro models and the iPad Pro, but it’s still a work in progress.

That doesn’t mean you’ll need to wait another year to see what your new iPhone 12 Pro or iPhone 12 Pro Max is capable of. There are already plenty of great apps and games available that make the most out of augmented reality, some of them can only be used exclusively with a LiDAR. Continue reading to browse the best apps and games to put your iPhone’s LiDAR to the test.