Apple’s Clips App Now Has Virtual Lasers and Floating Hearts, Thanks to the LiDAR Scanner

Apple’s fun little short-form video app, Clips, has just gotten another major update, adding support for the LiDAR Scanner found on the iPhone 12 Pro and 2020/2021 iPad Pro models, along with the promise to deliver ongoing monthly content updates.

The first version of Clips debuted back in 2017, and while it was originally a fairly simple little video editor designed to appeal to Snapchat fans, it’s evolved in leaps and bounds since to take particular advantage of Apple’s hardware improvements.

This included a landmark update a few months later that added support for the TrueDepth camera after it was introduced on the iPhone X, via a new “Selfie Scenes” feature that let users place themselves against dynamic live backgrounds ranging from a Paris café to the bridge of the Millennium Falcon.

After that, however, Clips stagnated for a few years, receiving only minor content updates that added new stickers and backgrounds. It wasn’t until late 2019 that support for Animoji and Memoji came along, after which it seemed that Apple was getting more serious about the app, likely promoting it from “hobby” status into something more significant.

The December 2019 Animoji/Memoji update was followed by the addition of keyboard and trackpad support last spring, right on the heels of Apple’s new iPad Pro models and Magic Keyboard. Then, last fall Apple released a major Clips 3.0 update that finally brought it more in sync with the social media generation, introducing the ability to record vertical video, in multiple aspect ratios, support for landscape orientation on the iPad, and even the ability to use Scribble with the Apple Pencil.

Each of these updates was also accompanied by a wealth of new content, including new stickers, shapes, and soundtracks, including licensed content from Disney with new expressive animations.

Enter AR Spaces

Now, with Clips 3.1, Apple is fully embracing the augmented reality features that are powered by the LiDAR Scanner on the iPhone 12 Pro and modern iPad Pro.

Apple teased the update during its Spring Loaded event last week, showing how it can use the LiDAR sensor to add dynamic lights, falling objects, and more to the room around you, and as of today, it’s officially announcing it’s available to all.

In effect, it’s taking the 2017 introduction of Selfie Scenes the next level. While the TrueDepth camera provided cool unique dynamic backgrounds behind your face, AR Spaces lets you actually transform the room you’re in entirely.

Combined with the tight integration of Apple’s hardware and software, Clips 3.1 now enables users to record amazing videos with magical effects that map to the shape of a room and the objects within it.

According to Apple, today’s update adds a total of seven new AR Spaces, including Prima, Confetti, Disco, Dance Floor, Sparkles, Stardust, and Hearts, which include everything from ribbons of rainbow light bouncing off the walls and floors to floating heart balloons bubbling up within the room, and even a virtual disco ball hanging from the ceiling.

Apple’s AR features also allow Clips to recognize people in the video, projecting the AR spaces around them, resulting in a much more immersive feel. AR Spaces can also be combined with other Clips features like animated stickers, text labels, and emoji overlays, and you can even record in any of the support aspect ratios.

Lastly, Apple also plans to keep the content in Clips fresh, noting that users can expect regular monthly updates adding even more filters, Live Titles, text, stickers, and posters. These will also often be tied to seasonal events and cultural trends, much like Apple’s various Activity Ring challenges for Apple Watch users.