Google Pixel and Pixel 2 Get AR-Powered With Stickers

Pixel and Pixel 2 phones with Android 8.1 Oreo update are getting host of new features.

Stranger Things AR stickers come to Pixel and Pixel 2. 

(Photo: The Quint)

Google Pixel and Pixel 2 finally get updated to Android 8.1 Oreo version this week, and with this update, both the Google flagship devices now support augmented reality (AR) for various purposes.

The Android Oreo 8.1 update (reaching Pixel and Pixel 2 users gradually), sized at around 530MB, offers updated features to Google AR Core, its own version of augmented reality (AR) platform, that goes up against ARKit from Apple and AR Stickers.

Also Read: ARCore – Google’s Answer to Apple’s Augmented Reality for Mobile

With AR Stickers, Pixel users can try out different kinds of Augmented Reality activities, which also includes stickers from the upcoming Star Wars: The Last Jedi movie, and the popular Netflix series, Stranger Things.

The Android 8.1 Oreo update brings AR Core magic to Google’s flagship devices. (Photo: The Quint)

How to Get AR Stickers on Pixel and Pixel 2 phones

• Update your Pixel/Pixel 2 to Android 8.1 Oreo
• Head over to Google Play Store – Installed apps section
  Update AR Sticker and AR Core apps
• Reboot the phone to get new features on the phone

Once you update the apps, the AR Sticker feature shows up on the camera app for Pixel and Pixel 2. The different kind of stickers pop up on the top of the display, and you can select any one of them by dragging the icons to the screen.

To capture the stickers, you need to record the characters that you choose, you won’t be able to grab them by taking a screenshot (we tried, and it didn’t work).

This is where AR Stickers show up on the Pixel camera app. (Photo: The Quint)

Startrooper AR sticker on Pixel 2 XL. (Photo: The Quint)

BB-8 from Star Wars is also available on the app.  (Photo: The Quint)

The true potential of AR is yet to be unlocked, with Apple and other giants looking to push the technology for sectors like healthcare and retail.

Pokemon Go has been the first real case-study for AR and we all know how much fun that was.

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