In order to run ARCore from the web, we also need a browser that supports ARCore or ARKit. At the time of writing (beta preview), no browser supports ARCore or ARKit, and therefore, we need to install a special or experimental browser. The experimental browser we will install is called WebARonARCore.
At the time of writing, Google ARCore is in the beta preview. If Google ARCore is in full release (1.0) and supported in a browser on your device, then you can bypass this section.
Installing WebARonARCore is quite simple and just requires you to point a browser on your device and install an APK. Follow the given steps to install WebARonARCore:
- Point a browser on your device to https://github.com/google-ar/WebARonARCore or just Google git WebARonARCore.
- Follow the instructions in the README file to find and click on the WebARonARCore APK download link. This will download the APK to your device. If you get a security warning about the APK file type, just bypass it.
- Click on Open after the file downloads. If your device is set to block installation of apps from unknown sources, you will get a warning. To bypass the warning, do this:
- Tap on Settings.
- Tap on Unknown sources to enable it.
- Click on Install to install the APK to your device.
- Locate the WebARonARCore app on your device and open it.
- Tap on Allow, through the security warnings.
This will launch the WebARCore experimental browser and point it at the same GitHub page we pulled the APK from. Leave the app open on your device as we will use it in an upcoming section. In the next section, we will learn to install Node.js.
You can test your web development on an iOS device by installing WebARonARKit. Unfortunately, the code for WebARonARKit source must be built, compiled, and deployed manually. These steps are not covered in this book, but if you are interested in setting up for an iOS device, follow https://github.com/google-ar/WebARonARKit.