Today, Google pushed a new update to one of its most convenient AR-based app, Google Measure, bumping it up to version 2.0.
One of the highlighting features is adding support to all devices that are compatible with the new ARCore platform. You can find a list with all the compatible devices here, though it might be missing a couple of devices – I just installed Google Measure on my OnePlus 5T which is not on the list. All you need to do is to install the app from the Google Play Store. The Google ARCore kit will be downloaded prior to installing the Google Measure app automatically.
For those unfamiliar with the app, Google Measure essentially allows you to measure the distance between any two points via your phone’s camera, as long as the app is able to detect a viable object (such as a table for instance), with a slight margin of error to be taken into account. Since this is an AR-based app, Google Measure was previously restricted to run on Tango-enabled devices to make full use of an array of special dedicated hardware on board. Thankfully, Google decided to resurrect this app and enrich its much broader and more compatible ARCore platform.
Using the app is pretty straightforward. After opening the app (and granting all the required permissions to access your phone’s camera), move your phone around for some time to scan for all nearby objects. After all the applicable objects are identified, drag and drop any of the ‘length’ or ‘height’ rulers from below to measure the length or height between any two points on the textured planes. Once done, you can take a screenshot by tapping on the camera button in the top right corner of the screen. You can tap on the 3-dot menu button to access your gallery or change between metric and imperial units. It’s worth noting however that using this app for long period of time would tax the CPU quite noticeably and might heat up your phone a bit. Also, this app requires good lighting conditions to be able to work properly.
