‘Stranger Things’ and ‘Star Wars’ AR stickers have arrived on the Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL

Google has released Augmented Reality stickers for the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, which are now available on the Google Play Store. Pixel smartphone users will have to head to My Apps section and find them under Updates. Once you download them, they will appear in the main Camera app. However, the apps require Android 8.1 Oreo. So, if you aren’t already on Android 8.1, you will need to upgrade.

Google had announced that it will partner with many brands to offer a better AR experience on Pixel devices. In October this year, the company stated that popular characters from Netflix’s Stranger Things such as Eleven and the Demogorgon will be available in the sticker packs. Additionally, Google also brought in special Star Wars stickers ahead of The Last Jedi, which is set to release this week.

Google’s ARCore is a platform for building augmented reality apps on Android. It uses three key technologies to integrate virtual content with the real world as seen through your phone's camera. These include motion tracking, environmental understanding and light estimation.

A report by Arstechnica points out that Google has several OEMs signed up for ARCore compatibility, and when the framework hits version 1.0, Google says it expects 100 million users to have access to the framework. For now though, ARCore is only on version 0.91, and it only works on the Pixel phones.