Google is updating its augmented reality SDK so that phones with dual cameras can capture more in-depth information. As noted by Android Police, the latest update to the Google Play Services for AR app, which is how Google distributes ARCore features, now notes “Dual camera stereo depth on compatible devices” in its changelog.
For now, it looks like support will be limited to Google’s own Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL, which were launched in 2019. The list of compatible ARCore devices on the Google developer website says that support for two cameras will be launched in the coming weeks. .
Notably, this means that the Pixel 5 and the 4a 5G, both Pixel 2020 smartphones with dual cameras, will not see the benefits for now. This may be because their secondary cameras are ultrawides, rather than the Pixel 4 and 4 XL telephoto cameras, which would have implications for how they could produce more detailed depth maps.
In any case, it is another consequence of Google’s indecision regarding the lenses of Pixel cameras. The company insisted for a long time that it only needed a single camera due to computational resources like Super Res Zoom on the Pixel 3, then, confusedly, added a telephoto lens on the Pixel 4, then went back and exchanged it for an ultra large one on Pixel 5.