TikTok debuts its first-ever AR (augment reality) effect, which will take advantage of the iPhone 12 Pro's LiDAR feature. Apple's most prominent advertised new feature is its LiDAR sensor.

It enables iPhone 12 Pro to have cool augmented reality effects. This is currently available because of the device's ability to position objects precisely in 3D space.

(Photo : Photo Illustration by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
In this photo illustration, the download page for the TikTok app is displayed on an Apple iPhone on August 7, 2020 in Washington, DC. On Thursday evening, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that bans any transactions between the parent company of TikTok, ByteDance, and U.S. citizens due to national security reasons. The president signed a separate executive order banning transactions with China-based tech company Tencent, which owns the app WeChat. Both orders are set to take effect in 45 days.

However, there's only one problem. The feature is not widely used. Actual use cases for the technology are currently still few and far between.

But, TikTok will change this scenario since it already announced its new AR effect. According to Mashable's latest report, the new feature will be using iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Plus' LiDAR.

Can other devices use TikTok's AR feature?

As of the moment, the new effect is only available in iPhone 12 Pro Plus and iPhone 12 Pro. It shows a square-like disco ball above the user's head.

If you wait until it reaches zero, the ball will explode and show the "2021" sign. The person and other objects, such as furniture, in front of the camera, will be covered in confetti.

(Photo : Photo Illustration by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
In this photo illustration, the download page for the Tiki Tok app is displayed on an Apple iPhone on August 7, 2020 in Washington, DC. On Thursday evening, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that bans any transactions between the parent company of TikTok, ByteDance, and U.S. citizens due to national security reasons. The president signed a separate executive order banning transactions with China-based tech company Tencent, which owns the app WeChat. Both orders are set to take effect in 45 days.

"To ring in 2021 we released our first AR effect on the new iPhone 12 Pro, using LiDAR technology which allows us to create effects that interact with your environment - visually bridging the digital and physical worlds," captioned TkTok via its official Twitter account.

"We're excited to develop more innovative effects in 2021!" it added.

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TikTok's new feature is available across the globe, except in a few selected countries. The app company confirmed that it is planning to develop more AR effects this year of 2021.

However, they didn't specify the upcoming effects will still use Apple's LiDAR effect.

How does LiDAR works? 

Geo Slam previously explained that LiDAR works just like Sonar and Radar. However, it uses light waves from laser instead of sound or radio waves. The system will calculate how long it takes for the light to hit a surface and reflect back to the scanner. LiDAR will then calculate the distance using the velocity lights, which are called "Time of Flight." 

For more news updates about TikTok's upcoming features, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.  

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Written by: Giuliano de Leon.