ARLOOPA: Scan & Discover AR

What is Arloopa app?

Arloopa includes a huge selection of models to observe on-screen or in your surroundings using augmented reality – a capability your phone or tablet likely has built in. You won't need any extra equipment.

Modern markerless AR, like Arloopa's, doesn't need printed-out designs to help lock on to the physical environment. It can use markers to help make selecting the right models easy, but they are not compulsory.

On the free ad-supported version of this app, you choose one of the many included models to view. This is a review of Arloopa used by subscribers, unlocking all of the models and removing the advertisements.

Once you've chosen a model, you point your device's camera at a flat surface and tap the screen. Your chosen model appears to inhabit your physical space when you view it through your device's screen. If it is a creature, it moves and makes sounds; science equipment might cycle through different states.

Viewers can move around the model to see it from different angles and capture images and short gif-based video clips in your space. Creative users can subscribe to an app called Arloopa Studio to make their own AR-based experiences.

What we love about Arloopa app.

Augmented reality is one of the technologies that still feels exciting when we use it on a mobile device. It always had potential, but the ease with which 3D models appear to interact with our physical space makes all of the difference. Arloopa combines excellent models and an easy-to-use interface to display dinosaurs, science equipment, museum pieces, artworks and more.

Arloopa provides an excellent focal point to encourage thinking and discussions between learners and their teachers, whether at school or a with a homeschooling parent. Instead of discussing rare objects and creatures, you can examine them together almost as if you had the real thing.

What skills does it teach?

Arloopa does not directly teach kids but makes 3D models available to stimulate learners' interests. Some objects come with a text description or explanation, providing the viewer with some informative background. It isn't enough to teach everything about a thing, but it gives helpful context.

What age is it appropriate for?

While this app contains content kids might enjoy, its privacy policy clarifies that it is not intended for kids under thirteen. We recommend observing the developer's age guidance with all apps.

Is Arloopa app easy to use?

Arloopa is an easy app to navigate through the different sections. Each has a logical name, and most of the content is only a couple of taps from the homepage. The scanner is a convenient and easy way to access predefined content.

If you were an early user of AR, you might remember it being challenging to calibrate, but that is no longer the case, and Arloopa will anchor a 3D model to your table or floor easily and quickly. The AR scanner option in the app will read a QR code so that users can jump straight to the relevant model — a feature handy for guided tours in museums or other places of interest.

How will students benefit?

Interacting with the models is easy and intuitive for kids. The included models look great from all angles, and their animations and sound add an extra dimension.

The capture tools interest kids as they can take photos of their surroundings with the model overlaid onto them or even capture a gif they can save to their device to share. If you have one of the simple virtual reality headsets which lets you slot a phone into them, you can activate VR mode in Arloopa for complete immersion.

How will parents benefit?

Arloopa has a usable version available for free which parents always love. With plenty of content to entertain kids who meet the minimum age requirement of 13 and used alongside educational videos or books, the 3D models will give kids a new way of looking at the subject.

Parents will also have fun using the app to capture unusual photos of their kids. A short video of a child sitting by a dinosaur or standing by a Bengal tiger can be realistic and striking!

How will teachers benefit?

Teachers with students over 13 will find this an excellent app for their explanations, as AR is the next best thing to being at a museum or gallery. Teachers should consider the associated creators' app Arloopa Studio which would let them build more personalised experiences. With this approach, science labs, history classrooms, and art studios could all become interactive display spaces.

What can Arloopa app improve on?

We feel that those under 13 could enjoy the app, and we would like to see the developers create a child-friendly or school version that avoids any of the features that make the app suitable only for those over 13s.

How much does Arloopa app cost?

Arloopa is free to download. You can interact with a limited selection of models but still use other tools such as VR, AR, and GIF recorders. Some models are entirely usable in the free app, and others have restrictions. You can unlock them in the following ways:

• View an advertisement
• Spend some of your complementary 1000 coins (the models range from 50 to 400 coins)
• Spend some of the coins you have bought as consumable in-app purchases
• Become a premium subscriber

Not all are unlockable via ads; some are for premium users only. As well as buying coins or subscribing, there are a few one-off tasks where you can earn coins, for example, by following on social media.

You can don't need to subscribe and purchase coins. The two options allow you flexibility. If you think the app will get a lot of use in the short term, you might consider the coins, but in the long term, a subscription will work out cheaper and remove the ads.

If you click any options to create content, the app will open an external link to Arloopa Studio, a separate paid-for app. Arloopa Studio does not form part of this review.

Is Arloopa app safe to use?

Apps that use consumable in-app purchases are not ideal for anyone who might find it difficult to 'budget' their coins. Arloopa mitigates this by having a subscription as an alternative that removes the ads.

The app will display ads without the subscription, even if you buy coins. They do not interrupt the flow of the app, but as third-party services, they likely use targeted advertising which makes it unsuitable for under 13s.

You can sign up for an Arloopa account using your email address or a third-party social media account.

We did not see any content unsuitable for kids, but we draw your attention to the minimum age of 13 set by the app's terms and conditions.

Ensure you provide a safe space with no trip hazards when using AR. Kids who become focused on the models on their screens can lose awareness of their surroundings. This guidance applies to any app encouraging users to move around while looking at the screen.

Overall rating of the app.

There are two sides to this review of Arloopa. The first considers the app as an AR viewer. It works superbly in this regard. The app provides a straightforward browsing experience, the AR works well and is adaptable to different use cases.

As an educational app, it depends on how instructors, curators, and teachers use it. Kids over 13 who download the app will have fun, find it interesting and learn some new facts, but Arloopa is not an independent learning tool to use in isolation.

Museums, galleries, and other locations can use Arloopa with the studio software to enhance their exhibits and collections. Schools could enhance their science labs and art rooms with it. Teachers can use it to build and enhance lessons with immersive augmented reality.

We've awarded Arloop five stars for its strength as an AR app and its potential when deployed by a creative organisation or teacher. It is easy to discover whether you can use Arloopa to enhance your students' education, as the free version is very usable and indicative of the complete experience.