Best VR Apps on iPhone
Due to Apple’s close-hold policy on its phones, the idea of virtual reality (VR) on iPhone may seem like something from the future. It’s hard to believe that you can use VR apps with your iPhone, but it’s true! You can actually run plenty of awesome VR apps on iPhone, and most of them are free! For your iPhone to work in VR mode, you must have one of the latest models such as the iPhone 6S or newer. Some might require iOS 9 or higher as well. The article intends to cover applications that not only give productivity but are used for learning and exploration of our world. These applications can also be categorized as the best educational VR apps. Here are our top picks for the best VR apps on iPhone: …
3D Builder - $7.99
This app lets you use a virtual reality headset to create three-dimensional objects and work in a virtual space. A free version is available but doesn't have as many features. Google Cardboard also comes with some design tools. It's easier to start than some other 3D apps, making it a good choice if you don't have much experience with VR design programs. Oculus Home: To use one of these apps, you'll need to have an Oculus Rift or Samsung Gear VR headset and enough computer hardware to run it. The selection of games and productivity apps available on Oculus is still growing, but Facebook offers two free apps for checking out 360-degree photos and videos from around the world or interacting with friends in real-time through avatars.
Star Chart VR - Free
Star Chart is an incredible tool for anyone with an interest in astronomy, but it’s particularly well-suited to space enthusiasts who have a great view of (or access to) outer space. The app functions as a virtual telescope and can show you what any star or planet looks like from anywhere on Earth. Using augmented reality, Star Chart VR allows you to aim your iPhone at any spot insight and identify anything that you see. When combined with a voiceover describing exactly what’s happening in your sky, it can be surprisingly educational. It does sometimes suffer from GPS problems if used when out and about, but if your area is well mapped—and if you don’t move around too much—you shouldn’t have too many issues.
NASA App - Free
When it comes to top-tier space agency apps, NASA is hard to beat. The NASA app offers a virtual tour of our solar system’s planets and moons, a live stream of spacewalkers at work (yes, there are always astronauts working outside of their orbiting craft), and footage from past missions. It’s an immersive experience that will have you reaching for your iPhone every time you get bored during your commute.
Google Expeditions - Free
Google Expeditions is one of our favorite mobile VR apps. Google Expeditions allows teachers to create their own custom VR field trips, or students can explore a variety of different immersive locations. Teachers who have experienced virtual reality in the class report that it has many benefits, including helping with student engagement and reducing discipline issues because there’s no eye contact required and also because students are fully immersed in a new experience. Google Expeditions works with Google Cardboard (and other headsets), so you don’t need an expensive piece of equipment to take advantage of all it has to offer.
Titans of Space - Free
Titans of Space is one of our favorite VR apps on Android, but it works wonderfully on iPhone as well. Titans of Space is more than just a tour through some awesome and super-interesting facts about space: It gives you an inside look at scale models of planets and stars that are interactive in a way that’s simple to understand and fun to use. Download it now.
Whirligig - $1.99
You might be surprised by just how much fun you can have in virtual reality on your iPhone. Whirligig is a 3D video player that allows you to watch almost any kind of content on a virtual screen. You'll feel like you're watching from an IMAX-sized screen, which is still better than most people's actual television screens! The free version includes ads and allows you to use it for free for seven days, but after that, it’s $1.99 per month or $14.99 per year.
Couch Knight - $2.99
Couch Knight is a great app for both iPhone and Android devices. Using your phone’s camera, you can put yourself in a virtual environment that mirrors what’s happening in real life. You can use it to walk around or go sightseeing—there are plenty of places already built-in—or even watch movies on an IMAX-style screen! The best part is that Couch Knight lets you watch 2D videos like YouTube directly in your virtual environment, with full head tracking!
Hello Mars! - $0.99
If you want to look at Mars in real-time, grab Hello Mars! and pretend you’re on your way there. In a fun twist, it places you underwater and allows you to move around by tilting your phone. It also includes an option that gives out facts about Mars with every tilt of your phone. And if that’s not enough to make it worth picking up, Hello Mars! is also one of the best-looking VR apps on iPhone (or any smartphone), so make sure to check it out if you’re looking for something gorgeous as well as useful.
Tilt Brush - $29.99
Tilt Brush lets you paint in 3D space and then export your creation as a 360 video or image. If you’re an artist who is passionate about sharing your work with others, Tilt Brush is a must-have app. It also happens to be one of my favorite non-game apps because it brings my creativity to life. My favorite use of Tilt Brush has been recreating scenes from movies, such as Star Wars: The Force Awakens. It’s really difficult to describe how fun it is to draw using VR; if you ever want to see what I mean, come over and I’ll show you (and probably show off). :)
Virtual Desktop - $9.99
This app is probably my favorite of all, and it’s also one of a handful that requires at least an iPhone 6 or newer. Virtual Desktop is a program that takes what your phone screen would normally display—which, in most cases, is nothing—and turns it into something useful: a Windows computer running directly on your phone. You can then use a traditional PC mouse and keyboard to type things or move windows around or even play PC games (depending on their compatibility). It works surprisingly well, though your mileage may vary depending on how powerful your phone is. I have been able to play StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty on my phone at full speed with no issues (and full resolution), but other demanding games such as The Witcher 3 may not work so well.
AltspaceVR - Free (with in-app purchases available).
AltspaceVR is a free platform available on PC, Android, and iOS that brings people together to experience virtual reality from anywhere in the world. Through its virtual environment, users can chat with other users in real-time through their avatars as well as view 360-degree content. In addition to AltspaceVR's large library of user-created content, it also offers several original interactive video series such as Mr. Robot: Virtual Reality Experience and Helps Us Find Sunil Tripathi. New shows are added regularly so there's always something new to watch or do on AltspaceVR.
With evolving smartphone industry and everchanging Virtual reality paradigms, the future of usability and application of VR is exciting. What we have achieved is a mere glimpse of our imagination and Virtual reality applications will be changing our thought processes, our way of looking at education, and all other aspects of life.
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