The new Google app called Just a line has been launched a few hours ago. This new app is AR related Its gameplay is simple yet fun, so we recommend downloading it and unleashing your imagination if you have a compatible device.
Just a Line: an AR experiment from Google Creative Lab
These have been the literal words of Google: Just a line is a AR experimentIts usefulness is practically nil, since it can only draw white lines in the air. Even so, it is part of the projects of Google CreativeLab, an ideas lab within the company that launches small, open experiments to inspire users and developers.
Just a Line emerged from a previous experiment called ARCore Drawingwhere they worked with a simple white line articulated in space. That concept evolved into a free and accessible app that you can download to your smartphone, as long as it's compatible with ARCore. In this way, Google shows a practical example of how the app can be used. ARCore platform to create immersive experiences without the need for complex hardware.
When we open the application, we are immediately confronted with the camera view and a minimal interface. At the top is the button to clear the drawing and access the menu, while at the bottom we can choose the brush thicknessYou can record a video or undo the last stroke. This simplicity is intentional: the goal is for any user to understand how to draw in the air in seconds.
Drawing with Just a Line is as simple as Tap the screen and start movingThe phone becomes a kind of virtual paintbrush with which we draw a floating white line in three dimensions. We can add more leaves to a plant, create a door in the middle of nowhere, or draw a spiral that runs around the entire room. The beauty is that the drawings remain. anchored to space where we created them, even if we change the position of the phone.
The results are quite surprising if we know how to use these lines, since augmented reality allows us to perfectly combine our surroundings with the lines we draw. Furthermore, the app allows us to create short videos that, due to their duration and vertical format, are Perfect for sharing on Instagram Stories or on other social media platforms and messaging apps. This way, you not only draw in the air, but you can also save and share your creations instantly.
Functions, creative possibilities and origin of the project
The new Google app is based on a previous application of the company itself, specifically Tilt Brushan application that allows us to paint on a 3D environment for ourselves thanks to the virtual realityTilt Brush only works with those devices compatible with VRTherefore, Just a Line comes to cover part of the market that cannot access this technology, bringing that concept of three-dimensional painting to any user with a compatible mobile phone and without virtual reality glasses.
From an artistic point of view, Just a Line presents itself almost as a form of digital urban artYou no longer need paint or a wall to transform a space: with a smartphone you can draw on any real-world environment, leaving no trace but the digital one. You can play with the architecture of your city, your room, or everyday objects, creating compositions that challenge the gravitysince the lines can remain suspended in the air, go up the ceiling, or cross doors and windows.
Google has released the project as open sourceThis allows any developer to download the Just a Line code from GitHub and create their own variations. This openness not only encourages new ARCore-based apps but also makes Just a Line a practical example of how to implement features such as anchoring virtual objects, 3D line drawing, and recording clips with augmented reality.
In terms of drawing tools, the app maintains a minimalist philosophy: you can modify the line thicknessundo the last move and clear the entire scene to start from scratch. There's no color palette or complex brushes, forcing the user to focus on the creativity of the path, how they move through the space, and how they integrate the white line into the real environment.
Requirements, ARCore, and compatible devices
The only requirement that our device must have It needs to be compatible with Google's augmented reality development platform, that is, Arcore. This technology is present Google Pixel 2 and 2 XL and their previous versions, the LG V30 and V30+, and the Samsung Galaxy S7, S7 Edge, S8, S8 Plus and Notes 8as well as in the OnePlus 5 and 5T. More models have been added to this list over time, including other terminals from manufacturers such as Asus or different generations of Pixel and Galaxy, so there are more and more users able to install Just a Line.
Google itself indicates that Just a Line works on any device compatible with the ARCore augmented realityTo use this application, you must first download the ARCore app and then the new Google Just a Line app from Google Play. Once installed, the system uses the phone's sensors and camera to recognize surfaces, calculate depth, and keep the line stable in space.
In the permissions section, the application requires access to the camera To be able to display the environment and draw in AR, access to microphone to record videos with sound, and permissions of storage to save the clips to the device. When using the Draw with a Friend feature, it also uses Nearby technology to connect nearby phones and sync the shared experience.
With Just a Line, we can create simple yet surprisingly eye-catching augmented reality videos. The application is totally free It's available on Google Play for all phones that support ARCore technology. This means anyone with a compatible phone can experiment with augmented reality for free and without needing any technical expertise.
Because the project is open source, developers can use the source code as a reference for creating other ARCore-based applications. This philosophy of sharing makes Just a Line not only an interesting app, but also a learning platform and a starting point for future, more advanced augmented reality projects.
Virtual and augmented reality are gaining more and more momentum
It is a more than known fact that virtual reality is on everyone's lipsSince the future bets of virtually all technology companies involve developing better systems and better platforms that allow us to integrating virtual and augmented reality into our daily lives, from complex processes to insignificant games to pass the time and unleash our imagination, which is what Google wants with the launch of its new application Just a Line.
Occasionally, Google surprises us with experiments created by its engineers which end up becoming mass-market apps, and Just a Line fits perfectly into this strategy. Just as other apps like Ikea Place allow us to visualize furniture in our living room before buying it, Just a Line demonstrates another facet: the use of AR for creative expression and instant entertainment.
The app fits into a clear trend: more and more mobile experiences are incorporating Digital layers over the real worldFrom games that place virtual creatures on the street to educational tools that overlay information onto physical objects, augmented reality is moving beyond a simple demo and becoming a common resource. Just a Line serves as an easy entry point into this entire ecosystem.
The ability to record short clips and share them on social media reinforces the app's social component. Users can show their friends how they've used the white line to transform a room or a park, which in turn boosts the app's reach and the augmented reality concept itself. Even with just a basic drawing tool, the possibilities of play and experimentation they are huge.
With Just a Line, Google aims to inspire both creators and developers: on the one hand, it offers anyone a quick way to experiment with floating drawings; on the other, it makes the code available so others can build upon it. Initiatives like this help augmented reality move beyond being seen as something distant or exclusive and become a mainstream technology. accessible and everyday on our phones.
Just a Line may look like just a white line floating in the air, but it actually becomes a excellent example about how augmented reality is changing the way we interact with space, inviting us to play, create and share with no limits other than those set by our imagination.