IKEA was an early adopter of Apple’s powerful ARKit platform with its ‘Place’ application for iOS. That app has received a major update today with a new interface, improved curation, support for viewing entire rooms in augmented reality, and more.

Headlining today’s update are a pair of new augmented reality features. Multiplacement allows people to try out several items at once to see how they look, using augmented reality to visualize their placement in their current room.

Furthermore, a new room sets feature allows people to map out an entire room with new furniture to see how it would look. For instance, you can say that you’re planning to redesign your office, and the IKEA Place application will let you get a closer look at a room’s worth of handpicked furniture via augmented reality.

You can also now point your iPhone at a piece of furniture, and the IKEA place app will suggest IKEA pieces that are similar. Here are all of the new features in today’s update to IKEA Place for iOS:

  • For You Feed: This feed offers a daily stream of inspiration, curated collections and product announcements that all can be experienced in AR. With the next generation of IKEA Place; there is always something new to explore and try out at home.
  • Multiplacement: Enables people to try out several handpicked items that look great together (vs. just one).
  • Room Sets: Enables people to experience entire Room Sets with just a few taps – just like you experience the showrooms at IKEA. Simply map out a space, choose a theme (e.g., home office, dining area, relaxing) and watch your space come to life. You are presented with handpicked furniture that works in harmony and you can easily scroll through different options within a theme.
  • Profile and Wishlist: Ability to make a wishlist of products tried in AR.

IKEA is seemingly doubling down on its Place app for iOS with these new features. The retailer also teases that it has even more new features and developments in the pipeline.

IKEA Place is a free download on the iOS App Store. Read the full press release below.

IKEA Updates IKEA Place App to Continue Offering Home Furnishing Ideas and Inspiration through Artificial Intelligence

Today is the launch of the next generation of the IKEA Place app, which uses Artificial Intelligence to offer users curated and personalized home furnishing advice

CONSHOHOCKEN, PA (September 23, 2019) – IKEA Place launched in 2017, allowing people to virtually place true-to-scale models of IKEA furniture in their own homes. Today the app adds new features that combine Artificial Intelligence and Augmented Reality. Now people can do more than just place furniture; they can get smart home furnishing tips and recommendations based on curation, context and behavior.

To make the app more inspiring and easy-to-use, IKEA Place now comes with interior design ideas to inspire, solve furnishing challenges and just make people smile. The app lets you define areas you want to furnish and provides unique and relevant suggestions based on your preferences and IKEA home furnishing knowledge. With the new features, you can furnish a whole space with just a few taps. You can also point your camera at any piece of furniture, anywhere, and find the most similar IKEA product instantly.

The ultimate goal is to inspire people through combining technology with knowledge of how people live their lives. “Sometimes we all need that little bit of inspiration that sparks new ideas,” says Gerry Rogers, Digital Transformation Leader at Inter IKEA Group. “That’s exactly what we want to achieve with IKEA Place.”

With many more features in the pipeline, IKEA Place will continue to bring new ways of experiencing IKEA to new and existing customers. But technology only tells half the story. “In the bigger perspective, IKEA Place is not about AR or AI. It’s about making IKEA home furnishing expertise more accessible. To do so, we are looking into the newest technologies, not for the sake of technology, but to create a better everyday life for the many people” says Gerry.

The updated IKEA Place app is now available on supported iOS Devices (iPhone and iPad). An updated Android version is planned for the near future.

ABOUT IKEA

IKEA offers well-designed, functional and affordable, high-quality home furnishing, produced with care for people and the environment. There are several companies with different owners, working under the IKEA Brand, all sharing the same vision: to create a better everyday life for the many people. Inter IKEA Group is the group of companies that connects IKEA franchisees with range development and suppliers and aligns the overall IKEA strategic direction.