One of iOS 16's biggest upgrades has finally arrived

Ios 16 Roomplan (Image credit: Apple)

What you need to know

iOS 16 is getting a new RoomPlan tool that will let developers create apps for scanning rooms.
RoomPlan uses ARKit and your iPhone or iPad's camera and LiDAR scanner to create a 3D floor plan of a room including dimensions.
Apple has now added the framework to iOS and iPadOS 16 with the latest beta.

Apple has rolled out the second developer betas of iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 this week and has confirmed that the RoomPlan framework is now available.

The beta's release notes state:

The RoomPlan framework is now available in iOS & iPadOS 16, enabling 3D parametric model creation of an interior room. The framework uses a device's sensors, trained machine learning models, and RealityKit rendering capabilities to capture the physical surroundings of an interior room. APIs are available for end-to-end scanning experience, real-time data structures for custom UI creation, and both USD and USDZ generation of 3D room models. (84170837)

The new RoomPlan feature is a much-touted upgrade in iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 that will let developers create room scanning tools for users on devices like iPhone 13 and M1 iPad Pro (2021). As noted, this isn't a feature in and of itself, but rather a tool for developers to create new apps and experiences for users. Apple says the tool can help customers "make more informed decisions by using RoomPlan to create a floor plan of a room directly in your apps" with applications in real estate, e-commerce, or even hospitality. For example, by using RoomPlan and an app from a company like IKEA you could ensure that the furniture you're trying to buy will definitely fit in the space you're trying to fill with accurate measurements. The scans will include info about walls, cabinets, and other types of furniture as detected.

The introduction of RoomPlan to the new betas this week means developers can finally start tinkering with the tool and figure out how to create great apps that will benefit users. iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 will be available as a public beta next month before its official release in the fall, likely falling in line with the iPhone 14 launch. If you can't wait for that, these Prime Day iPhone deals will be a great shout for picking up an iPhone this summer.

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Stephen Warwick has written about Apple for five years at iMore and previously elsewhere. He covers all of iMore's latest breaking news regarding all of Apple's products and services, both hardware and software. Stephen has interviewed industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. He also specializes in curating and reviewing audio hardware and has experience beyond journalism in sound engineering, production, and design.

Before becoming a writer Stephen studied Ancient History at University and also worked at Apple for more than two years. Stephen is also a host on the iMore show, a weekly podcast recorded live that discusses the latest in breaking Apple news, as well as featuring fun trivia about all things Apple.