Good news! We’ve recently updated the Layar SDK as we continue to make it as easy as possible to embed your own Augmented Reality (AR) experiences into your own iOS and Android apps.

Having the freedom to customize your AR experience to fit your brand and your users’ needs has always been a cornerstone of the Layar SDK, and with this latest update we aim to continue that tradition. So what’s new in the latest version?

Custom Location Provider
You no longer need to rely solely on the built-in GPS of the user’s device to get location data. Now you can hook into any location provider that you choose. For example, you can use iBeacons to create a more accurate location-based AR experience when indoors.

A note to developers: the Layar SDK simply allows for a custom location provider but does not include any alternative providers itself, that part is up to you!

More Custom Callbacks
We’ve added more callbacks that give you more control over the look-and-feel of your experience. For Geo Layers, you can now opt to remove the compass and the messages shown at the top which usually pertain to the number of results found nearby.

These changes make it even easier to create your own customized AR experience, whether that means creating a custom look or using advanced custom location providers to make a more engaging experience.

If you’re an existing SDK user, check your inbox for instructions on updating your SDK. Or if you’re interested in using the SDK, you can try it now for free!

Danish readers of SE og HØR – a television guide and celebrity news magazine – can now do far more than just “see and hear” as the publication’s name suggests.

With the easy-to-use Layar SDK, the publishers have launched Mit SE og HØR, a free mobile application for iOS and Android that brings the pages of the 75-year-old magazine to life with Augmented Reality.

Readers can gain access to exclusive videos, background stories, photo galleries, interactive polls, contests and much more simply by scanning the pages of the magazine. Extra digital content jumps off the page, providing readers with an engaging interactive experience.

“This is the next step in our development strategy to ensure that SE og HØR will continue to be the market leader in the future,” says Editor in Chief Niels Pinborg. “This means that we expand our magazine without going up in pages or price. And that means that we can pamper our most loyal customers.”

Not only is the editorial content of magazine interactive, but commercial content as well. The magazine says advertisers were eager to create more engaging digital experiences for their ads.

“It is clear that the ability to convert from print to purchase without having to leave the couch is quite interesting for our commercial partners, so here I see fairly large opportunities,” says Pinborg.

The Mit SE og HØR app is available now for free on iOS and Android in Denmark.

The Vrijwilligers Centrale Amsterdam (Amsterdam Volunteer Center), is an organization in Amsterdam that helps people find volunteer work anywhere in the city.

Now the organization is making it even easier for people to find volunteer positions by launching their own location-based geo layer on the Layar App. By launching the VCA layer on their mobile device, workers can see the location of job opportunities appear around them with the Layar App’s Augmented Reality features.

“Very few people are aware of the large availability of volunteer jobs and how many people actually do volunteer work,” said Simone Timmer, Communication Advisor for the VCA. “Augmented reality is new and innovative, and Layar was a great way to visualise the proximity of volunteer work in Amsterdam.”

Creating a Geo Layer to benefit the cause was the idea of Geerten van Hooff, the founder of online media agency Taf Media, who also implemented it as a volunteer, Timmer says.

The VCA’s layer features over 1700 positions in the city, and in 2015 the organization helped over 7500 people find volunteer work.

To try it yourself, if you’re in Amsterdam, open the Layar App and search for “VCA”.

The holiday season is all about giving and caring and all those warm and fuzzy feelings, but for the Humbugs, it’s a time to be grumpy, greedy and downright rude!

Zehnder Communications, an American design firm, is using Layar to bring their latest creation, the Humbugs, to life. These fun-hating killjoys are featured on a set of free printable paper Christmas tree ornaments that spring to life in all their nastiness when scanned with the Layar App.

“These crude-rude, seedy-greedy creatures slink about in mockery of this most joyous season. And now it’s time to take a stand,” Zehnder’s website declares. “This year, Zehnder has devised a new way of exposing the Humbugs by adding a little cheer to the holiday at their expense.”

You can even battle against the Humbugs in a side-scrolling adventure game! But the real fun comes from seeing the paper ornaments come to life when you scan them with the Layar App. Enjoy!

About Zhender: Zehnder Communications, a full-service advertising agency, was one of the first agencies in the U.S. to venture into Augmented Reality in 2009 with its Voodoo Music Experience app. The app, featured in Fast Company, was one of the first of its kind — innovative apps for brands like Sony and Disney parks soon followed. Zehnder serves clients across the country from its offices in Baton Rouge, Nashville, and New Orleans. The agency was founded in 1996.

As the end of the year approaches, so too does the cold and miserable weather of winter. When it’s wet, cold and gray, who wouldn’t rather be in a sunny, warm location by the beach? That’s the idea of the tourism department of Sarasota County, located on Florida’s Gulf Coast, which will be running ads this January in one of the more dreary winter cities, London.

But they’re not just any ads. They’re Augmented Reality (AR) ads, wrapped onto the sides of the city’s taxi cabs. Sarasota County has teamed up with Miles, a destination marketing agency from Sarasota, to create scannable AR taxi wrap ads that spring to life when scanned with the Layar App.

By scanning the taxis, users will see a minute-long 360-degree video of Siesta Key Beach and will be directed to the VisitSarasota.org website where they can learn more.

“It is imperative that we stay on top of the latest marketing trends in order to establish Sarasota County as the must experience destination on Florida’s Gulf Coast,” said Seana Mincy, Advertising Manager for Visit Sarasota County. “Incorporating interactive mobile technologies, such as Layar, into our advertising mix helps us remain on the cutting edge of our industry.”

The taxi ads will accompany promotional posters throughout London, including at airports, public transit stations, restaurants and more.

“We believe traditional media is an important part of a marketing strategy, not as the primary messenger, but more as a tool to drive visitors to the digital marketing components,” said Neal Alfano, Creative Director for Miles. “To help bridge the gap between traditional and digital media, Miles incorporates mobile technologies such as Layar in traditional advertising to provide instant gratification and delivery of content.”