See what happens when you Google ‘giant panda’ and ‘tiger’ on your phone

"What's black and white and AR all over?" Google tweeted next to a video of the AR panda (Photo: JPIMedia)"What's black and white and AR all over?" Google tweeted next to a video of the AR panda (Photo: JPIMedia)
"What's black and white and AR all over?" Google tweeted next to a video of the AR panda (Photo: JPIMedia)

Google has introduced a new way to interact with some of your favourite animals.

Thanks to the search engine’s augmented reality (AR) feature, you’ll be able to see different animals in your surroundings using your phone camera, much like mobile game Pokemon Go.

How to use it

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If you Google ‘giant panda’, for example, just underneath the image search results and the Wikipedia description of the animal, you’ll see a little box that says, “Meet a life-sized giant panda up close.”

Next to that box will be a CGI panda moving around, and underneath will be the option to “view in 3D”.

Click “view in 3D” and then click “view in your space”.

You’ll need to give Google access to your camera for it to be able to insert the panda into your surroundings.

Ever wanted a pet hedgehog? (Photo: JPIMedia)

Which animals does it work for?

This is all the animals that have been found so far through the augmented reality lens:

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LionTigerCheetahSharkHedgehogDuckEmperor penguinWolfAngler fishGoatRottweilerSnakesEagleBrown bearAlligatorHorseShetland ponyMacawPugTurtleCatOctopusDog

You might even discover more animals that aren’t on this list.

Now's your chance to get up close to a tiger (Photo: JPIMedia)

How do I know if my phone is AR enabled?

The developer page on Google explains that for a device to be supported, it needs to have passed their certification process.

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“To certify each device, we check the quality of the camera, motion sensors, and the design architecture to ensure it performs as expected,” Google states.

Perfect for parents whose children are desperate for a pug (Photo: JPIMedia)

For Android users, Google requires:

An operating system of Android 7.0 or later - although some models require even newer versionsThe device needs to have been originally shipped with the Google Play Store installedInternet access

For iPhone users aren’t left out of the party either - compatible devices need to be running iOS 11.0 or later.

You can check if your device is compatible on the Google Developer page.

This article originally appeared on our sister site Edinburgh Evening News