Frequently asked questions

If you are in front of a target marker that has already been uploaded, just open the app and use the camera to scan the image.

If you do not have anything to scan, take a look at the examples page.

No. Scanning works without an account. An account is optional and only needed to keep your scan history across devices.

The image may not have been uploaded and published yet — contact the creator or business that shared it with you. If it has been published, hold steady and face the image directly.

On a glossy or laminated print, turn the in-app flash down or off and light the image from the side instead. The flash sits right next to the lens, so on a shiny surface it bounces straight back and hides the detail the app needs. On matte prints in a dim room the flash does help; start at its lowest setting.

Make sure location access is allowed for the app in your device settings, and that you are within the experience’s set distance of its location. Experiences without a location restriction work everywhere.

Yes. Your recent scans appear under History on the app’s home screen. Tap any item to view its content again in fullscreen, with no re-scanning needed. Sign in to keep your history across devices.

You need two things to create an AR experience with us:

Target markers — the images or objects that trigger your AR content when someone scans them with the app.

Content — what appears once the target is scanned. The app currently supports images, links, and audio and video files.

Upload through the creator portal. Create an account, add your target image and the content it should trigger, and publish it. The creator guide walks through every step.

MP4 (H.264) works best and plays on every phone. The portal also accepts MOV and WebM files, but they don’t play on every device, so convert them to MP4 if you can. Videos can be up to 100 MB. You can also link a YouTube video instead of uploading a file.

Export with the standard BT.709 color profile, the default in most editors and phone cameras. Unusual color settings can play with a slight color shift in the app.

PNG and JPG, up to 10 MB. This applies to both your image target and any image you show as content. iPhone HEIC photos and WebP images can’t be uploaded, so save them as JPG first.

MP3, M4A (AAC), WAV and OGG, up to 100 MB. MP3 is the safest choice if you’re not sure, since it plays on every phone. WAV files are much larger, so convert long recordings to MP3 or M4A first.

Your experience is live in the app the moment you hit Save & Enable AR Tracking, and it shows as published on your dashboard.

Check that it was saved with Save & Enable AR Tracking — a draft is not scannable. If it has a specific location, you need to be within its scan radius. Then close and reopen the app so it picks up the latest content.

If it still does not appear, contact us from the portal and we will give you a detailed answer.

Yes. Open the experience from your dashboard, make your changes and hit Save & Enable AR Tracking again. The update goes live immediately and you are returned to your dashboard.

Yes. Open the experience from your dashboard and use Replace files at the top of the editor to choose a new image target, a new video, audio or image file, or a new YouTube link. Check the overlay position against the new files, then hit Save & Enable AR Tracking — the swap goes live as soon as it saves.

Printed materials already distributed will no longer trigger the new image, so only change the image target if you are also reprinting. Replacing only the media keeps the same image target, so existing prints keep working and show the new content.

Yes. Create as many image targets and experiences as you like from your dashboard.

In the editor’s AR Reach step, select Specific Location, then search an address, drop a pin, enter coordinates or hit Use my current location, and choose your scan radius (0.1–30 miles).

Anywhere reach is limited (every “Anywhere” image loads on every user’s device) and is currently assigned by the uncovAR team. Publish with a specific location, or contact us from the portal to request it.

The stars estimate how reliably the app can detect your image. Plain backgrounds, low contrast, repetitive patterns and small tracking regions all lower it, and the editor shows hints for what to improve. Busy, detailed, high-contrast images score best.