AR Content Optimization for Mobile Devices
AR app runs flawlessly on A17 Pro, but on Snapdragon 720G heats up and drops to 20 FPS after two minutes. Not a device bug — consequence that ARKit and ARCore have different capabilities, and 3D content created without target hardware limits will never run the same across device range.
Platform Limitations
ARCore minimally requires OpenGL ES 3.0 or Vulkan. Depth API (getting depth map from sensor) available only on devices in ARCore Depth API supported list — roughly 30% of active Android devices. Instant Placement, Scene Semantics — even smaller percentage.
ARKit on iOS more uniform, but has division: LiDAR available from iPhone 12 Pro. Scene Reconstruction (real world mesh) requires LiDAR. Without it — only plane detection.
Common mistake: app developed on Pro device with LiDAR, then discover 70% of target audience — users without LiDAR, entire experience needs rewriting.
3D Model Optimization for AR
Polygon budget for AR on mobile stricter than games because AR rendering adds to camera feed which itself uses GPU resources.
Practical guidelines:
- Foreground object, detailed: up to 10,000 polygons
- Mid-plane, supporting: 1,000–3,000
- Small decorative elements: 100–500
LOD (Level of Detail) in AR — mandatory. SceneKit and RealityKit on iOS support LOD via LODComponent. Unity AR Foundation — standard LOD Group. Switching to simplified model when object moves away from camera reduces load without visible loss.
Textures: ASTC for iOS and Android. For normal-sized AR objects 512×512 sufficient — user looks at real world, texture details less noticeable. 2048×2048 for cup-sized AR object — overkill.
Adaptive Quality by Device Capability
Device Tiers strategy: determine device class on launch and adjust content quality.
// iOS: determine tier by GPU family
let device = MTLCreateSystemDefaultDevice()
if device?.supportsFamily(.apple7) == true {
// A15+: maximum quality, LiDAR features
loadHighQualityAssets()
} else if device?.supportsFamily(.apple6) == true {
// A14: medium quality
loadMediumQualityAssets()
} else {
// A12-A13: basic, no heavy effects
loadBaseQualityAssets()
}
On Android: Build.VERSION.SDK_INT + ActivityManager.getMemoryClass() + check ARCore Depth API support via Session.isDepthModeSupported().
Shaders and Post-effects
Custom PBR shaders in AR heavier than standard because AR objects must visually fit the scene: ambient occlusion, shadows on real surfaces, environment reflections.
On low-end devices disable:
- Real-time shadows (replace with fake shadow — sprite under object)
- Bloom and other post-effects
- Environment reflections (replace with static cubemap)
In RealityKit these parameters managed via RenderOptions and Environment. In Unity AR Foundation — Universal Render Pipeline with adaptive Renderer Features.
Testing
Mistake to test AR only on simulator or flagship. Minimum set:
- Flagship this year (iPhone 15, Pixel 8)
- Mid-range 2–3 years old (iPhone 12, Samsung Galaxy A54)
- Low-end without LiDAR/Depth API (iPhone SE 3rd gen, Xiaomi Redmi Note 11)
On low-performance devices check thermal throttling: 5 minutes active AR → measure FPS via fps metric or CADisplayLink callback. If FPS drops within 3 minutes — overheating, need to dynamically reduce quality at ProcessInfo.thermalState >= .serious.
Timeline varies by AR content volume and platforms: from three days for one object with basic adaptation to two-three weeks for full multi-tier experience on iOS + Android.