Mirroring Effects to AR Player

Have a question?

Ask the community

Things you'll need

To preview an effect in the Spark AR Player app, you'll need:

To download and install Spark AR Player on either an iOS or Android mobile device.
To install iTunes on your computer, if you're using a Windows machine and plan to test your effect on an iOS device.
A USB cable for connecting your device.

Connecting your device

When you're ready to mirror an effect:

Connect your mobile device to your computer with the USB cable.
Open the Spark AR Player app on your device.

If you’re connecting an iOS device for the first time

You’ll need to adjust settings on your computer so it ‘trusts’ the device.

On a Mac, how to do this will depend on which version of macOS is installed.

For macOS 10.14 and below:

On your computer, open iTunes.
Accept the prompt to trust the device.

For macOS 10.15 and above:

On your computer, open Finder.
Select the Device from the left bar and click Trust.
On your mobile device you’ll be asked to Trust the device you’re using. Tap Trust.

If you’re using Spark AR Player for the first time

You'll be asked to enable access to some features, like your camera and microphone. This is because Spark AR effects are played in the device’s camera, and the microphone is used to add sound.

If you're using an Android device you'll be asked to turn on developer mode and USB debugging in your phone settings.

Mirroring your project

To mirror your project in the Spark AR Player app:

In Spark AR Studio, click the Test on Device icon in the toolbar.
Under Sharing Experience, you'll see your connected device listed.
Click Send.

You will now see the effect playing on the device.

If an effect takes a while to send to your device

This could mean Spark AR Studio is compressing textures in your project. You could consider disabling compression on your textures for initial testing.

To do this, with the texture selected, go to the Compression section of the Inspector. To the right of the device type (iOS, Android, Older Android), select None from the dropdown. Make sure you use an appropriate compression setting before exporting and uploading your effect, and test compressed textures on a device during the creation process.

Viewing previous versions of effects

You can view earlier versions of projects you've mirrored on your device without being connected to your computer or the internet. To do this:

Open Spark AR Player.
Tap the menu in the top left.
Tap the effect you want to view and the version.
Tap Done.

You'll see the previous version playing on your device.

Testing performance

When your effect is playing in the Spark AR Player app, you'll see its FPS. This means frames per seconds, and represents how fast or slow your effect is on the device you're mirroring it to. You should aim for an FPS of 30 or more.

To see more detailed information about your effect and its performance, tap FPS.

Learn more about different ways to improve the performance of effects.

Troubleshooting

How do I test an effect using the Spark AR Player app?

To test the effects you build in Spark AR Studio on the Spark AR Player app, you'll need:

An iOS or Android device.
A USB cable.
A computer with Spark AR Studio installed.
A saved project.

To test your effect:

Connect your device to your computer.
Open the app on your device.
Open your project in AR Studio.
Click the Test on Device icon in the toolbar.
You'll see your device listed under Sharing Experience.
Click Send.

You'll see the effect playing on the device.

Can I view effects in the Spark AR Player app while offline?

Yes. If you're offline, you can still view effects that you mirrored with the Spark AR Player app previously.

Why is the Mobile Spark AR icon not visible in the Test on Device popover?

You can only use Spark AR Player to test effects that are configured for a sharing experience. You can add and remove experience types in project properties.

If your effect contains multipeer capabilities, it will only work as a video calling experience. You can test these kinds of effects, known as group effects, on Spark AR Desktop Player instead.

Why is the Send button not visible?

The Send button in Spark AR Studio is only visible when a mobile device is connected to your computer via a USB cable.

Why is the Send to Device button spinning after I've clicked it

This usually means Spark AR Studio is compressing textures in your project. You could consider disabling compression on your textures for initial testing.

To do this, with the texture selected, go to the Compression section of the Inspector. To the right of the device type (iOS, Android, Older Android), select None from the dropdown.

I can't preview my effect

If you're having trouble previewing your effect with the Spark AR Player app, make sure:

You have the latest versions of both Spark AR Studio and the app. If the tool and the app versions are incompatible, you won't be able to mirror your effect.
Your device is connected to your computer via USB cable correctly.
In the Toolbar under Sharing Experience you've clicked Send.

Why isn't Spark AR Studio showing my device when it's connected via USB?

What to do depends on whether there’s a blue dot next to the Test on Device icon or not.

If there is a blue dot next to the icon, Spark AR Studio can’t detect Spark AR Player. Check that:

Spark AR Player is open on your device.
You’re using the latest version of Spark AR Player.
You’ve enabled USB debugging, if you’re using an Android device.

If there isn’t a blue dot next to the Test on Device icon

This means Spark AR Studio can’t detect a connection to your phone. Make sure you’ve:

Set Spark AR Studio as a trusted app on your computer, and set the device as a trusted device.

Checked the USB connection between the phone and computer. You might want to try another cable.

Downloaded iTunes if you’re mirroring an effect from a Windows machine to an iOS device.

What info does the AR Studio Player app store?

The Spark AR Player app stores a version of your effect whenever you go to the Spark AR Studio Toolbar and click Send under Sharing Experience. This means you can view effects that you've previously mirrored on your device, without being connected to your computer or the internet.

How do I view previous versions of an effect?

To toggle between versions of your effect:

In Spark AR Player, tap the menu in the top left.
Select the effect.
Select the version and tap Done.