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ApplePatent applicationAR, VR & displaysInterest 6/10

Apple patents AR system that snaps virtual objects to real-world items

Patent drawing
Patent drawing from the official filing.

Apple describes a method for moving virtual objects within an augmented reality view by linking them to specific physical items in the room. When a user drags a virtual item, the system tracks its position relative to real-world objects and uses animated transitions to move it smoothly between different physical anchors.

Why it mattersThis filing suggests Apple is refining how users interact with digital layers in their physical space, potentially making AR experiences feel more stable and intuitive by tying virtual items to real-world landmarks.

In the filing’s own words

A computer system displays a first virtual object in a representation of a field of view of cameras. In response to detecting first user inputs: if the first user inputs correspond to a request to move the first virtual object from a first to a second position that both have a first spatial relationship to the representation of a first physical object in the representation of the field of view, the system moves the first virtual object with movements that correspond to the first user inputs. If the first user inputs correspond to a request to move the first virtual object from the first position to a third position that has the first spatial relationship to the representation of a second physical object, the system moves the first virtual object from the first to the third position in the representation of the field of view, including, displaying an animated transition.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. A method, comprising: at a computer system that is in communication with a display generation component, an input device, and one or more cameras: displaying a first virtual object in a representation of a field of view of the one or more cameras, the field of view including a view of a portion of a physical environment, wherein the portion of the physical environment includes a first physical object and a second physical object different from the first physical object, the first virtual object is displayed at a first position that has a first spatial relationship to a representation of the first physical object in the representation of the field of view; while displaying the first virtual object at the first position with the first spatial relationship to the representation of the first physical object in the representation of the field of view, detecting one or more first user inputs that correspond to a request to move the first virtual object relative to the first physical object; and in response to detecting the one or more first user inputs: in accordance with a determination that the one or more first user inputs correspond to a request to move the first virtual object from the first position, to a second position that has the first spatial relationship to the representation of the first physical object in the representation of the field of view, moving the first virtual object with movements that correspond to the one or more first user inputs; and in accordance with a determination that the one or more first user inputs correspond a request to move the first virtual object from the first position, to a third position that has the first spatial relationship to the representation of the second physical object in the representation of the field of view, moving the first virtual object from the first position in the representation of the field of view to the third position in the representation of the field of view, including, displaying an animated transition between the first virtual object being displayed with the first spatial relationship to the representation of the first physical object to the first virtual object being displayed with the first spatial relationship to the second physical object, wherein the animated transition includes movement of the first virtual object that does not correspond to the one or more first inputs.

Facts

Company
Apple (Apple Inc.)
Official title
Systems, Methods, and Graphical User Interfaces for Displaying and Manipulating Virtual Objects in Augmented Reality Environments
Publication number
US20260320930A1
Application number
19561445
Filed
Mar 9, 2026
Published
Oct 15, 2026
Inventors
2
Claims
18

Classified under

G06T 19/006 Physics & computingG06F 3/04815 Physics & computingG06T 7/70 Physics & computing

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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.