Planet Earth: Habitat Explorer
Frequently Asked Questions
How to set up your device, launch a habitat in AR, and what to check if the experience does not run as expected.
Camera access is required for this experience
The augmented reality part of Habitat Explorer works with your phone or tablet camera, so the browser must be allowed to use it before a habitat can appear in your space.
Allowing camera and microphone permissions
- Open the experience on your device and, when the browser asks for camera access, choose Allow.
- If you dismissed the prompt by accident, open your browser settings for the site and set the camera (and microphone) permission to Allow.
- Reload the page so the experience can reconnect to the camera.
On iOS, the experience needs iOS 16.3 or newer on an iPhone 7 or iPad 5 (or newer) with a rear camera, opened in Safari. On Android, it needs Android 7 or newer with a rear camera, opened in Chrome.
How do I use this AR experience?
- Scroll through the habitat options: forest, ocean and grassland.
- Select the habitat you want to explore and choose Launch habitat in AR.
- Allow camera access, then point your device at the floor or a flat surface and move the phone slowly so the experience can find a plane.
- Explore the habitat in AR, tap and hold to save a view, and use the on-screen controls to move around.
Help! I can't get the experience to work
If the habitat does not load or the camera view stays blank, work through these checks in order.
Nothing appears in the camera view
- Confirm the camera permission is set to Allow for this site, then reload the page.
- Close other apps that may be using the camera, and close any other Habitat Explorer tab.
- Restart your device and open the experience again.
The experience is slow or unresponsive
- Close other tabs and apps to free up memory and processing power.
- Check that your device meets the system requirements listed above.
- Move to a well-lit area: the experience relies on the camera to detect the surroundings.
Habitat models will not load
- Switch to a stable network connection and refresh the page.
- If you are using a data-saving mode or a restricted connection, allow the site to load the full experience.
Device requirements
| Device | Requirements | Browser |
|---|---|---|
| iOS | iOS 16.3 or newer, iPhone 7 / iPad 5 or newer with a rear camera | Safari |
| Android | Android 7 or newer with a rear camera | Chrome |
Ready to explore?
Launch a habitat in AR and take the wild worlds of forest, ocean and grassland into your space.
Habitat Explorer is an immersive augmented reality experience that places the wild worlds of amazing animals directly into your own surroundings, developed with The Open University. By using the camera on your phone or tablet, the experience lets you hold, place and explore animals and habitats in the room around you, turning an ordinary flat surface or table into a window onto planet Earth. It works on mobile devices running iOS or Android, and the built-in interactive hotspots invite you to tap, pinch, zoom and swipe your way closer to each creature while you listen to the accompanying audio that brings each environment to life.
Before you can launch a habitat, the browser needs permission to use your device camera, and it is worth checking that your software and browser are up to date so the AR mode behaves as expected. When the prompt appears, choose Allow, and if you dismissed it by accident you can usually restore access through your device settings, where camera and microphone permissions can be reviewed and adjusted. Connecting to a reliable internet connection also helps, since the habitats and audio are delivered to your device as you explore rather than stored entirely on your phone.
If a habitat does not launch or appears to stall, close the experience and reopen it, then clear the browser cache and try again, as leftover data can occasionally prevent the AR anchor from being detected properly. It also helps to move slowly around the space, hold your device steady at a comfortable angle, and make sure the area you are pointing at has enough light and a reasonably flat, textured surface for the anchor to settle. Keeping the rear camera in view, rather than switching modes mid-session, tends to give the most consistent placement of animals in your environment.
Beyond the AR mode itself, Habitat Explorer is designed to be accessible and easy to share, with clear menu options, on-screen instructions and a credits section acknowledging the animals, habitats and imagery used. Once you have finished exploring, the share and social tools make it simple to post your discoveries or to point friends towards the project, while the policy, privacy, terms and cookie pages explain how the experience handles information and permissions. If you still need guidance, the frequently asked questions cover device setup, launch steps and the most common troubleshooting checks.