Mobile delivery mechanics
How mobile AR shoe try-on works
Behind the "Try on" button is a no-install mobile experience: a QR or link launches the camera-based AR, the browser runs it as an App Clip on iOS or WebXR on Android, and occlusion handling makes the shoe look genuinely placed on the foot.
1. Launch: QR code or link
The try-on always opens on a phone, but the journey there depends on where the shopper starts. On mobile, they tap the Try-on button on the product page and the experience opens immediately. On desktop, the product page shows a QR code: scanning it with a phone hands the session off to the device that has the camera. A shareable link covers everything else — email, SMS, social, or a chat — opening the same AR view when tapped on a phone.
The QR/desktop handoff matters because most product browsing starts on a larger screen but AR needs the phone camera. A QR keeps that transition to a single scan, with no typing a URL or hunting for an app.
2. Runtime: iOS App Clip vs Android WebXR
App Clip from the web
On iPhone the try-on launches as an App Clip from the web — a lightweight, on-demand slice of an app that runs without a full App Store install. The shopper sees a native-quality AR experience triggered straight from the link or QR, then dismisses it when done.
WebXR in the browser
On Android the try-on runs through WebXR, the browser standard for AR. It executes inside the mobile browser session with no install, using the phone's camera and motion sensors for tracking.
Either way, the shopper does not install an app. The platform difference is handled for them — the same link or QR routes to the right runtime for the device. See exact support on the device compatibility page.
3. The no-app shopper experience
The reason no-install matters is friction. Asking a shopper to find, download, and open an app mid-purchase loses most of them. By running in the browser — App Clip on iOS, WebXR on Android — the try-on opens in one tap or one scan. The shopper grants camera access, points the phone at their feet, and the selected shoe appears on their foot in real time. They can switch colors or models without leaving the view.
4. Occlusion: why it looks real
The difference between a convincing try-on and a gimmick is occlusion — correctly deciding which parts of the virtual shoe should be hidden by the real world. Weak AR overlays the shoe as a flat decal that floats over the ankle and the shopper's existing shoes, breaking the illusion. Strong occlusion handling hides the virtual shoe behind the foot, ankle, and leg where it should be, and renders cleanly over the shoes a shopper is already wearing.
The practical result is that shoppers can try on without taking their current shoes off, and the rendered shoe sits on the foot believably from multiple angles — which is what makes the try-on useful for a purchase decision rather than a novelty.
One thing AR try-on answers is how a shoe looks on the foot — choosing the correct size is a separate step. For that, shoppers can turn to an independent foot-measurement resource such as how foot scanning works on arfits.com, which covers measuring foot length on a phone and converting it to the right size before buying.
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Last updated June 2026 · arviewer editorial