A few years back, Google added tons of augmented reality (AR) animals and objects to search. The feature allowed people to view 3D models of animals and objects on their smartphones and even place the AR objects in their space.
While maybe a bit silly, it was also pretty cool. I had a lot of fun playing around with the feature, placing dinosaurs and pandas in my backyard. It was also a handy feature for parents who wanted something to entertain a kid for a little bit.
But, as with most things Google does, these animals may be headed for the Google Graveyard. According to reports from 9to5Google and The Verge, several AR animals have vanished from Google Search.
Interestingly, the missing animals only seem to impact some devices. Both publications found that animals were missing on the Pixel 8 Pro and Pixel 6 but still showed up when using Google Search via Safari on the iPhone 15 Pro. I also tested my Pixel 8 Pro and noted some animals were missing.
That suggests the missing animals could be a bug. However, The Verge also pointed out that Google recently laid off hundreds of AR hardware employees and lost key leaders of its AR team last year. These changes could herald the end of these AR search features.
Google has yet to explain why these AR animals are vanishing. Here’s hoping it’s just a bug and not Google shuttering yet another project.
Source: 9to5Google, The Verge
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