How an iOS Device (iPhone or iPad) Performs a 3D-Scan in 2025?

3D Scanning remains one of the top photogrammetry approaches in 2025. It continues to leverage the rapid advancements in Artificial Intelligence and Augmented Reality, bridging the gap between the digital and physical worlds. 

The technology has become even more sophisticated on iOS devices, with improvements in both hardware and software. Now, not only tech-savvy individuals or IT engineers but also everyday users can perform high-quality scans and share them effortlessly for various services. 

3D scanning is used to create digital versions of real objects, which can then be used for important tasks or 3D printing. The applications have expanded significantly since 2023, with new use cases emerging across multiple industries. 

What is a 3D-Scan? 

3D Scanning technology involves collecting digital information of a real-world scene or object and reconstructing an image/model resembling its appearance. This output can be used in 3D model creation, printing, and an increasing number of applications in 2025. 

The process may involve different types of scanners, lights, sensors, and mobile applications to scan non-living objects, living beings, their parts, or the environment. The quality of output and its precision have improved dramatically with the latest iOS devices. 

3D Scan Mobile App Example 

While Face ID remains a well-known example of 3D scanning technology, iOS devices in 2025 offer much more advanced capabilities. The latest iPhones and iPads now feature enhanced LiDAR sensors and AI-powered software that enable highly accurate and detailed 3D scans of objects and environments. 

Let’s talk about your 3D-scanning mobile app

Beyond Face ID 

In 2025, iOS 3D scanning has evolved far beyond facial recognition. Various apps and sensors now allow for incredibly detailed 3D scanning of physical-world objects, from small toys to entire rooms. The applications range from professional use in industries like architecture and medicine to consumer applications in gaming and social media. 

How Does iPhone or iPad 3D Scanning Work in 2025? 

Apple’s latest generation of iPhones and iPads (post-2023) utilize advanced LiDAR sensors combined with sophisticated AI algorithms. This combination has significantly improved the accuracy and detail of 3D scans. 

LiDAR and the Scanning Process 

The LiDAR technology in 2025 iOS devices has been refined to provide even more precise measurements. The process remains similar: 

  1. The LiDAR sensor emits laser light pulses at an incredibly high rate. 
  1. As the object reflects the light, the device calculates distances and angles. 
  1. AI algorithms process this data to create a highly detailed ‘Point Cloud’. 
  1. The Point Cloud is then analyzed and transformed into a 3D object with unprecedented accuracy. 

How to Perform a 3D Scan with iOS in 2025 

Method 1: Using Existing Applications 

In 2025, a wide range of sophisticated 3D scanning apps are available for iOS devices. Some popular options include: 

  • Canvas: Now offers real-time AI-assisted scanning for even more accurate results. 
  • Scaniverse: Introduced 3D Gaussian Splatting for photorealistic 3D scenes. 
  • RealityScan: A free app that creates high-fidelity 3D models using just your phone or tablet. 

Method 2: Advanced Sensors and Custom Applications 

For professional-grade scanning, external attachments like the latest Occipital Structure Sensor Pro continue to offer enhanced capabilities when combined with custom applications. 

How Precise Is iOS 3D Scanning in 2025? 

The precision of iOS 3D scanning has improved significantly since 2023. With the latest devices and apps, accuracy can now reach sub-millimeter levels in ideal conditions. For LiDAR-enabled iPads and iPhones (including most Pro models launched since 2020), most measurements are within 1-2% of what’s verified manually with a tape measure, laser distance meter, or existing blueprint. 

However, the precision can vary depending on several factors: 

  • Device capabilities: Latest iPhone Pro models offer better accuracy than older or non-Pro versions. 
  • Scanning app: Different apps may yield varying levels of precision. 
  • Object characteristics: Complex or reflective surfaces may be more challenging to scan accurately. 
  • Environmental conditions: Lighting and stability play crucial roles in scan quality. 

Utility of iOS 3D-Scan: What’s There for Businesses? 

iOS 3D scanning has indeed made 3D model creation mainstream, with applications across various industries. As of 2025, the technology has evolved further, offering even more benefits to businesses: 

  • Retail and eCommerce: Sellers now provide immersive 3D views of products, enhancing the buying experience and reducing return rates by up to 5%. 
  • Marketplaces: 3D visualization has become a standard feature, attracting both sellers and buyers by offering more engaging product presentations. 
  • Fashion: Online fashion retailers use 3D scanning to create virtual try-on experiences, eliminating location barriers and improving purchase confidence. 
  • Culinary: Restaurants and food delivery services now offer photorealistic 3D renderings of dishes, enticing customers with lifelike presentations. 
  • Real estate: Realtors use LiDAR-enabled devices to create detailed 3D models of properties, saving time and resources while accelerating sales. 
  • Interiors: Designers leverage apps like Live Home 3D to scan rooms and create 3D models, streamlining the design process and client presentations. 
  • Gaming and Avatar-creation: Advanced 3D scanning allows for more realistic and personalized gaming experiences, with improved avatar creation. 
  • Testing: 3D models have become integral in product testing, reducing costs and environmental impact across industries. 

3D-Scan in Medical Sector: Revolutionizing Healthcare in 2025 

The medical sector has experienced significant advancements in 3D scanning technology, transforming various aspects of healthcare delivery and patient care. 

Sidekick Interactive aims to develop high-utility apps for the medical industry, and the team has succeeded big time too. This list of a few recent custom 3D-Scanning iOS App development projects powered by Structure Sensor – completed & deployed by Sidekick – talks for itself: 

HP Arize 

Various American clinicians use this 3D foot-printing app to print plantar orthosis as per a patient’s foot problem or orthosis. It is enabled through an iPad app and is very accurate. With its deployment, the time to offer the solution is reduced, and the relief delivered through customized solutions is multiplied. 

You MaWo 

The custom glasses ought to be customized as per their end-users. In general, opticians manually make suggestions to users, making the process labor-extensive. Things are different at You Mawo. The company replaced its old tool with a 3D image creator that could record customers’ faces optimally and recommend the best option available for the buyer. 

iBrace 

Sidekick Interactive designed a super-precise body scanner that produces accurate 3D renders for clinics and doctors.  From joints to the spine and plexus, this intuitive tablet application has evolved to scan various body parts with high precision. iBrace is fast, more accessible, and low-cost, which makes it perfect for custom orthotics. 

Discover how 3D scanning can transform your project 

The Future of iOS 3D Scanning: What’s Next? 

As of 2025, iOS 3D scanning has made significant strides: 

Improved accuracy: LiDAR-enabled devices now offer sub-millimeter precision in ideal conditions, suitable for demanding applications in medicine and engineering. 

Enhanced software: AI-powered algorithms have improved the handling of challenging scanning conditions, such as symmetric objects and varying lighting. 

Wider adoption: 3D scanning has become more accessible, with a range of apps catering to both professional and consumer needs. 

Integration with other technologies: The fusion of 3D scanning with AI, AR, and machine learning continues to open new possibilities across industries.

Book a free consultation with our experts. 

Virtual Furniture Placement

Vision Pro - Virtual Furniture Placement

Redefining the Shopping Experience with AR-Powered Virtual Furniture Placement

Problem

When purchasing furniture online or in-store, customers often struggle to visualize how a piece will look and fit in their own space.

Existing augmented reality (AR) solutions on smartphones, such as using an iPhone, are constrained by small screen sizes and limited spatial awareness capabilities. These limitations can make it difficult for users to accurately assess furniture dimensions, placement, and aesthetics within their rooms, resulting in uncertainty and hesitation during the purchasing process.
Virtual-Furniture-Placement2
Virtual-Furniture-Placement1
Virtual-Furniture-Placement3

Solution

To address these challenges, we collaborated with a furniture store to create a virtual furniture placement tool using the Apple Vision Pro. Our goal was to allow customers to place virtual furniture, like a chair, in their real-world environment with greater accuracy and realism than ever before.

Utilizing the Apple Vision Pro’s advanced spatial computing capabilities, we developed an immersive AR experience where the virtual chair is rendered with precise dimensions, allowing customers to see exactly how it fits and looks in their room. Unlike AR experiences on a smartphone, users are not confined to a small screen; instead, they can view the chair in full scale and move around it naturally to see it from all angles.
We focused heavily on shading and lighting techniques to ensure the virtual chair feels realistic in different room settings, enhancing the overall experience. The Vision Pro’s superior spatial awareness allows for more accurate room mapping and object placement, creating a high-quality, lifelike visualization that helps customers make confident purchasing decisions.
This project showcases how the Apple Vision Pro’s capabilities extend beyond what is possible with current smartphone AR technology, providing a much more engaging and accurate shopping experience for customers.

“It’s amazing the results you get when you mix Occipital’s 3D scanner with an iPad mobile app. The two combined make cutting-edge technology simple and accessible.”

Sarah Troshian
Project Manager
Sidekick Interactive

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co-create 
build 
define 
your mobile app.
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Virtual Chopper

Vision Pro - Virtual Chopper

Elevating AR Experiences with a Virtual Helicopter Controlled by Hand Gestures

Problem

Creating interactive AR experiences presents unique challenges, particularly when it comes to intuitive control mechanisms.

For this project, we aimed to build a virtual helicopter that users could fly around their real-world environment. However, existing technologies often struggle with accurately recognizing complex hand gestures and positions, which are critical for providing a seamless and intuitive user experience. These limitations make it difficult to develop natural and responsive controls that feel engaging and enjoyable to the user.

Chopper1
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Chopper3

Solution

We explored the capabilities of the Apple Vision Pro to push the boundaries of augmented reality. We developed a virtual helicopter that users can control with their hands, flying it freely around their environment. Leveraging the advanced spatial computing and hand-tracking capabilities of the Apple Vision Pro, we created an experience that feels both intuitive and responsive.

Our team tackled challenges related to hand gesture and position recognition, implementing sophisticated algorithms to ensure the helicopter responds smoothly to user movements. This required a deep understanding of the Apple Vision Pro’s limitations and possibilities, particularly in recognizing and interpreting complex hand gestures in real time.
The result was a playful yet highly technical AR experience that not only demonstrates the potential of the Apple Vision Pro but also highlights our expertise in utilizing its unique features. The Virtual Chopper project showcases our ability to creatively solve complex challenges and create engaging, immersive experiences using the latest in spatial computing technology.

“It’s amazing the results you get when you mix Occipital’s 3D scanner with an iPad mobile app. The two combined make cutting-edge technology simple and accessible.”

Sarah Troshian
Project Manager
Sidekick Interactive

Let's 
co-create 
build 
define 
your mobile app.
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3D Heart Visualization for Medical Education

Vision Pro - 3D Heart Visualization for Medical Education

Enhancing Medical Learning with Immersive 3D Visualization Technology

Problem

Medical students often struggle to comprehend complex 3D anatomical structures, like the human heart, through traditional 2D illustrations and static models.

These methods fail to capture the intricate details and dynamic nature of how the heart functions, limiting students’ understanding and retention of critical information. Even physical models lack the ability to show real-time motion and internal workings, creating a gap in effective medical education tools.

Heart1
Heart2
Heart3

Solution

To overcome these limitations, we partnered with a forward-thinking collaborator to harness the power of Apple Vision Pro's spatial computing capabilities. We developed an interactive 3D heart visualization that allows medical students to explore the heart in a fully immersive environment.

This solution enables students to manipulate the heart model from any angle, zoom in on specific structures, and observe the real-time motion of blood flow through the heart’s chambers, valves, and arteries. By providing a dynamic, visual representation of the heart’s functions, the Apple Vision Pro creates a more engaging and effective learning experience, enhancing comprehension and retention.
“It’s amazing the results you get when you mix Occipital’s 3D scanner with an iPad mobile app. The two combined make cutting-edge technology simple and accessible.”

Sarah Troshian
Project Manager
Sidekick Interactive

Let's 
co-create 
build 
define 
your mobile app.
Get in touch

Concrete Structure

Vision Pro - Concrete Structure

Revolutionizing Construction Planning with Real-Time 3D Visualization

Problem

Traditional construction planning relies heavily on 2D blueprints, complex diagrams, and siloed software tools that make it difficult for builders to visualize the full scope of a project in real time.

Reviewing construction plans often involves tedious back-and-forth communication between engineers, architects, and on-site workers, leading to potential misinterpretations and costly errors. Existing technology struggles to present these plans in a way that is fully interactive and collaborative within the actual environment of the build.
Concrete1
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Solution

In partnership with a forward-thinking collaborator, we leveraged the Apple Vision Pro’s spatial computing capabilities to create a 3D model of a new construction building, complete with overlays of electrical wiring, water piping, and other essential structural elements.

This immersive experience allows builders to review the entire construction model in a real-world environment, directly on-site. Two engineers can wear the Apple Vision Pro headsets simultaneously and work collaboratively on the same model, seeing real-time updates and annotations as they discuss changes.

By utilizing Apple Vision Pro’s advanced augmented reality (AR) and spatial awareness features, we transformed the review process into an interactive and intuitive experience. This approach reduced the margin for error, improved communication among the team, and significantly accelerated the decision-making process.

“Sidekick’s experts have been able to guide us in our digital strategy, taking into account all factors, to ensure the best user experience for our customers. During the workshop, everyone was able to integrate their skills for the benefit of the project, which allowed us to push the project further.”

Sébastien Boudrias
IT Director at Limocar/Transdev

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3D-Scan: The Next Generation of Size and Fit

An iPhone App that performs 3D scans of feet

3D-Scan: The Next Generation of Size and Fit

3D Scanning

Get the right shoe size the first time (and every time after that too)

The Next Generation of Size and Fit

Returns: the final frontier (of ecommerce).  Since Amazon launched in Canada more than 20 years ago, we have seen software and processes optimize virtually every aspect of online purchases.  From product recommendation to 1-click purchases, same day delivery and virtual closets, never have consumers been offered so many tools to buy online, confidently, and securely.  That is, until it’s time to return items.

A long-held taboo of brick-and-mortar retail, returns have now become an integral part of the online buying journey, with nearly 25% of online purchases being returned, compared to 8% in brick-and-mortar.  Chief among them is the apparel and footwear category where the percentage of online purchases returned jumps to 35-40%.

Returns have not only become a major part of the eCommerce buying journey, but they are also a major (and expensive) headache for retail executives who are already struggling with inflation, lower consumer confidence and shrinking margins.  

Impact of Returns on eCommerce Business

Despite a multiplicity of tools available on the market, size and fit remains by far the leading reason why online purchases are returned.

To Boldly Go

Complex problems require bold solutions.  Enter 3D LiDAR scanning technology (and TrueDepth Sensors on Apple devices – Learn more about how iOS devices perform 3D-scans ).  Developed for the purpose of obtaining highly precise foot measurements to produce medical/sport orthotics, Sidekick’s 3D foot scanning tool was instrumental in assisting podiatrists and clinicians worldwide reduce time and costs to produce high quality orthotics leveraging only the standard camera on an iPhone or iPad. 

Now, we have made this technology available to retailers to help reduce returns and enhance customer experience.  Meet Kickscan, the next generation of size and fit tool for online retailers. 

Leveraging LiDAR technology, Kickscan allows would be purchasers to get a precise foot measurement and covert it to regular shoe sizes for several brands in seconds, ensuring a proper fit with every online purchase. 

Kickscan leverages medical-grade foot scanning technology to provide online shoppers with exact shoe measurements, allowing for more confident purchases and reduced returns. 

An iPhone App that performs 3D scans of feet

By seamlessly integrating Kickscan within the buyer journey, retailers can drastically reduce their return rate on footwear purchases while enhancing customer experience.

Engage Your Customers with Better Size and Fit

Not only are size and fit related returns an issue for retailers, but they are also a major pain point for customers.  60% of online shoppers mention that they cannot find the right size and fit without resorting to bracketing.  Bracketing is the practice of purchasing the same item in several different sizes only to keep the one fitting item and return the others.  

This practice is both disastrous for retail margins but also an undesirable, unpleasant customer experience.  

Even with all the tools currently available, online shoppers still struggle with size and fit.

Leveraging 3D technology has already proven apt at reducing returns in other product categories such as eyewear (augmented reality and 3D try-ons), furniture and many others.   Now Kickscan brings its unique, proprietary 3D scanning technology to the footwear category, backed by years of success in producing high-end, medical grade scans worldwide without the need for any hardware other than an iPhone or iPad Pro device.

As eCommerce continues to evolve and customers look for better, faster, and more accurate shopping experiences, Lidar-based scanners provide a new opportunity for retailers to reduce returns and improve margins with minimal customer friction.

Enhanced Customer Experience with Minimal Friction

As we move forward into an era of enhanced digital commerce, developments in AI, 3D scanning, augmented reality and spatial computing are pushing the limits of the art of the possible, bringing to life new and seamless experiences that bridge the gap between physical and digital shopping experiences in ways that seemed unthinkable just a few years ago.

As we continue to see innovations gain traction, one thing remains however, providing consumers with a seamless, fast, and enjoyable shopping experience will always be the best way to ensure retail success.

 

 

 

About the author:  Mathieu Lachapelle is Vice-President Innovation and Commercialization at Sidekick Interactive.  With over 20 years of experience in digital product management, sales and innovation, Mathieu has successfully deployed large scale digital solutions across many industries including eCommerce, media, classifieds, loyalty, education, and logistics.  Mathieu’s focus is on leveraging technology to solve human pain points in commercial interactions. 

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