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Best Virtual Tour Apps for iPhone

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Virtual Tours Creator

The best iPhone VR apps: lose yourself in a virtual world

iOS apps to take you on an immersive adventure

Apple doesn’t make a virtual reality (VR) headset yet, although we know it’s been experimenting with the technology for years. But that doesn’t mean you need to wait for iGlasses in order to enjoy VR apps on your iPhone. 

There are plenty of iPhone VR apps in the App Store, and provided you’re wearing a suitable headset you can have all the fun of VR with iPhones from the iPhone SE onwards.

The cheapest entry point to VR is Google Cardboard , but if you’re feeling flush the Zeiss VR One offers a much more premium experience.

Whatever headset you opt for, it’s just a matter of slotting in your iPhone, sticking it on your face and enjoying the ride. Here are the VR experiences you’ll want to check out first. 

• Best VR headset: our pick of the top choices

• Google Cardboard

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The Google Cardboard app does two things. It shows you how to set up your Google Cardboard headset correctly, and it includes five VR experiences that give you a flavour of what phone-based VR can deliver.

Those experiences’ names give you a pretty good idea what to expect, so for example Explorer enables you to explore virtual places, Exhibit shows you around a virtual museum, Urban Hike is a walk through various world cities and Arctic Journey, which enables you to relax underneath the Northern Lights or create your own flower garden. There’s also Kaleidoscope, which breaks the mould by having nothing to do with kaleidoscopes. We’re kidding. It’s a kaleidoscope. 

The real-world images of places such as the Eiffel Tower have the most obvious ‘wow’ factor, but it’s the imaginary ones that are often more fun: for all its engineering excellence the Tower really needs to be seen in the metal to appreciate just how mind-bogglingly big it is.

Cardboard isn’t the only Google property that’s doing things in VR. The main YouTube app is doing it too. It has a VR mode that enables you to do two things: enjoy 360-degree videos in full VR, or experience normal videos on a virtual screen.

If you’ve used a PlayStation VR you might have encountered that second option already: like on PSVR the effect is rather like trying to watch a flat-screen TV that somebody’s stuck on a wobbly spike.

While the novelty of watching YouTube on a virtual screen wears off quickly, there’s tons of really good stuff to watch on the Youtube Virtual Reality Channel. Do you want to get up close with Maroon 5? Of course you don’t. Nobody does. But you don’t have to. You can experience skydives and Porsche driving, wild river kayaking and indie bands’ front rooms. As with all YouTube channels there’s some awful stuff there, but there are some real gems too.

Free (in-app purchases)

This one is augmented reality rather than virtual reality, but it’s so good we wanted you to know about it. Bookful presents beautiful books over whatever your camera sees, and those books are both three-dimensional and interactive – so pop-up books really pop, enabling you to swipe and zoom and tap to explore the story. Many of the books also come with augmented reality games, enabling you to have fun playing space golf on the surface of Mars, which just happens to be on top of your sofa.

Although the app isn’t aimed specifically at children it’s the kids books that really shine on the platform: even the most familiar tales such as Jack and The Beanstalk feel shiny and new in Augmented Reality, and the mini-games aren’t going to keep adults entertained for too long. For parents, though, Bookful is a really great augmented reality app.

• Google Street View

Remember when Google Street View made you feel like some kind of spy, wandering through streets from the comfort of your chair? Now you can feel like some kind of spy with a phone clamped to their head.

The dedicated Street View map has a Cardboard Mode – the icon appears when you rotate your phone into landscape mode – that enables you to experience Photo Spheres in virtual reality. That means you can use your VR headset to mooch around Machu Picchu, traipse around the Taj Mahal, bounce around Bora-Bora and see any city you fancy.

It’s good fun and potentially useful for planning travel: there’s something about seeing a place in 360-degree glory that makes it more interesting than scrolling around the same thing in two dimensions. It’s just a shame that, like the rest of Street View, the imagery isn’t live. That would feel like teleporting.

• Inception: VR and 360 Videos

From the same developer as the superb Bookful augmented reality app above, Inception delivers “virtual reality experiences”. It’s a small collection so far but what’s there is very impressive: there’s a VR music video featuring Mac Demarco’s music and visuals from acclaimed multimedia artist Rachel Rossin, the Asteroids VR adventure (which you’ll also find on other VR services) and the Dreams of Dali 360-degree art exhibition. 

Some of the latter is a bit reminiscent of late-90s chill-out videos, but it’s a great way to experience Dali’s style in a whole new dimension. Somewhat less enticingly, the app also offers a “VR exploration” of the Playboy Mansion in which you battle the body of the late Hugh Hefner. We made that last bit up: the app’s real, though.

Within isn’t so much a VR experience as a platform for VR experiences, and it’s aiming much higher than the usual bits of VR shovelware. Recent releases include Tokyo Light Odyssey, a heavily stylized and deeply immersive ambient cityscape; Dolphin Man, which unfortunately for us isn’t a superhero film but a serious and beautiful undersea scene; Asteroids, a Sundance-wowing animation from the director of Madagascar; and Look But With Love, a journey into Pakistan’s land of Sindh and its music and poetry.

Some of it’s a bit worthy for our tastes, but with a collection ranging from U2 performing in 360-degrees to documentaries about Amazonian deforestation there’s an ambition here that’s lacking from some of the other VR champions. That’s reflected in the range of organisations that have partnered with it: world-famous newspapers, brands such as Sony and Samsung and content studios such as Universal and NBC.

You don’t tend to think of newspapers as being at the cutting edge of tech but from the internet to social media news brands have often been among the first to wonder to what uses new technology can be put. The NYT is no exception and here it’s experimenting with VR as another way to tell stories. 

Don’t expect a newspaper-style publishing cycle – new videos are uploaded “every month or so” – but this is a case of quality over quantity with high production values, superb storytelling and award-winning content. Recent examples include being embedded with Iraqi forces fighting ISIS in Fallujah, climbing the spire of the World Trade Center with professional mountaineer Jimmy Chin and the chance to explore the faraway wastes of Pluto.

The NYT has rightly focused on “places you can’t normally go”, enabling you not just to read and hear about those places but to experience them yourself. It’s very impressive.

• Fulldive VR

Designed for Google Cardboard, Fulldive VR describes itself as a “social all-in-one VR platform”: it’s effectively an attempt to make a specific YouTube for VR content, with all content uploaded by users and available for sharing, commenting on and interacting with. The main draw here is the massive library of 360-degree videos, but it’s a decent front-end for a wide range of other content providers such as YouTube.

It also includes a VR video player that you can use to pretend your own videos are being shown in a movie theater, with similar features for your photo library and internet browsing. The latter’s a gimmick rather than anything useful: if you’ve ever tried using the web browser on a PlayStation you’ll know exactly what we’re talking about.

We think Fulldive’s best suited to those times when you want to watch something but you don’t know what you want to watch: because it draws from multiple sources as well as its own users, it’s a good way to stumble on interesting VR content.

• Discovery VR

Let’s face it. You and me, we’re nothing but mammals, so let’s do VR like they do on the Discovery Channel. The Discovery VR app comes from the same people who brought you Shark Week, Week of Sharks, Seven Days of Shark and many other shark-related programmes, and naturally that means you’ll be able to see sharks in the channels VR app too.

Not only that but you can experience the odd bit of content that doesn’t include sharks at all, such as Samurai sword fights, Dublin street dancing, and rhino rescues. There’s even footage of rollercoasters. Rollercoasters! Imagine finding them in a VR app! 

The app is pretty much what you’d expect from a big brand, with nice design, good quality video and a good selection of content. There’s also an offline mode so you don’t need to stream in areas you can’t get a signal.

• The Guardian VR

Following in the footsteps of the New York Times, the Guardian’s VR app “fuses journalism with innovative storytelling” - and so far unlike the newspaper’s normal app it doesn’t ask you for money every 30 seconds. 

The app, which has been developed for Google Cardboard, promises a range of content including virtual tours of far-off places and interactive experiences such as the harrowing 6x9, which enables you to experience what it’s like to be in solitary confinement. 

6x9 is also available on YouTube, but it’s the immersion of VR that really makes it hit home: the stories you’ll hear and the facts displayed on the cell walls are all the more powerful when you’re actually in the cell and not just watching it from afar. We’re hoping the Guardian’s initial enthusiasm for VR doesn’t wear off, as this has the potential to be a very interesting use of Virtual Reality.

In the famous film Fantastic Voyage, a team of scientists were shrunk down so they could explore the insides of the human body in a little submarine. Now you can do the same without any scientists, and unlike in the film you’re not going to be pummelled by platelets or beaten by blood cells or see your submarine smashed to bits. Primarily because you don’t have a submarine.

We’ve included this as an app although technically it’s a game because it’s not really much of a game and it’s quite a good science app: it takes place inside a virtual model of the human body, and as you race around the place collecting points you get to learn the different components of the cell. It plays rather like Wipeout, but with microbiology instead of hovering space cars and with levels called things like ‘Mitochondrion’. That, of course, is a double-membrane-bound organelle found in most eukaryotic organisms.

• InMind 2 VR

Like InCell, InMind is billed as a game but it’s quite educational too. It all takes place inside the brain of a teenager called John, and as John experiences different emotions you can see how the various chemicals combine to create and communicate those moods. If that sounds a bit worthy… well… it is.

John appears to be quite spectacularly dull and there are a couple of wrong notes such as John imagining having a whole bunch of guns "to protect the country from its hidden enemies", which makes you wonder if his future involves going up a watchtower with an AK-47. However, the in-brain stuff is genuinely thrilling as neurotransmitters ping and tendrils pulse like plants in some kind of bizarre alien space forest.

Visually it’s often very beautiful, and we’d be quite happy to have the gameplay elements and voiceover removed so we could simply float around in John’s brain juice. Which sounds bad, we know.

• War of Words VR

War of Words is really something. Designed for the usual range of VR headsets, the first BBC VR app takes Siegfried Sassoon’s poem The Kiss and transports you to The Somme during the First World War. 

The app enables you to follow the path of a rifle bullet, leading to the second part of the poem where you’ll discover what “the kiss” of the title really is. It’s very moving and a vivid illustration of how VR can be used to shed new light on familiar things, and it’s interesting to see technology that’s often used to glorify war used to provide a completely different perspective.

The app was produced to promote War of Words – Soldier-poets of The Somme, a BBC documentary in which other war poems were animated to equally devastating effect. Those animations are still available online (in normal video) in The Somme In Seven Poems .

• VR Roller Coaster

There’s an unwritten law about virtual reality that says if a device can do it, it must have a rollercoaster app. And the iPhone has many rollercoaster apps, of which this is one of the better efforts, primarily because it doesn’t interrupt you with ads every three feet of virtual travel.

VR Roller Coaster is based in a vast, randomly generated city so it’s different every time you open the app, and the two rollercoasters it offers do everything you’d expect with steep climbs and vertiginous drops and a lot of frankly unnecessary screaming. Quite brilliantly it supports the iPad too, which is great news for that huge demographic of people with necks like tree trunks who try phone-based VR and bellow “MORE WEIGHT! I NEED MORE WEIGHT ON MY FACE!” before smashing stacks of breeze blocks with their foreheads.

• Roller Coaster VR

Not to be confused with VR Roller Coaster, which as the name suggests is completely different in every single way, Roller Coaster VR brings the hitherto unexplored world of the fairground roller coaster to virtual reality. Like other roller coaster apps Roller Coaster VR promises thrills and indeed spills, but this app also promises “an incredibly emotional adventure.” We’re not convinced that it does, but it does deliver a lush, vibrant tropical landscape where you can go up, down and round and round.

It looks and is indeed described as a virtual reality game, but there’s no gameplay beyond looking at things. There’s no attempt at realism here – you half expect Lara Croft to overtake you on a mining wagon – but that’s not really the point. It’s a thrill ride and it’s good fun until the freemium bit stops and the ads take over.

• The best VR headsets of 2018

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Writer, broadcaster, musician and kitchen gadget obsessive Carrie Marshall ( Twitter ) has been writing about tech since 1998, contributing sage advice and odd opinions to all kinds of magazines and websites as well as writing more than a dozen books. Her memoir, Carrie Kills A Man , is on sale now. She is the singer in Glaswegian rock band HAVR .

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6 Best VR Travel Apps to Explore the World With Your Smartphone

See the world on your smartphone with these amazing virtual reality travel apps for Android and iPhone.

You can enjoy a virtual trip to a dreamy beach or mountain without even needing to leave home. One of the wonders of VR technology is its power to transport you to many destinations around the world through your smartphone.

You do need a few components to make it work, but once you get the hang of it, you could spend a whole day exploring Earth’s most stunning locations. Below are six top VR travel apps for Android and iPhone, and a few tips to get you started.

Tools You Need for VR Travel Apps

Before you even try to embark on a virtual trip around the world, make sure you have all the tools you need. It's also a good idea to read up on how VR technology works. Our review of the Oculus Quest , for example, details a different kind of mobile headset.

Even within the category of phone-based headsets, devices differ from each other, both in terms of the VR device and your smartphone's capabilities. This means that your experiences might not be the same as someone else's.

Whatever the case, here are the basic boxes you need to tick if you want to enjoy phone-based VR to its fullest:

• A smartphone that supports VR experiences, specifically with a Gyroscope sensor
• A headset compatible with your phone and its size
• Sometimes you need software like Google’s Cardboard, available in the Android and iOS app stores
• VR travel apps or media, like 360 degree images and videos from YouTube or other providers

1. Within VR

One of the best apps for experiencing virtual reality on mobile devices, Within VR has several videos on offer. You can travel to real and animated worlds, all vivid and complete with audio. Among real-life options, you have North Korea, Hong Kong, Rwanda, and the Olympic National Park on offer.

Just tap a video that appeals to you and a profile will appear, containing a description and buttons to share, download, and stream the production. If you select the last option, you can then choose to view it in VR or normal mode.

Whatever interests you, from documentaries to spacewalks or horror stories, you’ll find something to entertain you for four minutes or even two hours. More productions are added over time, so it’s a good VR app to hold onto.

Download: Within VR for Android | iOS (Free)

2. Sites in VR

You’ll find a wide range of destinations on this handy app, from waterfalls to ancient tombs. To begin with, Sites in VR offers fascinating and high-quality images in 3D and 360 degrees too.

However, if your interest is specifically virtual reality, just go onto the image you want and tap the VR icon. When you put on the headset with your phone mounted, you’ll get to feel like you’re there in person.

The app’s settings are fully adjustable too. Tailor your experience by changing the VR brightness, screen rotation, tool visibility, and more. Pairing it with extra handy travel planning apps can help you prepare for the perfect trip.

Download: Sites in VR for Android | iOS (Free)

3. Egypt VR 360

Some travel apps focus on specific famous locations. Since Egypt is a favorite, the existence of a dedicated virtual tour is hardly a surprise.

Egypt VR 360 is simple but well-designed, collecting footage of the country’s most impressive landmarks. As soon as you open the software, you’ll get a row of locations and a brief description of each one. For a closer look, you just tap on a destination and then the VR icon.

With over a hundred options, you can visit the Sphinx, Philae Temple, and Sultan Hassan Mosque in one sitting. The app even features modern luxury hotels to explore. It’s not a bad way to pinpoint exactly where you want to go next time you visit Egypt in person.

Download: Egypt VR 360 for Android (Free)

4. Nepal VR

Here’s another travel app focused on a place people love to visit for their vacation. Nepal VR contains a collection of images, which you can look at in normal mode or virtual reality.

For the latter, just tap the familiar VR icon at the bottom of the app's display. Navigation is a bit awkward, but the scenes are worthwhile.

As well as finding yourself in the middle of temples, museums, and festivals, you can bring up info bubbles offering handy descriptions and facts, whether historical or cultural.

While the app does have room for improvement, it’s an easy way to get to know Nepal. Sit back and explore important locations, while learning about its society. Even as a virtual traveler, you can expand your knowledge of the world.

Download: Nepal VR for Android (Free)

5. Tour It Virtually App

If you want to learn about India and see its winning locations up close, Tour It Virtually offer a mobile app alongside their website. Both platforms contain helpful details on the history, layout, and tourism advice of each location.

In terms of the VR feature, once again, you just need to navigate through the application to a destination you want to see. Once you reach its very informative profile, tap the image at the top and your smartphone will quickly switch to VR mode.

Despite some minor glitches, looking around is smooth and immersive enough to make the app a worthwhile investment.

Download: Tour It Virtually for Android (Free)

6. Relax River VR

Apart from real-life destinations, virtual reality can also take you to worlds that programmers make up from scratch. Relax River VR is a great example, where you can jump into a boat and float through super detailed environments.

This app only features VR technology, so you definitely need a headset and related software to use it. Also, keep in mind that, now and then, ads will interrupt your journey.

On the plus side, it’s the simplest experience to get into. Just launch the app, set up your gear, and the virtual river tour begins.

You’ll pass waterfalls, ruins, and beautiful landscapes, rich in color and realistic lighting. There are clear influences from real destinations, so the experience is just as immersive and relaxing as visiting a digital Cairo or Honolulu.

Download: Relax River VR for Android | iOS (Free)

Enjoy Virtual Reality Travel

Even though all these apps rank highly, some are better or less demanding than others. Some even offer fictional landscapes to dive into, which could appeal to gamers more. Whatever your interests, explore these options carefully to make the most of what your mobile and VR devices can provide.

Considering the apps are free, your main investment besides VR equipment will be your time and attention as you get to know more about the world’s wonders. Just how much you learn is entirely up to you.

And remember, virtual reality isn't just about travel. Once you've got the gear, you can enjoy loads of great VR games on your phone, too.

Real Estate Blog

How to make a Virtual Tour with your iPhone

Do you want to create a virtual tour but don’t have the money to buy a fancy camera? Or maybe you’re just not sure how to use one? In this blog post, we will show you how to make a virtual tour with your iPhone!

It’s actually very easy and doesn’t require any expensive equipment. You will be able to create an amazing virtual tour of a home or property using nothing more than your iPhone and some free apps.

So read on for instructions on how to get started!

What is the difference between a virtual tour and a video tour?

When you can’t visit a house in person, it is possible to do it “virtually”.

Some real estate tours are recorded and posted on the internet, and others are done “live” by an agent with a cellphone at the house.

The virtual tour can be used as a video or pictures.

A virtual tour is a recording of a real estate property that can be viewed on the internet. It usually consists of several still images or videos that are put together to create a virtual walkthrough of the property.

Virtual tours are becoming increasingly popular because they allow potential buyers to get a better sense of a property before they even step foot inside. They are also a great marketing tool for real estate agents.

A video tour is similar to a virtual tour, but it is usually just one continuous video that gives the viewer an overview of the property. Video tours are often shorter and less detailed than virtual tours.

Video tours are typically done “live” by an agent showing a house. They typically use their cell phone and do a video call or something similar while they walk around the house.

Who watches video or virtual tours?

Perhaps someone is relocating to a new city and wants to see what their options are before making the big move. Or maybe they’re interested in purchasing a vacation home but can’t take the time to travel there right now. Whatever the reason, virtual tours are a great way to get an up-close and personal look at a property without ever having to step foot inside.

I’ve watched the behavior of dozens of different homebuyers as they search for their new home on-line.

When a buyer finds a home they are interested in, they begin to do a deep dive on the property, learning as much as possible as they can.

They will search the web using the address and scroll several pages deep to find unique and trustworthy information on the property they are interested in.

In addition to the search, many people will also use google street view.

Using Google Street View app to look at Houses

Google street view is an amazing project. They have hired thousands of people to walk the streets of every town in the world with special cameras that capture panoramic images.

Then the software engineers at Google stitch all these images together

If you are interested in learning more about the project, here is their description . Otherwise, just visit maps.google.com on your laptop and type in the address of interest.

In the lower right corner of the map is a little orange figure.

Simply drag that figure onto the exact location of the map you are interested in and you will be taken to street view.

If you are on a cell phone I recommend downloading the Google Maps App. While it is possible to use the internet browser as a better experience is with the Google street view app.

There are 3 Different kinds of virtual tours

A virtual tour allows a homebuyer to tour any home, anywhere, at any time.

There are three primary kinds of virtual tours based on the kind of cameras used to make them

• Still photos
• Video camera
• 3-D camera/scanner

Still Photo Virtual Tour

The most common virtual tour is one made with still photos. You can use any digital camera to make this kind of virtual tour, but we will focus on how to do it using an iPhone camera.

Here are the steps you need to follow:

Find a property that you want to create a virtual tour for. This can be your own home, or a friend’s home, or even a property that you are thinking of buying.

Start by taking a few pictures of the outside of the property. Include any special features like gardens, pools, or sculptures. Then move inside and take photos of each room. Try to get a variety of angles and shots so that viewers will get a good sense of the space.

Once you have all of your photos, it’s time to start putting them together into a virtual tour. You can do this using any photo editing software, but we recommend using iMovie. This is a free app that you can download from the App Store.

How to Make a Virtual Tour with iPhone

After you have captured your images or movies on your phone they are stored in the camera roll in the photos app. There is no need to save image to any specific place.

A great feature is that when you use iMovie the photos are automatically linked to the app.

Open iMovie and create a new project. Then start adding your photos to the project, one by one. You can add music or narration if you want, but it’s not necessary.

I like to use the Ken Burns effect which adds a zoom or pan effect to each image. This helps provide some motion to the video, and makes it more interesting.

You can also use music or even a voice-over to narrate the tour. This can all be done through the free iMovie app.

Once you have all of your photos in the project, export it as a video. This will create a virtual tour that you can share with anyone on Youtube, Instagram, or even by email. If you have a Real Estate Blog , this is a great way to create content for your listings.

If you have an iPhone, this entire process can be completed with the pre-installed and free software from Apple. Nothing else is needed, and the results can look professional.

Video Camera Virtual Tour

If you want to take your virtual tours to the next level, you can use a video camera instead of still photos. This will allow you to create a more immersive experience for viewers, and gives you the ability to add things like sound and narration.

The best part is that you don’t need an expensive video camera to do this. You can use the iPhone that you already have!

Here’s how

First, find a property that you want to create a virtual tour for. This can be your own home, or a friend’s home, or even a property that you are thinking of buying.

Start by taking a few videos of the outside of the property. Include any special features like gardens, pools, or sculptures. Then move inside and take videos of each room. Try to get a variety of angles and shots so that viewers will get a good sense of the space.

For a better video, hold your phone in landscape mode instead of portrait – this way you create a video that covers the entire screen. Just turn your phone 90-degrees and record as usual.

Once you have all of your videos, it’s time to start putting them together into a virtual tour. You can do this using any video editing software, but we recommend using iMovie. This is a free app that you can download from the App Store.

Open iMovie and create a new project. Then start adding your videos to the project, one by one. You can add music or narration if you want, but it’s not necessary.

I like to keep my video virtual tours to around 4-7 minutes to keep the viewer’s attention. Faster and you risk showing all the details. and if it is much longer you may lose your viewer’s attention.

These videos can then be uploaded to YouTube or hosted on Google Drive.

3-D Virtual Tour

For the highest quality most professional video tours, you can create a 3-D virtual tour. This method uses virtual reality and is the closest thing to actually being there, and allows viewers to explore the space in a way that is not possible with traditional photos or videos.

For this type of tour you do need a special camera. The current industry standard for 3-D Virtual Tours is the Matterport system.

This is a camera that captures both photos and 3-D data, which is then used to create an interactive 3-D model.

Using Matterport to create virtual home tours.

If you are serious about virtual tours, then the Matterport system is definitely worth considering. It’s not cheap, but it will allow you to create virtual tours that are truly unique and will wow your viewers.

The Matterport system also can create a detailed floor plan of the property, and even calculate the square feet measurements of the home.

This type of your can be viewed on a computer or mobile phone, but for the best experience using a VR headset like the Occulus is recommended.

Do you need special virtual tour software?

Depending on the type of virtual tour you are making, it probably isn’t necessary to purchase or download any special virtual tour software.

You can use any video conferencing software you like.

Some examples are:

• What’sApp

All of these are free downloads from the app store.

When I perform a video tour for a client, I always ask what their preferred method is. I then accommodate their request using that program.

Each of these, as well as many others, are available for both iPhone and Android devices.

Final Thoughts

There you have it – 3 ways to create virtual tours that will give your viewers a new way to experience your properties.

You don’t need special virtual tour software, and any real estate agent can do this.

Whether you use photos, videos, or 3-D, virtual tours are a great way to add value and stand out from the competition. So get out there and start capturing.

Now that you know how to make a virtual tour with iPhone, will you be using this technique to help your clients?

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Best Free Virtual Tour App: A Comprehensive Guide

Exploring the World of Virtual Tours: Best Free App and Integration with Platforms

In recent years, virtual tours have emerged as a pivotal element across industries, revolutionizing how we experience spaces and places. As the demand for virtual tours has surged, a plethora of software solutions have hit the market, and in this article, we'll delve into the top free virtual tour apps that empower you to craft captivating and immersive tours.

CloudPano: Elevate Your Virtual Tours

CloudPano stands as a virtual tour platform that empowers users to design captivating tours using 360-degree panoramic photos. Featuring an intuitive drag-and-drop interface, CloudPano is accessible to both novices and experts alike. This platform offers an array of customization options, including the incorporation of hotspots, personalized branding, and interactive maps.

The power of CloudPano lies in its ease of use. With a simple drag-and-drop interface, creating professional-looking virtual tours becomes remarkably straightforward. Whether you're a real estate professional, a tourism enthusiast, or merely aiming to showcase your property or business, CloudPano provides a swift and effective solution for capturing and displaying your space in a 360-degree virtual tour.

A standout feature of CloudPano is its versatility. The platform accommodates 360-degree photos taken using a smartphone or a dedicated 360-degree camera. This means you can craft virtual tours on-the-go without the need for specialized equipment. These photos can be seamlessly uploaded to the CloudPano platform, where they're processed into a cohesive virtual tour.

Customization is a hallmark of CloudPano. Users can add interactive elements like hotspots, interactive maps, and custom branding to personalize their virtual tours. Hotspots enable users to highlight specific areas within their virtual tours, providing links to supplementary information or multimedia content. Custom branding lets users infuse their virtual tours with their unique logos and colors, resulting in a consistent visual identity.

An additional attraction of CloudPano is its interactive map feature. This navigation tool simplifies exploration for users, allowing them to traverse the virtual tour by clicking on different sections of the map. This innovative feature enhances user engagement, leading to an enriched virtual tour experience.

Monetizing Skills with Google Maps and Google Street View Tours

The advent of Google Maps and Google Street View Tours has opened doors to new avenues of revenue generation. Here are a few ways to monetize your skills using these platforms:

1. Virtual Tour Creation : Offer virtual tour creation services to businesses seeking to enhance their online presence. Create engaging 360-degree panoramic images that can be seamlessly integrated into their websites or Google Maps listings.

2. Real Estate Photography : If you possess photography expertise, offer real estate photography services inclusive of virtual tours. This enables potential buyers to fully explore a property before making decisions.

3. Guided Tours : Leverage your expertise in a particular area to provide virtual tour guiding services, showcasing the best attractions and landmarks in your locality.

4. Virtual Tour Advertising : Businesses can utilize Google Maps and Google Street View to promote their products and services. By crafting virtual tours of their premises, they offer potential customers an immersive view of their offerings.

5. Content Creation : If writing is your forte, generate blog posts and articles centered around Google Maps and Google Street View tours. Share tips, tricks, and tutorials for businesses and individuals looking to harness these platforms effectively.

By leveraging your skills, creativity, and the capabilities of Google Maps and Google Street View tours, you can transform your passion into a lucrative venture.

Integration with Leading Platforms

CloudPano isn't just a standalone tool; it seamlessly integrates with leading real estate platforms such as Realtor.com, Zillow, Trulia, HotPads, Apartments.com, and Zumper. These integrations empower you to showcase your virtual tours to a wider audience, enhancing the exposure of your properties and offerings. Whether you're a real estate agent, a property owner, or a rental property specialist, CloudPano's integration with these platforms amplifies your reach and impact.

As virtual tours continue to redefine how we explore and engage with spaces, the fusion of intuitive platforms like CloudPano with renowned real estate platforms ensures that you're always at the forefront of this dynamic evolution. So, why wait? Embrace the power of virtual tours and captivate your audience with immersive experiences.

Creating Captivating Virtual Tours with CloudPano : A Step-by-Step Guide

Virtual tours have revolutionized the way we explore and experience spaces, offering a dynamic and immersive way to showcase properties, businesses, and more. CloudPano, a cutting-edge virtual tour platform, empowers users to craft stunning virtual tours with ease. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to create captivating virtual tours using CloudPano.

Step 1: Download and Install CloudPano Virtual Tour Creator App

Start by downloading and installing the CloudPano Virtual Tour Creator app on your smartphone. You can find the app on the App Store for iOS devices or Google Play for Android devices. Once the app is installed, open it and create an account to begin your virtual tour journey.

Step 2: Capture 360-Degree Panoramic Photos

Launch the CloudPano app and prepare to capture the essence of your space in 360-degree panoramic glory. Hold your smartphone in portrait mode and slowly rotate your body to capture the full view. The app will guide you through the process of capturing the panoramic photos, ensuring that you cover every angle.

Step 3: Upload Photos to CloudPano

After capturing your panoramic photos, it's time to upload them to the CloudPano platform. Select the "Create Tour" option within the app and choose the photos you want to include in your virtual tour. CloudPano will work its magic by stitching the photos together, creating a seamless and immersive experience for viewers.

Step 4: Customize Your Virtual Tour

CloudPano offers a range of customization options to make your virtual tour truly yours. You can add interactive hotspots to specific areas of your tour. Hotspots allow viewers to click and access additional information, links, or multimedia content. To customize your tour further, explore the "Customize Tour" option in the app, where you can add personalized branding elements, ensuring a cohesive and branded virtual tour.

Step 5: Share Your Virtual Tour

With your virtual tour polished and ready, it's time to share your creation with the world. CloudPano provides various sharing options, including social media, email, and links. You can even embed your virtual tour on your website or listing for maximum exposure. This sharing capability ensures that your captivating virtual tour reaches a wide audience, whether they're potential buyers, clients, or curious explorers.

Step 6: Integrate with Google Street View and Maps

To expand the reach of your virtual tour, you can integrate it with Google Street View and Google Maps. This integration allows users to discover your virtual tour while exploring locations on these popular platforms. Simply upload your virtual tour to CloudPano and ensure it's connected to Google Street View, giving your creation the opportunity to shine on a broader stage.

Are you ready to revolutionize the way you market properties? Experience the future of real estate with CloudPano's advanced virtual tour software. Get started today and witness firsthand how these cutting-edge tours can take your business to new horizons.

Visit CloudPano.com and embark on your journey towards creating captivating virtual tours that leave a lasting impression.

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How to Host Matterport Virtual Tours Somewhere Else like Cloudpano

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Virtual Tour Software for Real Estate Agents

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How to make a virtual tour with an Iphone/iOs?

Capturing 360° images with your iPhone is a breeze. Anyone can do it, no special equipment is needed. Just follow this step-by-step guide and you will have your captures ready to upload to RealAdvisor VR in no time!

What app can I use to capture 360° images?

You can choose from many free or premium applications available on the App Store . Our recommended app is Google Street View - it is free, easy to use and produces good results. See below for a detailed guide.

Capturing 360° images with Google Street View app

To download the Google Street View app:

• Open the “App Store” on your phone - you will find it among your applications
• Tap the search bar and search for “Google Street View”
• It should come up in your suggested results - tap the suggestion
• Tap the “Install” button
• Open the app once the installation is finished

To capture a 360° photo using the Google Street View app:

• Open the application
• Tap the “Create” icon in the bottom menu bar
• Tap the “Take photo Sphere” option (you may be asked to allow the Google Street View application to use your device’s camera)
• Point the phone directly in front of you, aligning with white circle around the first orange circle that appears and hold your phone in place until the image is captured
• Continue panning around to capture all orange dots that appear and your 360° panorama is complete (try to keep your phone in one place and rotate it there, at the imaginary centre of a sphere)
• Tap the “tick” icon at the bottom of the screen when done (it will turn green to indicate that the capture is fully done

Uploading your images to RealAdvisor VR

Once you have captured your 360° photos, you can share them send them to another device (for example your laptop for easier editing of your tour) in the following way:

• Tap the Share icon on the card representing your captured scene
• Select the option to share privately
• Choose your preferred mode of sharing (e.g. AirDrop to another Apple device)

To upload your 360° images in RealAdvisor VR, all you need to do is to click “Upload photos” when creating your tour and select your files.

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How To Create A Virtual Tour For Real Estate in 2024

Learn how to create an engaging virtual tour for real estate, showcasing properties effectively to captivate potential buyers and enhance listings.

Learn | By Jeff Collier

As an agent hoping to attract prospective clients, you should learn how to create a virtual tour for real estate.

This marketing approach can limit the hassle that comes with normal house tours.

Plus, it significantly saves you time and effort, which real estate agents value greatly!

As a professional photographer, I’m glad to shed some light (pun unintended) on everything related to virtual tours.

I’ll explore their importance for your business and their different types.

Then, I’ll go through step-by-step instructions to help you build a tour that showcases your home’s best features.

• Best Drone for Real Estate Photography
• How to Take Real Estate Photos With an iPhone
• Best Camera for Real Estate Photography
• Real Estate Drone Photography Tips for Professionals
• 7 Best Lenses For Real Estate Photography
• Best Editing Software for Real Estate Photography

Table of Contents

What Is a Virtual Tour in Real Estate?

In real estate photography, a virtual tour is a screening of the interior and exterior of a property to showcase its features to potential buyers.

How Does a Virtual Tour Work?

Virtual tours try to mimic traditional home tours by allowing the viewer to interact with elements in the house.

It’ll be like they’re standing in each room, looking at every corner from different perspectives without dealing with the flat view of a normal photo.

Depending on the type of virtual tour, it can either engage you in 360-degree photo-realistic visuals or show you a sequence of videos.

What Does a Virtual Tour Consist of?

Normally, virtual tours consist of several 360-degree or panoramic photos stitched together to create the illusion of walking inside the house.

Most of the time, these visuals are accompanied by background music, on-screen text, or narration.

The tour starts from the house’s entry point, and then the screen pans, rotates, or dollies to show you around each room. Based on the nature of the tour, the viewer can either change the viewing angle themselves or follow a predetermined path.

Why Create a Virtual Real Estate Tour?

According to research, 61% of home buyers chose virtual tours as the best technology for evaluating real estate.

It fared better than accurate listing information (58%) and high-quality images (51%).

But what makes virtual tours everyone’s favorite option?

First, these tours are distance-friendly—perfect for people who want to move from one state to another. Second, many people, especially millennials and GenZers, said they’d rather deal with a real estate agent who had virtual tours of homes.

Plus, creating virtual tours helps you reduce wasted appointments. Only invested buyers will contact you after viewing every part of the listed property.

The 3 Different Types of Virtual Real Estate Tours

Before you whip out your photography equipment, you should decide on the type of virtual tour you’d like to make.

1. Walk-through

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Even though it’s the least interactive form of a virtual tour, don’t underestimate the influence of a walk-through. It’s a guided tour that you (as the real estate agent) record while walking around the house.

This video tour is the easiest and requires simple equipment. You can even use your smartphone camera to film a video showing the property.

2. 3D Virtual Tour

A 3D virtual tour involves taking multiple photos of each interior space with a panoramic lens camera. Afterward, these pictures are stitched together to give the illusion of standing inside each room.

Unlike walk-throughs, these 3D tours give your customers more control over what they see, but they require more work on your part.

3. Interactive 360 Virtual Tour

360° virtual reality tours are the most interactive, allowing viewers a lifelike experience of walking through a house. It’s a lot like wearing a virtual reality (VR) headset.

While they’ll give you a competitive edge, 360-degree virtual tours are the most challenging to make, especially without a background in photography. They require special techniques, equipment, and virtual tour software to produce seamless results.

How to Choose the Best Camera for Virtual Real Estate Tours

Virtual real estate tour cameras must capture the finest interior space details.

On the upside, the market is teeming with cameras designed for this purpose.

However, it can be confusing for real estate agents to find the perfect one for their needs. So, consider the following to make a well-informed decision:

• High-resolution sensors: Go above 4K.
• Advanced features: AI-powered object recognition, live-streaming abilities, slow-mo, timelapse, and shooting standard single-lens photos
• Image-stabilization: Necessary for a smooth viewing experience
• Fisheye lens : To capture wide angles
• Battery life: Your camera shouldn’t die on you while filming.
• Your budget restrictions: Balance good video quality and price.
• 360 capability a bonus: This can speed up the creation of 360 degree virtual tour footage

Editor’s Choice: Insta360 ONE RS 1-INCH 360

If you want an action cam that fits real estate virtual tour projects, the Insta360 ONE RS 1-Inch is one of my favorites.

The virtual Tour Kit includes the camera itself and a Mounting Bracket, a Vertical Battery Base, a Lens Cap, a 114cm Invisible Selfie Stick, an all-purpose Tripod, and a 64GB MicroSD card, giving you all the equipment you need to start creating virtual tours.

Videos are captured in up to 6k, giving you tons of detail and the ability to crop into footage digitally.

FlowState Stabilization means that you can hand hold the camera and walk around the property without any perceivable camera jitters to distract the viewer,

Another much-appreciated aspect is that it takes 21-megapixel 360 photos, giving you excellent quality for your real estate images as well as video.

Plus, you’ll like its low-light processing capabilities, thanks to its dual 1-inch sensors, which help your evening house images come to life.

The ONE RS is compatible with all the top real estate virtual tour software, including Zillow, Matterport, Floorfy, Kuula, 3DVista, Cloudpano, GoThru, OpenSpace, DroneDeploy, and Structionsite.

You can shoot with the Insta360 ONE RS using one of the compatible virtual tour apps and edit and share your content immediately.

How to Choose the Right Virtual Tour Software

As a real estate agent venturing into photography, it might sound like a big deal to select software for a virtual tour.

But don’t fret; the market has loads of options with varying difficulty levels.

You’ll just have to think about these features to find the ideal virtual tour software:

• Compatibility with your equipment
• Type of virtual tour it’s made for
• Video editing tools (beginner-friendly, require some background, or expert use)
• Advanced features (branding, virtual staging, etc.)

4 Best Virtual Tour Apps for Real Estate

Here are my top three recommendations for a smooth virtual tour creation experience:

• Matterport: For maximum control over immersive 360-degree tours and 3D videos
• Asteroom: Offers real estate professionals smartphone compatibility and a user-friendly way to capture virtual tours
• EyeSpy360: A subscription-free program that supports branding and virtual staging

Zillow 3D Home app: Makes 3D tours using your phone only and shares them on Zillow (but not suitable for sharing anywhere else)

Step-By-Step Guide to Creating a Virtual Real Estate Tour

Now, let’s dive into the specifics of making a real estate virtual tour!

Step 1: Get Your Equipment Ready

Based on the type of virtual tour you intend to shoot, decide on the right software, camera, and other accessories.

If you’ll be using your phone, I suggest buying a fisheye lens adapter to help you get wide-angle shots.

You can invest in a full-fledged DSLR camera for a more professional approach, but it might cost you a small fortune. Don’t forget to purchase a rotating tripod for more stability while you shoot 360-degree views of your rooms.

Next, pair your camera with the ideal software from the earlier list. Remember that your choice also depends on your video editing knowledge and how much you want to be involved with the tour creation process.

Step 2: Plan Your Virtual Tour

Plan the shots by following a prospective buyer’s path when checking out the house.

Your route should be logical, starting from the front door, passing through each room, looking inside closets and bathrooms, etc.

You should also mark where you’ll place your camera to take 360-degree photos.

Ideally, it should be in the center of the room, but small spaces or long hallways will require other camera placements.

Step 3: Clean and Stage the Home in Preparation

A crucial part of preparing the house for your photoshoot is cleaning it thoroughly, especially if it’s still lived in.

Pay attention to windows, mirrors, and other reflective surfaces that indicate a home’s cleanliness.

Otherwise, potential buyers might be put off by any cluttered or dusty areas.

Plus, it’s a good idea to stage the home. Home staging means adding and arranging furniture pieces, accessories, or rugs to give each room an appealing look.

Step 4: Do Lighting and Camera Tests

Test your equipment and make any necessary adjustments.

Think about using natural vs. artificial lighting or a mix of both. Do you need extra equipment to illuminate darker rooms? Are some places too bright that you must adjust your camera settings accordingly?

Also, ensure you and the camera don’t appear on reflective surfaces!

Step 5: Take Your Pictures and Upload Them onto the Software

Lastly, start rolling, going from one room to the next until you’ve completed your planned shots.

Then, upload the photos onto the virtual tour software you’ve chosen. Follow the instructions for the specific program, and consider adding interactive links, narration, or text while editing.

Finish by adding the virtual tour to your property listing or sharing it with your clients.

How to Make a 360° (3D) Virtual Real Estate Tour with iPhone/Android

Here’s how you can achieve decent results by making a 360° virtual real estate tour with your smartphone.

Step 1: Use the Google Street View App

After following the instructions from earlier (planning your shots, doing tests, and home staging), download this app from the Play Store or App Store.

• Tap on the camera icon, select “Take Photo Sphere,” then point the camera to the orange dot.
• Take the first photo and repeat the same process until the green box appears.
• Click on the green box, then select the options to share or save your creation.

Step 2: Upload the 360-degree Images to Your Virtual Tour Software

In this step, you’ll use another mobile app to create your virtual tour called My360.

After signing up, create a new tour profile before clicking “+ Spheres.” You’ll then be prompted to upload the photos you’ve taken.

Wait until the upload is over before you close the app.

Step 3: Finish Creating the Tour Using the Desktop Version

I advise switching to the My360 desktop app to give you maximum control over your photo editing experience.

Once you type in your credentials, you’ll find the pictures you’ve uploaded from your smartphone that are waiting for you to use.

Finally, make your virtual reality tour, then attach it to your property listings.

5 Best Practices When Creating a Virtual Real Estate Tour

Want your virtual reality tour to look like it’s been shot by a professional? Consider these practices that promise incredible results!

1. Use a Shot List

Organization is key when you’re in the planning phase, which is why I suggest you make a shot checklist.

This list should involve every room the tour will cover, preferably chronologically.

For example, the first item could be “Exterior and front yard,” followed by “Front door,” followed by “Proch,” and so on, based on your vision.

2. Level Your Tripod

Ensure your tripod is level so the photos you capture don’t come out uneven.

Here, you may use a bubble level indicator, adjust the center column, or tweak the tripod leg height.

3. Take Test Shots

Test shots are essential, helping you make any corrections to your lights, level of detail, photo depth, and other factors.

They’re also time-efficient, reducing the time wasted if you encounter a problem while taking your final shots.

4. Consider Virtual Staging

Several websites (like iStaging) and virtual tour software services offer virtual staging.

This involves editing your panoramic photos to include furniture, accessories, and home decor. For busy real estate agents, this option can be a hassle-free alternative to traditional home staging.

5. Create Both Branded and Unbranded Versions of Your Tours

In digital marketing, branding is everything because it links everything to the business.

So, when posting on public websites, you should brand the tour with your details to leave a lasting effect on the viewers.

Unbranded versions work best in settings where you can’t use branded ones. This sometimes includes sites that promote your house showing.

FAQs About Creating a Virtual Real Estate Tour

What is a virtual tour camera?

A virtual tour camera has a 360-degree lens , capturing a wide view of each room to include all the details within the shot.

How do you make a good virtual tour?

You need suitable equipment, strong virtual tour software, careful planning, and a good understanding of how to show each property in its best light.

Usually, finding the right formula comes with experience.

How can I make a virtual tour for real estate for free?

You may use Google Street View and My360 to make virtual tours without spending money on equipment or software subscriptions.

Can I create a virtual tour for real estate online?

Unfortunately, an online service doesn’t allow you to make a virtual tour without downloading desktop or smartphone software.

How do I create an interactive virtual tour?

You’ll need an app that supports virtual reality, such as iStaging, Kuula, and CloudPano.

What is a branded virtual tour for real estate?

A branded virtual tour includes the real estate professional’s name, listing office, and contact information.

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Jeff Collier is an experienced film photographer who enjoys experimenting with modern digital photography equipment, software and apps. He’s also an ex-world champion triathlete and avid cyclist, clocking hundreds of km each week in the beautiful Tweed Valley of northern NSW, Australia.

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• By: Jahir Chowdhury Last updated on: March 5, 2024 12 mins read

How To Make A Virtual Tour With iPhone Panorama – Simple Guide [2024]

A virtual tour is one of the most effective technologies that can bring you the attention of your viewers.

If you have a virtual tour for your business, then you can surely get an edge over your competitors and attract more prospects.

Now, you might think that creating a virtual tour costs a fortune since nowadays professional 360 photography may cost up to $1000.

What if I tell you that if you own an iPhone, then you can capture high-quality panoramic images and create a virtual tour by spending less than $120?

In fact, it’s possible to capture an iPhone panorama image, on your own, and turn it into a virtual tour without any professional help at all.

All you will need is your iPhone, an app to capture Panoramic images, a monopod if possible, and a simple virtual tour creator, WPVR.

Today, you will get a step-by-step guide so that you can learn how to make a virtual tour with iPhone panorama and WPVR easily.

After you read this article, you will learn:

• How to take a panorama on iPhone.
• The best iOS apps you can use for panorama or 360 photography.
• How to use a reliable plugin to create a virtual tour.
• Start getting more prospects using that virtual tour.

Let’s get started.

How To Make A Virtual Tour With iPhone Panorama And WPVR

According to recent studies, websites with virtual tours get  87% more visits and 5-10 times longer stays .

Whether you sell properties , own a hotel or restaurant, or simply have a corporate business, having a quality virtual tour will help you to attract more relevant visitors to your site, make your prospects stay longer on your website, and create instant interest in prospects to make a decision.

So, it’s highly convenient for you to be able to create a virtual tour without any complications and within the budget.

Let’s look at the steps on how to make a virtual tour with iPhone.

When creating a virtual tour, you will go through 3 quick processes:

• Capture Panoramic Images Using An iPhone Panorama App.
• Turn Those Panoramic Photos Into Virtual Tours Easily Using WPVR.
• Use This Virtual Tour On Your Site And Attract More Prospects.

Follow the quick steps below to carry out these processes easily.

1. Take Panorama On iPhone – Using An App

To capture a panoramic image with your iPhone, you need to use a VR app that is dedicated to capturing panoramas.

This app will assist you to capture a wide-angle panoramic image of your surroundings, which is difficult to do on your own.

You may try out the following two iPhone panorama apps in the Apple Store:

• DMD Panorama
• Virtual Tours & Panoramas: P360

Both of them are suitable iPhone panorama apps with useful features and have a user-friendly interface. But we recommend DMD Panorama app as it’s easier to use. Additionally, for those concerned with online privacy while uploading and sharing your virtual tours, using a service to hide IP can provide an extra layer of security, ensuring that your internet activity remains confidential.

• You can get the DMD Panorama app here .

Once you get the app, follow the steps below.

5 Steps To Capture A Panoramic Image Using DMD Panorama App

Step 1 – open the dmd panorama app in your iphone.

In the app, you will get the option to capture a panorama.

Step 2 – Hold The iPhone at Your Preferred Height

You may either hold the iPhone with your hands or use a monopod (which would be ideal).

Step 3 – Ensure The Proper Angle to Capture The Panoramic Image

Point the phone camera at the rightmost angle of the view where you wish to capture the panoramic image .

Step 4 – Start Capturing Your Panoramic Image

On your app, you will find two markers. Match the markers and capture, and one section is captured. You’ll then get a new pair of markers to the left. Rotate the phone to the left to match these two markers and capture them again. Continue the same process.

Keep the phone steady and do not tilt the phone too much when doing this.

Step 5 – Continue Till Your Panorama Is Captured

Follow this process until all angles have been captured and the app starts processing the panoramic image.

And that’s it. Your panoramic image will be generated.

FYI – The panoramic image you capture using your iPhone panorama app is often referred to as a partial panorama. That’s because it is rather a 180-degree panorama.

But no worries – I will show you how you can use this image to create an engaging virtual tour .

Here’s a video to show the app in action:

As you can see, it’s really simple and if done right, your panoramic image will be as good as a professionally captured panorama photo.

Now that you have captured the required panoramic image, it’s time to create a virtual tour.

2. Turn Your Panorama Into A Virtual Tour Easily Using WPVR

Once you have captured the panoramic images, the next step is to use a reliable virtual tour builder to convert this panoramic image into a virtual tour.

If you run a WordPress site, then you can easily do it using the plugin, WPVR – Virtual Tour Builder for WordPress .

WPVR is currently the most popular and stable plugin for creating virtual tours on WordPress websites.

In the next few steps, you will get a guide to turning your panoramic image into a fully-functional virtual tour.

5 Steps To Convert A Partial Panorama Into A Virtual Tour

The first thing to do is to install and activate the plugin, WPVR on your WordPress site.

Once you have WPVR on your site, follow the steps below to turn your panoramic image into a virtual tour.

Step 1 – Create A New Tour

Go to your WordPress Dashboard > WP VR and click on Add New Tour . It will take you to the tour creation page.

Step 2 – Upload And Preview Your Panoramic Image To The Plugin

i. First give a title to the tour.

ii. Then go to the Scenes tab.

iii. Set this scene as the Default scene .

iv. Assign a unique Scene ID .

v. Click on the blue Upload button and upload the panoramic image you had captured with your iPhone.

vi. Now scroll down to the bottom and click on the Preview button.

A preview of your scene will appear on the Tour Preview section on the right side.

Step 3 – Optimize The Tour For Partial Panorama

Once you preview the tour, you’ll notice that the virtual tour is not proper; the image is overly stretched out than what is expected.

This is because a partial panorama does not cover a full 360 view. You need to make some small adjustments to make it proper. Let me show you how.

i. Use the following settings in the plugin:

• In the Vertical Angle of View field, set the value as 100.
• In the Horizontal Angle of View field, set the value as 300 degrees.

ii. Now, scroll down and click on the Preview button.

**The values of Horizontal & Vertical Angle of Views will be different depending on the dimensions of each individual panoramic image. So sometimes you have to play around with the numbers and preview a few times until you find the right angle.

However, when you move around in the virtual tour, you’ll find that there are now some blank spaces in the tour view as shown in the image below.

These are there because of the custom angle of views we’ve applied. Let’s fix them.

We will apply the following advanced settings to this scene in the next few steps:

• Limit Vertical Scene Grab.
• Limit Horizontal Scene Grab.
• Customize Scene Zoom.

Sep 4 – Set A Vertical Grab Limitation To The Tour

i.  Scroll down and turn on the Limit Vertical Scene Grab option.

ii. You’ll find 2 new fields, Max Pitch and Min Pitch . These 2 fields will help you to restrict the view of the dark sections of the virtual tour vertically.

iii. Since the Vertical Angle of view is set to 100 degrees, the ideal value of the Max Pitch would be 50 and the ideal value of the Min Pitch would be -50.

Sep 5 – Use A Horizontal Grab Limitation To The Tour

i. Turn on the Limit Horizontal Scene Grab option.

ii. You’ll find 2 new options, Max Yaw and Min Yaw . These 2 fields will help you to restrict the view of the dark sections of the virtual tour horizontally.

iii. Since the Horizontal Angle of view is 300 degrees, the ideal value of the Max Yaw would be 150 and the ideal value of the Min Yaw would be -50.

iv. Click on Preview and check out the output. You will see that the black spaces are no longer accessible.

That’s it. You have created a virtual tour using the panoramic image that you captured using your iPhone. You can then Publish the tour and use it on your website.

You may also add more scenes to the tour if you have captured multiple panoramas , and connect them via hotspots to make the virtual tour more realistic and engaging.

Now, before I show you how you can publish the tour on your site, I would like to give you a few tips to customize this virtual tour and make it even better for greater results.

Tips To Customize Your Virtual Tour Into An Attractive Experience

Let’s look at how you can use different features of WPVR to make it more interactive.

i. Add A Scene Gallery

If you’ve created the tour using multiple images, you can activate a scene gallery on your tour.

This will allow a visitor to get a quick glance at the available scenes in the virtual tour, and visit any desired scenes by double-clicking on the image from the gallery.

• Learn more about using WPVR Scene Gallery here.

This is a great way to allow visitors to explore the tour with more interest.

ii. Use Interactive Hotspots Buttons

The plugin’s hotspot feature is one of the most useful mediums to get visitors more interested.

Among several uses, one of its uses is to view content inside the tours in an engaging way. You can allow a visitor to view content

• By hovering on the hotspot icon or,
• By clicking on the hotspot icon.

The content section is HTML compatible and you can design and view content such as:

• YouTube videos
• Vimeo videos
• Self-hosted videos
• Download buttons

Here’s a glimpse of how it works.

Follow this guide to set interactive content on hotspots .

Also, you can use any 360 video editing software for this as well.

You can try all-purpose  video editing software   too.

iii. Set A Background Audio

To give your viewers a more realistic experience and keep them entertained, you can add relevant background audio to your virtual tour.

You can choose to set the audio to:

• Play automatically after any interaction.
• Play in Loop.

Here is a guide on how you can set background audio for your virtual tour .

iv. Turn On The Gyroscope

A huge number of viewers will be visiting your virtual tour from their mobile devices.

Allow them to have a realistic experience and take advantage of using the mobile device by enabling the Gyroscope feature.

Then your viewers can move the mobile device and the tour will respond to the movements. They can also turn on or off the Gyroscope support.

Follow this guide to enable the Gyroscope feature .

v. Show Company Logo and Description:

Since virtual tours are interesting content and viewers tend to spend more time viewing them.

You can take advantage of it by always showing your Company logo design inside the tour.

Here is how you can set your company logo and description .

There are many more ways you can customize your tour and add more functionalities. Learn more about them here .

3. Publish The Virtual Tour on Your Website

After successfully creating the tour and applying all your desired customization, you’re ready to publish the tour on your WordPress website.

Simply follow the steps in this guide to embed a virtual tour using the WPVR Gutenberg block .

Or watch the video below:

You may also embed the virtual tour on your site in other ways if you do not want to use Gutenberg:

• Guide on how to use shortcode for publishing virtual tours .
• How to use WPVR Elementor Widget for publishing Virtual Tours .
• Learn to use WPVR Visual Composer Element to embed the tour.
• How to use the WPVR Oxygen Element .

Whichever builder you use, it’s really simple to embed the virtual tour on your site real quickly.

That’s it. Now you can share your webpage with your audience and hopefully, you will get more engagements, thanks to your virtual tour.

Since your goal of using a virtual tour is to increase conversion by creating more engagement with your viewers, make sure to set some interactive content inside your virtual tours .

Summarizing

Now you know, how to make a virtual tour with iPhone Panorama and WPVR. And the best part of it is that it will not cost you a fortune, while still giving you the opportunity to increase your revenue.

Now that you know the easiest way to create a virtual tour, go ahead, and start using virtual tours to grow your business.

• Get DMD Panorama app to capture a panoramic image.
• Get WPVR (it has a free version) to convert the image into a virtual tour
• Use your virtual tour to attract more prospects.

Start growing your business with virtual tours without any exclusive or expensive professional help.

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Jahir writes about WordPress plugins, themes, guides, and mostly Virtual Reality. He works as a Product Manager at RexTheme.

Did I understand that correctly: it is not a true 360° panorama, but only covers an area of about 180°? So I can only look “forward”?

You are correct, it won’t be a true 360-degree panorama, it will be a partial panorama.

You can still create a virtual tour with it.

Here you can see an example: https://rextheme.com/docs/wp-vr/demo-tours/partial-panorama-virtual-tour/

The image can cover 180 degrees or even 360 degrees horizontally if taken correctly.

It can even cover a 100-degree horizontal area, depending on how the image was captured.

The thing is, it’s not always possible to cover a full 180-degree view vertically.

So, the panoramas taken with phones are not usually full 360-degree panorama.

Let us know if you have any questions about it.

Can I attach the fisheye lens to the phone, so that I can achieve 180 degrees vertically?

Hi Teerapat,

Yes, you can do that. Our plugin will support these panoramic images.

Just make sure that the image file types stay as JPG, JPEG, or PNG.

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You can now create 3D virtual tours with your iPhone on Matterport — here’s how to use it

You can now create 3D virtual tours with your iPhone using Matterport.  Here’s how to use it.

First, here’s a video that shows the concept:

WHAT IS MATTERPORT?

Matterport is a platform for creating 3D virtual tours.  Unlike conventional virtual tours, you could move around a virtual tour captured on Matterport, and the tour could be viewed with a 3D dollhouse view.

Traditionally, Matterport 3D spaces were captured with motorized panoramic cameras with depth scanners that each cost thousands of dollars.  Last year, Matterport began suporting 360 cameras.  Users could take multiple 360 photos, and with computer vision, those 360 photos could be converted into 3D models.   Now, you can use your iPhone to create 3D virtual tours as well.  It uses your phone to take 360 panoramas, which their software can convert the photos into 3D models. using computer version.

HOW DO YOU USE IPHONE TO CREATE A MATTERPORT VIRTUAL TOUR?

After installing the app, you select the camera you’ll be using and choose the option iPhone Camera Beta.  You’ll then be prompted to install a component called Cortex after logging into Matterport (you can create an account for free).

You use your iPhone to take 360 panoramas, by taking several shots for each 360 photo, similar to apps such as Google Street View.  You can choose to capture either a Simple Scan or a Complete Scan, where you can see more of the ceiling and the floor, although neither of them are fully spherical.  A Simple Scan panorama requires 6 photos, while a Complete Scan requires 18 photos.  You’ll have to take a 360 panorama every 5 feet.  Needless to say, it is an extremely tedious process.  But check out alternatives below.

WHICH PHONES ARE COMPATIBLE? 

It’s not clear if you need an iPhone with multiple lenses.  I was able to install Cortex on an iPhone 11 Pro, but when I tried to install it on an iPhone 7, I kept getting an “Updating Error: An error occurred during updates.  Try again.”

DISADVANTAGES AND ALTERNATIVES

The Matterport Capture for iPhone has several disadvantages.  First, it will take many photos to scan even a single room.  A room that is 10 feet by 10 feet will require approximately four 360 photos to scan, which means either 24 photos (Simple Scan) or 72 photos (Complete Scan).   Depending on the size of the property, you may have to take hundreds of photos.  Second, the panoramas look quite rough and the end result will have many stitching errors.  Third, each photo is not fully spherical.  You won’t be able to see a part of the floors or ceilings.  Fourth, Matterport doesn’t allow you to download the model.  Subscription plans start at $10 per month.

Fortunately, there are better options.  You can use one of several 360 cameras that are compatible with Matterport, including Insta360 One X , Ricoh Theta V , and Ricoh Theta Z1 .  You can take photos much more quickly, with less stitching errors, and the view will be fully spherical.  You’ll also have the freedom to upload your photos into any other virtual tour website to share your virtual tours, including some free options such as Google Tours , or virtual tour software with live video conferencing built-in .

Nonetheless, it’s great to see Matterport enable this feature, which hopefully builds interest in virtual tours.

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Top Free Virtual Tour App – Which is the best?

Table of Contents

In this article, these are tools designed to simplify the process of creating a virtual tour. And Panoee is one of the high recommendations. Without worrying about the pricing if you need basic Virtual Tours with basic features to showcase your photography, Panoee is entirely free to use! The Free Plan does have some limitations; however, you can upgrade your subscription plan anytime you want! Let’s check more below.

What is a Free Virtual Tour App?

Virtual tours are online travels that enable visitors to experience museums, zoos, national parks, landmarks, and attractions un-physically. These tours use methods such as 360 pictures, satellite imagery, virtual reality, or video conferencing to bring definite sites into living rooms, classrooms or any purposed place. The role of these tours is to inspire, entertain, educate audiences and promote purchases. These experiences are also called “online tours.”

Compare the top free Virtual Tour App of 2022

See the comparison summary below to compare the top Virtual Tour software on the market.

Panoee is a next-generation Virtual Tour software that allows 360 photographers and end-users to create high-quality, flexible, beautiful, interactive 360 Virtual Tours within minutes.

Panoee is the only platform that supports unlimited high-quality multi-resolution panoramas at zero cost. Panoee also supports a variety of Hotspots, including media hotspots, polygon hotspots, and product hotspots with lots of customization. Panoee’s CMS allows users to centrally manage all posts and data, as well as combine multiple templates so that they can create Virtual Tours that match their business brand guidelines. Panoee allows users to set up all the interactive features they need, including floorplan, autorotation, little planet intro, and sound guide. Panoee’s philosophy encourages full freedom of use. Anyone can modify the URL of the Virtual Tour in any way they like, even their copyright information.

Your website visitors can virtually visit your properties, showrooms, workshops, hotels, or businesses from the comfort of their own homes. You can increase conversions and save time and money.

Klapty lets you create and post a 360-degree tour for free as a 360-a platform that allows you to create with ease. They can help you create tours that will engage your audience and give your clients an enjoyable experience. It is an easy way to reach your target audience by sending links via email and integrating social media sites, desktops, mobile platforms, and other platforms. You can create 360 tours for real estate and tourism, as well as other sectors.

The online virtual tour software allows you to create interactive virtual tours. It is compatible with any 360-degree camera (LG, Samsung Ricoh Theta, or Insta360), and can stitch DSLR images. The easy-to-use virtual tour software allows you to create virtual tours by yourself. They offer a 2-week free trial period, with no obligation and no payment details. Sign up then to work with a premium version! 

Kuula is a cost-friendly and easy-to-use solution for creating 360 Virtual Tours in real estate, architecture, and hospitality. Upload, edit, and share your virtual tours. Virtual tours that impress clients, generate leads, and increase sales will be built. 

Comparision from 4 software

Below is more feature comparison from 4 Items we introduce at the top of virtual software.

How to create a 360 virtual tour with Panoee

Panoee is used popularly by companies and photographers all over the world. The dedication to quality and usability has made Panoee becomes the leading 3D 360 Virtual Tour platform all over the world

Panoee in detail – the best virtual software for PCs

Currently, Panoee supports monthly Subscriptions. You can switch between the “Befriend” plan (FREE) & “Companion” plan (PREMIUM). Essentially, when you stop subscribing, your Projects will still stay on the platform and your Virtual Tours will continue to be accessible usually without any restriction, including advanced features. At this time, your Plan will change to the “Befriend” Plan automatically, and still, you can access all your Projects’ editors and keep using free features while the premium ones are unable to edit, along with uploading new media in case the storage is under 20Gb of user data, or calculate the billing by $0.12 per every additional 1Gb of Data.

Creating a 360 virtual tour with Panoee – video tutorial.

Following these simple steps and getting guidance to create a 360 virtual tour with Panoee. 

Getting a 360 – degree camera.

Need to use a dedicated camera to create a virtual tour, not a regular phone camera (this part is usually provided by the agency to the client)

Panoee develops an app/browser in conjunction with dedicated camera providers (partnership) to support users to create virtual tour videos.

Users often tend to take pictures of raw houses/sites in the before/after state; use effects available on Panoeee (like sun,…) to make the video scene more vivid

Exporting photos and creating a virtual tour of the Panoee

The user creates an account, then creates a project (similar to premiere), uploads photos/videos and then uses a tool to link the photos/videos and create videos directly on the browser/app,

Users can name each scene, then connect these scenes together to form a complete 360 video.

After creating the complete video, the user renders the video online.

– To use the created video, the user copies the link and then embeds it on the website.

– Users can attach the right copy of the creator’s information to the video, attach a logo and customize it according to the purpose (PR, concealer, .etc) in any position that the user wants to place.

To enable a screen reader, press Ctrl+Alt+Z To learn more about keyboard shortcuts, press Ctrl+slash.

How to create a virtual tour – video tutorial.

Absolutely. You can ask for a refund whenever you feel unsatisfied with the service. Just send us your request to [email protected] , and the refund will be processed in a few days without questions.

You can find the real projects made with Panoee in our Gallery

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A comprehensive guide to making 360° virtual tour 

This comprehensive guide is created with our team’s passion to walk you through every step of the process, from planning and gathering material to editing, publishing, and hosting. This blog will teach you how to create amazing 360 virtual tours!

Things You Should Ask Before Hiring A Virtual Tour Photography 

Should you do the virtual tour yourself or employ a professional? What you should know about hiring a virtual tour photographer? Here is a checklist of questions you should ask your photographers before making a pick.

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10 iPhone productivity apps you need to download right now

If you’re anything like us, your Apple iPhone is a beast with multiple uses. It can go from an email-firing machine to a dedicated Netflix device in seconds and then into playing video games just as fast. But just because it can do all of those things doesn’t mean it couldn’t stand a little fine-tuning when it comes to optimizing it for productivity.

“Productivity” can mean a lot of things, whether it’s sending emails, making tweaks to documents and spreadsheets, or just planning for your day ahead. Whatever being productive means to you, there are apps that will make it easier. Here are 10 iPhone productivity apps you need to download today.

The best to-do app

If there’s one app that most will agree needs to be on this list, it’s Todoist. Todoist is  the  to-do app, but it isn’t just an app where you tick boxes. No, it’s much more than that, as Todoist has grown over the years to become something much more comprehensive.

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The to-do list is the app’s bread and butter, and you can add whatever you like, from household chores to high-level business meetings. To sort the wheat from the chaff, you can select four priority levels for a task so that Todoist knows which ones are the most important to you. Labels help you keep work, play, and home separate from each other, and you can create different projects to really keep tasks apart from each other. After all, you might not want to be reminded of your upcoming work tasks at 1 p.m. on a lazy Sunday, whereas remembering you have laundry to hang up is rather more important. A morning report will let you know what you have coming up for the day, while the evening review tells you what you have left — though you can switch those off if you’d rather not have them.

Todoist is largely free to use, but some of its features require a subscription to Todoist Pro. For instance, you’ll need Pro if you want to add a reminder or location to a task or see your tasks in the useful Calendar View. Pro costs $5 a month, or you can pay for a year upfront for $48.

iOS App Store

Goblin Tools

The best planning app.

AI is a controversial subject for many, but we have a soft spot for Goblin Tools. It has a great name, for one thing, and it’s the perfect app to grab if you have a project to tackle but aren’t quite sure where to start. Essentially a wrapper for an AI chatbot , Goblin Tools is simple to use. Enter what you’re trying to do into the text box at the top of the app, and select the plus button to add it as a to-do checkbox.

From here, it gets a little special. Select the magic wand icon, and Goblin Tools will break down your task into several steps. Changing the number of spicy chili pepper icons will adjust how detailed and granular the steps should be. If you want a further breakdown of one of your main goals’ steps, you can do that, too.

The steps can be a little vague — after all, “create a plan for world domination” is a little easier said than done, but it’s meant to be a stepping-off point for your creativity. You can keep breaking those tasks down until your creative juices finally get flowing. It’s not free, unlike many of the apps on this list, but it costs just $1, which is worth parting with even if you just want to play with it.

The best timing app

A good work-life balance is a must, but what about making sure you don’t get burned out  during the work day? Pomodoro is a very popular working method that balances periods of work with smaller periods of rest, and there are a number of apps out there that can support this style of working. One of the best, at least in our eyes, is FocusPomo.

Frankly, it’s adorable. The symbol for Pomodoro timing is the tomato because “Pomodoro” is Italian for tomato, so it’s no surprise the app has a lot of tomato imagery. They’re cute (though we’ll admit they look more like oranges than tomatoes), and they roll around the main page when you tilt your phone, which is a nice touch. You’ll earn tomatoes for every five minutes you stay in focus mode, and they’ll grow and mature the more you use the app. Twenty-five minutes of work with a five-minute break is the standard for the Pomodoro technique, but you can change them as needed.

It’s a simple design and a simple app, but that’s not all it does. It supports iOS’s new Standby mode and home screen widgets , so it can show your current timer on your StandBy dock, or you can kick off a focus timer from your home screen. It has charts and stats, including a timeline showing when you worked and when you rested, and it has iCloud syncing across devices and app blocking and whitelists.

Some of those features are locked firmly behind a paywall, though. You won’t be able to access cross-device syncing, the timeline, or app blocking and whitelists without paying for a Plus subscription. On the plus side (pun not intended), the costs are fairly low. You can pay $2 a month, $10 a year, or just fork out $20 for a lifetime subscription. If you find this a useful part of your workday, then $20 may well be worthwhile.

The best group planning app

Organizing a group of people is often a thankless task — and an extremely hard one, too. Whether you’re trying to make sure everyone is free for a critical meeting, DnD session, or just a gathering at a restaurant, the constant back-and-forth of “I’m free on Wednesday, but not Thursday” can be wearing for even the most patient person. That’s where TimeTree comes in.

Essentially a group calendar, TimeTree has enormous utility and can be configured to fit almost any group. When you set up your group, you’ll be asked to choose a preset, with slightly different options and tuning for each. Invite the members of your group, and they’ll be able to see shared tasks and events and mark whether they’re available to attend events, leave comments, or just chat.

There’s a Plus subscription, but it doesn’t limit the free version too much, which is a nice surprise. Plus costs $5 a month, or $45 a year, and gives you access to file attachments, event priorities, and a vertical view of your calendars.

Google Keep

The best note-keeping app.

A lot of the apps on this list shine because of the extra features they add to a simple concept, but Google Keep is best appreciated for its simplicity. It’s a notetaker, and that’s pretty much all there is to it — but because it’s so well executed, it’s a mainstay that should be on every smartphone.

The first and most important part of the app is its notetaking. It’s pretty good. You can take notes as plain text files, checkboxes, or even handwritten notes. But it doesn’t stop there, as you can insert images, take photos, and record voice notes as notes. While you often can’t mix and match, it’s not often you need to, and Keep gets away with its simplicity.

Since it’s Google-made, it has strong cross-device support. Sign into your Google account on any other device, and your Keep notes will be there. Heck, even the price is fantastic because, well, there isn’t one. It’s completely free, and that puts it head and shoulders above everything else if all you need is a notetaking app that’s available pretty much anywhere.

The best password manager

While there are plenty of password managers out there, few are as good as Bitwarden. Another app that revels in its simplicity, Bitwarden offers unlimited storage for passwords on an unlimited number of devices. Whereas most password managers now charge for access to your passwords from more than a set number of devices, Bitwarden has stayed steadfastly free, earning it a lot of respect in our book.

But not having to charge doesn’t mean it loses out in capability. Bitwarden has passkey support and apps and companions for iOS, Android, desktop computers, browsers, and pretty much any device you could need it on. Your vault is secured with end-to-end encryption, including AES-256 bit, salted hashtag, and PBKDF2 SHA-256, as well as third-party audits that keep your data safe and secure. When Bitwarden is this good, why would you need to pay for any other password manager?

The best habit-forming app

Forming habits is a case of just doing that thing over and over again. We all know this, but it’s much easier said than done. If you struggle to keep up with habits, then maybe you need a feathery friend from Finch to make sure you keep up those good habits.

Finch is, at its core, a to-do list app. But it’s so much more than that, thanks to the central conceit. Boot up the app, and a small baby bird greets you. Introduce yourself and give them a name, and they form the backbone of the app’s effectiveness. By completing tasks, your baby bird will grow into a toddler, child, and beyond, go on adventures, and learn more and more about the world. As you progress, you’ll earn currency and buy your bird clothes and accessories, and even decorate its birdhouse. It’s a cute and surprisingly effective way to establish new habits, as who would want to let down their very own baby bird?

It’s not just about tasks, as there’s a mental wellness aspect to the app, too. Every time you open the app, it’ll ask you how you’re feeling about the day, and if you score low, it’ll prompt you to fill out a journal entry, instilling even  more healthy wellness habits. The dastardly little chicks will constantly trick you into treating yourself better, and you’ll soon find yourself shopping for new clothes for your bird and picking out a birdhouse theme.

It’s free to use, and while there are paid elements, they’re spread thin enough that you’ll rarely encounter any paywalls. Finch Plus costs $6 a month and provides access to more insights, exercises, shop options, and customization options within the app.

Google Drive

The best cloud storage app.

There’s no shortage of cloud storage apps out there, so what makes Google Drive so good? Is it the relatively generous 15GB storage offered on the free plan? The massive cross-device support means you can access your files pretty much anywhere. The strong auto-backup options. Or is it the fact it supports pretty much every file type out there and can often send them straight into the Google Suite of editors as well? It’s a mix of all of the above, and all of that together means Google Drive is the best cloud storage app you can download.

Drive’s cross-support with the rest of Google’s suite is the real key to its brilliance. Upload photos and pictures and you can find them organized in Photos, while text files will end up on Docs, spreadsheets in Sheets, and so on. Using Google’s built-in suite can save you time and effort, and it especially shines on mobiles, where the smartphone-optimized apps will function just as well as a desktop program. Add to this a game-changing search function that can identify and find just about anything, plus security options that can keep your sensitive files safe from prying eyes, and you’ve got a very good service.

It’s free to use, but even the 15GB of free space won’t go too far if you start using Google Drive to back up your phone pictures, documents, and videos. Thankfully, upgrading your storage doesn’t cost too much, at least not initially. Going to the first tier with 100GB of cloud storage will only set you back $2 a month, which is something of a bargain when it also comes with advanced photo editing tools for Photos.

The best VPN app

You probably know what ExpressVPN is if you’ve ever seen a YouTube sponsorship, but for those who don’t know, ExpressVPN is a solid choice if you’re looking for a good VPN app to keep your surfing safe and secure.

A VPN works by tunneling your internet traffic through an encrypted and safe virtual private network, meaning your connection is less at risk than it would otherwise be. Of course, that means a slight hit to your connection speeds, as your traffic is being ferried elsewhere as it goes and comes back to you. That’s why ExpressVPN has created the Lightway, a fast VPN network that strives to reduce the lag you might otherwise feel.

ExpressVPN also comes with a password manager, doubling down on security. It also has servers in 105 countries, ensuring there’s a server near you. It doesn’t save your browsing details either and is constantly audited to assure users this isn’t the case.

But all of this won’t come free. A one-month subscription will set you back $13, which is quite a lot. You get a seven-day free trial, so you can at least be sure it’s for you before committing — but cancel before the hefty yearly subscription comes out if you’re not sold on it.

The best keyboard app

Be honest. Are you still using the standard Apple keyboard? Keyboards are an oft-overlooked element of productivity, and the right keyboard can be a key tool in your productivity arsenal. This has never been more correct than in the case of Grammarly, which uses artificial intelligence to ensure your writing is thoroughly spellchecked, grammatically correct, and more finely tuned than the finest Formula 1 car.

Grammarly has been around for a long time, and it’s built a strong reputation. Grammarly’s capabilities begin with spelling and grammar fixes, but they don’t end there — not by a long shot. As you write, it’ll check to see whether any synonyms would work better (changing “very happy” into the stronger “thrilled,” for instance), suggesting changes to create a more formal, casual, or whatever tone you’re aiming for, and it’ll rate your own words for tone too. Because it’s a keyboard, it works in any app, and the onboard AI can also generate text for you in whatever style you need.

Unfortunately, this doesn’t come cheap. Grammarly Premium is where all the fun toys live, including the Formality rating, the ability to tell you when sentences need clarifying, enhanced word choices, and more. The free version is also limited to 100 AI prompts a month. The Premium version will set you back $12 a month, but without it, Grammarly is mostly a glorified spellcheck, so it’s definitely worthwhile.

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Mark Jansen is an avid follower of everything that beeps, bloops, or makes pretty lights. He has a degree in Ancient & Medieval History, which obviously makes him a shoo-in to write about technology for a living. He currently contributes to the Mobile section on Digital Trends, with a particular emphasis and expertise on exploring the weirder side of smartphones, from tiny rugged phones to massive gaming phones. You'll most often find him seeking out leaks and rumors on upcoming devices, and playing with a variety of new apps for both Android and iOS.

Having a second phone number can be handy for a variety of reasons. Perhaps you want to separate your business and personal calls, or you want a junk second number that you can use to sign up for services so you can avoid giving out your personal number to so many places. That's particularly importance with the frequency of annoying spam calls and messages that can pile up when your phone number is made public. You might also want a second number to use in situations where you want to be able to contact people occasionally but you don't necessarily want them to be able to reach your personal device directly, like when internet dating or using an app like AirBnB. Whatever the reason, there are many situations where having a number that you can give out which you can make use of but isn't directly tied to your personal life like your main phone number is can be important for safety and security.

While you could get a second SIM card (or even an eSIM), an easier option for casual use is to use an app that lets you set up a second phone line. Whether you're after an Android app or an iPhone app, you'll find plenty of options to get a second phone line, including some which are free to use. We've hunted down some of the best options for apps that will give you a second phone number for whatever reason you need it, and we're sharing them with you below. Vyke

If you just got yourself a new device from iPhone deals or AirPods deals, your next purchase should be on protection for your smartphone or wireless earbuds. Nomad's cases will not only prevent physical damage, but they will also provide a unique sense of style so that your iPhone or AirPods will stand out anywhere you go. There's an ongoing Nomad Overstock sale with discounts of up to 85% covering cases for the iPhone 14, AirPods 3, and more -- check out everything that's available, and hopefully there's something that will be compatible with your current device.

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Apple started the whole idea of a smartphone, so it's probably no surprise that it makes some of the best on the market. Of course, they are known for being quite expensive, especially if you want to grab the best iPhones, which will easily run you close to or over $1,000. Luckily, there are some great iPhone deals you can take advantage of, whether unlocked or through a carrier. There are also some other alternatives in the form of refurbished phones. Now, a lot of folks do sometimes shy away from refurbished gear, but it's important to note that many, if not all, refurbished phones come with a guarantee and extended return windows, so you shouldn't worry about getting something defunct. Also, refurbished phones tend to be substantially cheaper than new ones; plus, they do cut down a lot on e-waste, so you are helping the environment.

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Parkwolf: National Park App 4+

Audio tour, offline maps, info, parkwolf llc.

• 4.7 • 1.8K Ratings
• Offers In-App Purchases

iPhone Screenshots

Description.

Parkwolf is the best way to research and explore National Parks. • Parkwolf Audio Tour Guide: Drive around the park without a set destination, and Parkwolf's audio guide will tell you about what you see as you drive! Become an expert on the park's history, wildlife, geology and features just by driving through at your own pace! Parkwolf will show you all upcoming places, and show distances to nearest restroom, gas, foods and more! You don't need an internet connection to use it! • Detailed info on all landmarks and trails in the park. Pin your favorites and see them on the park map! • The best Park Maps, period. The official park maps, overlayed on detailed visual maps, with all places, trails and pins marked! Just tap to dive into detailed info on any place in the park. Even search the map while offline! • Wildlife heatmaps for every major species in the park, so you know the exact places and locations best for finding each animal. • A feed of wildlife sighting photos of all wildlife sightings found in the park, via the incredible iNaturalist database. • Official park alerts and info right in the app so you'll know of road closures, advisories, and more. • Track which parks you've been to, and even download a cool mosaic showing the parks you've seen and those still on your bucket list! All info about nearby parks is pre-downloaded, so nearly all features will continue to work, even if you lose your internet connection in the park! Never go to a national park without Parkwolf! Parkwolf supports all 63 U.S. National Parks, including: Yellowstone Yosemite Zion Grand Teton Great Smoky Mountains Joshua Tree Acadia and lots more! This app includes an optional auto-renewable subscription (Parkwolf PRO): Parkwolf PRO begins with a free trial period, then an auto-renewable monthly subscription when trial ends. Payment will be charged to your Apple account at confirmation of purchase and will automatically renew (at the duration/price selected) unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hrs before the end of the current period. Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. Current subscription may not be cancelled during the active subscription period; however, you can manage your subscription and/or turn off auto-renewal by visiting your Apple Account Settings after purchase. Any unused portion of the free initial period will be forfeited when you purchase a subscription. Privacy Policy: https://support.parkwolf.co/article/6-privacy-policy Terms of Use: https://support.parkwolf.co/article/4-terms-of-service

Version 3.5.2

Major improvements to the tour's audio guide. More informative, less repetitive, and more interesting. Try it out, it's great!

Ratings and Reviews

1.8K Ratings

Red squirrel

My family and I are planning a trip to Acadia in the summer and I’ve always wanted to see a red squirrel. They look like baby foxes. The app tells me the peak times and areas to see them! Extremely useful tool! Thank you Parkwolf

Wasn’t what I hoped at all

We gave it a try on our trip to Acadia. It really has a lot of potential, but there still a lot of glitches and details to work out. Specifically, we could not get the audio to work because it said that it was not downloaded, which it was. There’s no way to force download it like with most apps. We went to the hotel that night and tried it on Wi-Fi. Thinking that may be the issue, made no difference in the audio never worked again. the part where you can navigate to see where you’re at on the map is very helpful except it always wants to orient at this weird angle instead of straight down and when you move it it moves right back. Makes it really difficult to know where you’re at and what’s ahead of you when it’s at that slanted angle I think with some changes to include the ability to specifically download and confirm that it’s download and a few other things it would be great.

Worst app ever

It would tell me I was 20 miles away from the park when I was standing at the visitor center. It would only guide me to something when I was driving toward it. There is no search option to search a popular place in the park to figure out how close you are to it or how to get to it. You have to be driving toward it before it will ever come up and even then popular pull outs or scenes don’t show up all of the time. If you want an app that will tell you where the vault toilets are or where about 1/10 of the picnic tables are, then this app is okay. If you are wanting an app to guide you to a particular place in the park or an app that can be reliable to know where you are in the park this is not the app.

App Privacy

The developer, Parkwolf LLC , indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .

Data Not Linked to You

The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:

• Contact Info
• Identifiers
• Diagnostics

Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More

Information

• Parkwolf PRO $49.99
• Parkwolf PRO $6.99
• Parkwolf PRO $24.99
• App Support
• Privacy Policy

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