ARKit Reference Tracking Providers
Quick Start
- Identify the physical reference: known image, reference object, barcode, or supported accessory.
- Load the shared ARKit session guidance, then the matching provider file.
- Confirm required authorizations, privacy text, entitlement, and profile requirements before debugging runtime data flow.
- Keep tracked-reference state separate from RealityKit presentation state.
Load References When
| Reference | When to Use |
|-----------|-------------|
| session-basics.md | When setting up ARKitSession, authorization, events, or teardown. |
| anchor-processing.md | When reconciling reference anchor updates into app state. |
| realitykit-bridge.md | When tracked references need visible RealityKit content. |
| image-tracking-provider.md | When using ImageTrackingProvider with known 2D images. |
| object-tracking-provider.md | When using ObjectTrackingProvider with 3D reference objects. |
| barcode-detection-provider.md | When using BarcodeDetectionProvider; check barcode entitlement first. |
| accessory-tracking-provider.md | When using AccessoryTrackingProvider with supported accessories. |
Workflow
- Verify the reference asset or target set is correct before touching session code.
- Check provider support and entitlements before interpreting missing updates.
- Request only the required authorizations for the chosen provider set.
- Store tracked anchors by stable IDs and remove stale model state on removed updates.
Guardrails
- Do not treat entitlement-gated barcode or accessory data absence as a transform bug until signing/profile requirements are proven.
- For object tracking on visionOS 27, prefer the per-object high-frame-rate configuration over deprecated rate settings when the app needs it.
- Keep reference-image physical sizes and reference-object orientation accurate; bad source metadata causes unstable tracking.
Output Expectations
Provide:
- the reference provider selected
- the reference assets, entitlement, and authorization checks
- which provider references were used
- the anchor reconciliation and RealityKit bridge plan