Spatial anchors

A spatial anchor is a marker that ties a virtual object to a specific place in the physical world. When you put a virtual screen on your wall or a board game on your coffee table, the app can create an anchor at that spot. The headset remembers what that part of the room looks like, so the next time you return, the object reappears in the same place.

How they work

Headsets with inside-out tracking build an internal map of the room from camera data. An anchor stores a position relative to that map. Because the map is constantly refined, anchored objects stay stable even when tracking drifts slightly over time.

Types of anchors

• Local anchors are saved on the device and work only on that headset.
• Shared anchors can be sent to other headsets in the same room, so several people see a virtual object in the same real spot. This powers co-located multiplayer.

Why it matters

Anchors are a building block of mixed reality. They let apps treat your room as a persistent canvas: widgets that stay on your desk, windows that remain where you left them, and games that remember your layout. Platforms such as Meta Horizon OS, visionOS and Android XR each offer anchor features to developers.