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Amazon iPhone app adds AR ‘part finder’ for identifying and buying small hardware like screws

Amazon has made a handy new addition to its camera features on its iOS app. The new “part finder” users augmented reality to help users identify and buy small hardware like screws, nuts, bolts, and more.

As reported by The Vergethe new feature comes after Amazon acquired the visual recognition firm, PartPic, back in 2016. Amazon has launched the useful part finder feature solely for iPhone for now.

Last fall the app gained ARKit support to help shoppers discover items with AR View in addition to the app’s product search feature. Now, part finder which seems to have been rolling out for a couple of weeks should be available to all users.

In our own testing, we found the feature to work surprisingly well. We did have a few failures on the first or second scan of a couple of screws, but holding the iPhone closer, or adjusting the angle resulted in accurate identification on a second try. We used part finder to successfully identify a machine screw, wood screw, and a self-drilling screw with accurate lengths.

Here’s how to use the new feature:

  1. Open the Amazon app, tap on the camera icon in the top right corner
  2. If part finder doesn’t launch automatically, tap See More, and choose part finder
  3. Follow the on-screen instructions

Once you get the green mark and the countdown finishes, you’ll see the results. If the recognition fails, give a shot to a different angle and zoom in a bit closer.

After a successful search, you’ll likely still need to tap which head style and drive type. Then tap See Search Results for Amazon to pull up a list of available parts. Just be aware that even though part finder usually grabs the part length accurately, product results will vary.

What do you think? Is this something you’ll find useful? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Amazon for iOS is a free download from the App Store.


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Avatar for Michael Potuck Michael Potuck

Michael is an editor for 9to5Mac. Since joining in 2016 he has written more than 3,000 articles including breaking news, reviews, and detailed comparisons and tutorials.