New augmented reality app shows Singapore housing prices

Singapore’s Housing Development is now using augmented reality to show people prices of public housing flats. Using the newly updated Mobile@HDB app, people can point their cameras at housing blocks to get the resale prices and sizes of flats.

The app can detect buildings within a 200m radius and shows the flats’ resale history from the past two years. People can get the same information from a map or a list of buildings nearby. Another new feature on the app allows people to view their appointments with HDB by scanning their identity cards.

It can also send queue numbers for appointments ahead of time, as long as the user is near HDB’s main office. The app will notify them when it is their turn. Mobile@HDB was released in 2011 and was mostly recently updated on October 7, along with the agency’s website.

HDB has changed the design and content on its website to make it easier to navigate and find information. Jargon like “lessee” and “sublet” have been replaced with “flat owner” and “rent”. The website gets over two million views per month. Mobile@HDB is available for Android and iOS phones.