The free iPhone app launched Tuesday with a Star Wars AR game narrated by Princess Leia, and an AI park guide that can talk to you through Meta smart glasses is coming next.
Disney wants Disneyland guests to beta test its next big ideas, bugs and all.
Walt Disney Imagineering launched the Disney Imagineering Labs app on Tuesday, Nov. 10. It's a hub for unfinished "experiments" that guests can try in the park and then rate, so Imagineers can decide what to fix, expand or scrap.
The first experiment is Star Wars: Secrets of the Spire, an augmented reality adventure inside Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at Disneyland. The second, an AI assistant called the Disneyland Enchanted Guide, is listed as "coming soon."
The app is free on Apple's App Store and runs on iPhone with iOS 18 or later. For now, only Disneyland Magic Key holders can use the experiments. Disney's App Store listing says it plans to open them to all guests in early 2027.
Disney's pitch is a little ironic: a phone app built to get you off your phone. Imagineering executive Asa Kalama told TechRadar the goal is to "get you out of your device and back to your vacation."
"The whole point of being in the park is to be in the park," Kalama told Laughing Place.
What is Secrets of the Spire at Disneyland?
It's the closest thing to a sequel for the Star Wars: Datapad game, which disappeared when Disney shut down the Play Disney Parks app on Sept. 16.
Your phone works like a pair of Star Wars quadnoculars. Princess Leia narrates the story, and Attractions Magazine reported the setup: encrypted Imperial signals hide pieces of coordinates, and you need to grab them before the Empire does.
Here's how it plays, per the hands-on reports:
Track it: Your phone vibrates harder as you get closer to a hidden signal.
Scan it: Hold up your phone, and the AR view reveals piping and other hidden details behind real walls and fixtures in Black Spire Outpost.
Slice it: Move your phone to catch white data packets and dodge red ones.
Pick a side: At the end, you decide whether the coordinates go to the Empire for a payday or to the Rebellion.
WDWNT's Tom Corless said the voice acting uses real actors, not AI. He also said the slicing game felt like "the same activity over and over" and hopes for more variety. Your progress saves, so you can stop and pick it back up on another day.
What can the Disneyland Enchanted Guide do?
Think of it as a chatbot that knows the park. You hold a Mickey-shaped button and ask out loud, or type.
In press previews held Nov. 4, reporters asked it for directions to Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, wait-time alerts and the nearest restroom. WDWNT asked to be pinged when Dumbo dropped under 10 minutes. TechRadar reported you can also point your camera at something in the park and ask what it is.
The headline trick is hands-free use. You can pair it with Ray-Ban Meta glasses and ask questions without pulling out your phone. AirPods and other Bluetooth earbuds work for audio.
It has limits. The guide runs separately from the Disneyland app, so it can't see your dining reservations or Lightning Lane bookings. Attractions Magazine said it couldn't confirm parade times, and Laughing Place found some answers outdated. That's what betas are for.
TechRadar reported that prompts and images are processed, then deleted.
Who can download the Disney Imagineering Labs app?
Anyone with an iPhone can download it, but the experiments are locked for now.
Price: Free, per the App Store listing.
Phones: iPhone only, iOS 18 or later. No Android version has been mentioned.
Account: You need a MyDisney account, which you can create in the app.
Access: Disneyland Magic Key holders first. Attractions Magazine said early access is for Magic Key holders 13 and up.
Everyone else: Disney plans to open experiments to all guests in early 2027.
Disney World: No Florida version has been announced.
How long will Imagineering Labs experiments last?
It depends on the experiment. Each one shows a status, from "early development" to "taking shape" to "nearly complete," Laughing Place reported.
Kalama said one test might collect feedback for a month while another stays up for a year or more. Ideas that work could move into Disney's main park apps. Ideas that don't could vanish.
Imagineering president Bruce Vaughn pitched the idea about a year ago in a "We Call It Imagineering" YouTube episode, saying looking down at a phone "breaks that spell," Disney Tourist Blog noted. Step one of breaking the phone spell: download another app.
Article compiled and written by Kambrea Pratt (editor-in-chief), Derek Gibbs (beat editor) and the Pirates & Princesses newsroom. Pirates & Princesses is part of WebReef Media.
Pirates and Princesses is your destination for Disney news, theme park updates, and the pop culture you love. From Disney cruises and travel tips to Disney fashion, food, collectibles, and movie news, PNP covers it all. Visit us at piratesandprincesses.net for daily coverage. Follow PNP on Facebook and Instagram, and listen to the Pirates & Princesses podcast on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.
Hat Tips:
Apple App Store (Nov. 10, 2026), app price, iPhone and iOS requirements, MyDisney account, Magic Key access and the early 2027 rollout
Laughing Place (Nov. 10, 2026), the app's launch details, Asa Kalama's quotes, experiment status labels and testing timelines
TechRadar (Nov. 10, 2026), Kalama's "back to your vacation" quote, Meta glasses and AirPods support, camera features and privacy details
WDW News Today (Nov. 10, 2026), the hands-on review, Datapad comparison, voice acting and Enchanted Guide demos
Attractions Magazine (Nov. 10, 2026), Secrets of the Spire's story and gameplay, the age 13 early access rule and the guide's limits
Disney Tourist Blog (Nov. 10, 2026), Bruce Vaughn's "breaks that spell" comment
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