Walt Disney Imagineering has a new app, and it wants Disneyland fans to try ideas before they’re finished. Disney Imagineering Labs is available on iPhone for Disneyland Magic Key holders, with all guests getting access in early 2027. The first experiment sends guests into Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge for an augmented reality story with Princess Leia, and an AI-powered park guide is next in line.

Disney Imagineering Labs App: Experiments, Requirements, and How to Join

Imagineers usually show off new experiences once they’re polished and ready for opening day. Imagineering Labs flips that order by handing guests early versions and asking for opinions while there’s still time to change things. Walt Disney Imagineering built the Disney Imagineering Labs app with Disney Experiences Technology, the team behind Disney’s park apps.

Disney calls the app an early-access experience; projects may change over time, and taking part is voluntary. Once you’re signed in, each experiment shows a status label of early development, taking shape, or nearly complete. That label sets expectations, because early development experiments can have unfinished artwork, temporary voice-over, and the occasional bug or crash.

Each experiment ends with a short survey about technical problems and whether the experience clicked for you. Disney says your participation “will help us decide what experiments to launch.” From there, an experiment might get another round of changes, move into the Disneyland app or an app of its own, or retire. Some experiments could gather what they need in a month, while others could be available for a year or more. An experiment leaving the app doesn’t necessarily mean it failed.

Gameplay starts with a tracker that vibrates harder as you get closer to a signal. Once you’re close, you raise your phone and scan the area until the signal appears on screen. Then you “slice” it by moving the phone to catch white data packets while dodging red ones, which earns one piece of the coordinates. How far you stand from the object you’re scanning changes how hard the slice is. Finishing a level sets off sounds or lights in the land itself. The game also saves your progress, even if you come back on a different day.

At the end, an Imperial officer offers you payment to send the coordinates to the Empire. You can also deliver them to the Millennium Falcon and help the Rebellion. Disney is treating this release as a first chapter, and a full mission depends on how guests respond. Fans who remember the Star Wars Datapad will recognize the idea of scanning and uncovering hidden layers of Batuu. As we covered in October, the Datapad’s QR codes still sit on crates around Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios even though the game is gone. Star Wars: Batuu Bounty Hunters isn’t part of Imagineering Labs and remains playable with a MagicBand+.

The guide remembers earlier parts of a conversation, so mentioning a child in your group shapes the rides it suggests later. A camera button lets you snap a photo of something in the park, like a sign or a prop, and ask about it. Disney is also testing hands-free use with Meta smart glasses and Bluetooth earbuds.

For now, Imagineering Labs is a Disneyland Resort app, and Disney hasn’t announced plans for Walt Disney World. Disney’s store listing says “not every experiment will be available to every Guest or in every location.” That wording leaves the door open for future experiments elsewhere, though nothing is confirmed.

As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!