Walt Disney Imagineering has launched Disney Imagineering Labs, a new iPhone app that invites Disneyland guests to test digital experiences still in development — before they become finished attractions. The app debuted on November 10, 2026, with early access for Magic Key annual passholders.
The idea flips the usual theme park logic: instead of waiting for an experience to be complete and polished, Disney is opening up its creative process to the public. Each project inside the app is called an “experiment” and carries a label showing its stage of development — “early development,” “taking shape,” or “nearly complete.” At the end, participants answer a short survey about technical issues and the experience itself, and that feedback helps decide each project's future.
Secrets of the Spire: an augmented reality adventure in Galaxy's Edge
The first experiment in Disney Imagineering Labs is Star Wars: Secrets of the Spire, an augmented reality adventure set in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, at Black Spire Outpost. With the iPhone working as a pair of macrobinoculars — the binoculars of the Star Wars universe — guests track down encrypted Imperial signals hidden around the land, with help from Princess Leia.
Disney makes clear that this first version is only a prologue: the goal is to test one specific augmented reality storytelling mechanic and learn how guests interact with it. A full mission will only be built depending on the public's response. The experience was designed for daytime use and requires an iPhone 14 or newer.
An AI guide is on the way
The second experiment, the Disneyland Enchanted Guide, is coming soon. It is an AI-powered park assistant that can answer questions, give directions, and track attraction wait times. Disney also mentioned a partnership with Meta to use Ray-Ban smart glasses in guest-facing applications and behind the scenes in development.
Who can test it, and when
For now, the app works only at Disneyland Resort in California, with no Walt Disney World version. Initial access is exclusive to Magic Key holders aged 13 and over; opening up to all Disneyland guests is planned for early 2027. Disney Imagineering Labs is free, requires a Disney account sign-in, and at launch is available only on iOS — an Android version is expected later.
The launch comes about two months after Disney shut down the Play Disney Parks app on September 16, 2026. The Star Wars Datapad was retired along with it, and Secrets of the Spire emerges as a kind of spiritual successor to that experience. Disney says Disney Imagineering Labs was designed to evolve, with new experiments possible in the future.
Image credit: photo of the Millennium Falcon in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, by Mom Approved Travel.
Sources: Laughing Place; WDWNT; Attractions Magazine; Scott Gustin; BlogMickey.
Transparency: this article was produced with the help of artificial intelligence, cross-checked against public posts on X and sources from the internet. See the original sources for more details.
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