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Augmented and Virtual Reality technologies enable powerful forms of spatial interaction with a wide range of digital information. While AR and VR headsets are more affordable today than they have ever been, their interfaces are relatively unfamiliar, and a large majority of people around the world do not yet have access to such devices. Inspired by contemporary research towards cross-reality systems that support interactions between mobile and head-mounted devices, we have been exploring the potential of mobile devices to bridge the gap between spatial collaboration and wider availability. In this paper, we outline the development of a cross-reality collaborative experience centered around mobile phones. Nearly fifty users interacted with the experience over a series of research demo days in our lab. We use the initial insights gained from these demonstrations to discuss potential research directions for bringing spatial computing and cross-reality collaboration to wider audiences in the near future. 

In-person human interaction relies on our spatial perception of each other and our surroundings. Current remote communication tools partially address each of these aspects. Video calls convey real user representations but without spatial interactions. Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR) experiences are immersive and spatial but often use virtual environments and characters instead of real-life representations. Bridging these gaps, we introduce DualStream, a system for synchronous mobile AR remote communication that captures, streams, and displays spatial representations of users and their surroundings. DualStream supports transitions between user and environment representations with different levels of visuospatial fidelity, as well as the creation of persistent shared spaces using environment snapshots. We demonstrate how DualStream can enable spatial communication in real-world contexts, and support the creation of blended spaces for collaboration. A formative evaluation of DualStream revealed that users valued the ability to interact spatially and move between representations, and could see DualStream fitting into their own remote communication practices in the near future. Drawing from these findings, we discuss new opportunities for designing more widely accessible spatial communication tools, centered around the mobile phone.