Snapchat has introduced ‘Snapchat Camera for Chrome’ that enable users to add AR Lenses to their webcams using a Google Chrome extension.
The AR Lenses can then be used for video calls, video recordings, livestreams, and more, with the option to utilise any custom lenses creations as well.
The internet tech blog, Engadget, which has been following Snapchat’s AR progress closely is unsurprised by their revival because it says they have “long been ingrained in Snapchat’s identity”.
On the Google Chrome web store, Snapchat outline some of the benefits of the new AR Lenses in the app’s description: “Access a vast collection of Snap AR Lenses, including the latest trends and festive themes, to make every interaction unique.
“Add a personal touch by integrating Lenses you’ve designed and published.
“Enhance your video interactions on numerous platforms across the web with ease.
It continues:
“Experience the magic of Snap AR Lenses and bring your creativity to life in every interaction.”
Augment reality filters rose to prominence during the pandemic when the world was by and large forced to communicate and collaborate online.
Snapchat previously had its own desktop camera app with AR folders but it decided to shut it down in January last year, without giving any official reason, but one can speculate it was connected to the financial troubles that had preceded it.
The capability did not completely disappear as users were still able to use Lenses on their computers through Snapchat for Web, but it was still a significant downgrade if you were a regular AR lens user.
Snapchat Vs Big Tech
Augmented reality is a rapidly expanding technology that is regaining attention since its fifteen minutes of fame back in 2020, not only in the Snap community but with tech giants like Microsoft, Google, and Meta.
Snapchat has obvious ties to the AR world, having introduced Local Lenses in 2020, Spectacles in 2021, and so on.
In an article last year, Former Design Director for The Coca-Cola Company, Brett Morris, shared the estimate that Snapchat had spent hundreds of millions on AR. This investment is blown out of the water by Meta’s annual commitment of ten billion dollars to the technology, however.
Microsoft is involved in AR in a big way too. Not only did it add Snapchat’s AR Lenses to its video conferencing application Microsoft Teams last year, it has branched out to use augmented reality in other ways. Last month, for example, Microsoft added frontline AR tools for iOS and Android, following the success of the technology on the HoloLens 2.
Meanwhile, Google is of course directly connected to Snapchat’s AR filters through its Chrome web browser, but again it already has its fingers in the AR pie so to speak.
Last month, Google revealed an international AR pilot programme established in partnership with different brands and firms to showcase how location-based immersive experiences can bring value to brands and tourism sectors.
It may not have the resources of company’s like Meta, but Snapchat has got the ideal user base of a young, innovation-loving community on its side that it can share its weird and wonderful AR technologies with.
