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ZDNET Key Takeaways
- Snap revealed updates to Lens Studio.
- Now it’s easier to create engaging Lenses (AR experiences).
- These lenses will be available in specifications arriving in 2026.
Snap has been in the smart glasses space for over a decade and is gearing up to finally launch its first pair of consumer AR/AI glasses, Specs, in 2026. Today, the company released updates that will enable unique experiences on Snapchat, Spectacles, and eventually its next smart glasses.
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On Thursday, Snap celebrated a decade of Lenses at what the company called Lens Fest 2025. The company made Lenses (the AR experiences found on Snapchat), Spectacles (Snap’s developer AR glasses), and Camera Kit (Snap’s cross-platform SDK for integrating AR experiences into iOS, Android, and web apps) easier to build, which resulted in more engaging and realistic experiences.
Now you can create new lenses
In Lens Studio, which powers Snapchat, Camera Kit, and Specs, developers can now use Realistic StyleGen to create scenes with “realistic fit, texture, lighting, and perspective,” according to the company. Similarly, the company noted that the next version of FaceML gives developers better control over human qualities, including hair, facial geometry and expression, when creating Lenses.
Other updates include classic selfie lenses with improved AR placement, a new editor that makes it easier to create facial effects like makeup and flares, and AI Clips (coming soon), allowing users to create image-to-video lenses.
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Lens Studio AI also makes it easier than ever to create Lenses, allowing users to simply describe what they would like the final product to look like and leave the coding and debugging to the AI. Lens Studio AI can also suggest resources and provide step-by-step guides.
A new block framework, available in Lens Studio AI, allows users to build directly at the platform layer using AR-ready modular components. Blocks that users create can be kept private or published. For creation on the go, Lens Studio updates are available on both mobile and web, as are Blocks and the chat-based creation tool.
The Camera Kit, while still free, no longer includes Snap branding by default, giving developers more flexibility. Snap is also expanding its Lens Creator Rewards with Lens+ Payouts, which allows creators to earn money based on engagement with their Lenses, regardless of whether they are games, AI experiences, effects or other content.
Specifications and glasses
All lenses created today will be available in Specs, launching next year. This suggests that Snap is committed to developing smart glasses that provide entertaining experiences rather than functioning as content creation tools, which is more Meta’s approach to AI-powered smart glasses.
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A month ago, Snap released Snap OS 2.0, the system that currently underpins its Spectacles and will also run on Specs when they launch. Some highlights include a revamped Spectacles browser with a new minimalist design, a new home screen with widgets and bookmarks, and AR experiences from any WebXR-enabled website.
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Building on the Snap OS 2.0 experience, Snap has now launched Travel Mode, which allows users to experience AR on the go, and EyeConnect, which allows users to experience collocated glasses by simply looking at the person next to them. Snap also announced partnerships with Star Wars: Holocron Histories, Synth Riders, and Paramount’s Avatar: The Last Airbender at Spectacles.
Other announcements included Snap Cloud, which provides developers with the infrastructure to build Lenses, including instant APIs, secure storage, and more. Additionally, Snap expanded Lens Games on Snapchat through a new gaming chat drawer and new components to streamline workflows when creating these gamified experiences.
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