Snapchat is all set to get some major changes that involve usage of augmented reality (AR). Snap announced tons of new features for Snapchat at its Snap Partner Summit 2020. Some of these features have already been rolled out for users across the world and some changes will be brought soon with a new camera that is powered by AR. This particular feature is meant for creators and developers per se.
The company said that the users will be able to navigate the application via a new ‘Action Bar’ that is automated and changes according to what the user is doing. Among many changes, the application’s Map feature will also get a new Places feature that will allow users to look for popular businesses among other users. Snap is also deploying an interesting feature called Scan that lets users “receive contextually relevant AR lenses automatically.” For this, the users have to tap and hold the Scan option.
Lenses can also be searched from an Explore tab or voice-based commands. In order to help developers for creation of new lenses, Snap has incorporated a new update called Lens Studio which is a free desktop application. With this, the developers can build and distribute AR-powered lenses on Snapchat. Snap also announced its content deals with ESPN, NBCUniversal, and Disney among others that can be accessed through the Discover option on the application. In the new Happening Now section, users can also get news in a customised format where the news content by Bloomberg, Reuters, NBC News, BuzzFeed News, ESPN, and others are featured.
Meanwhile in India, the company claimed it grew 120 per cent last year in terms of daily active users. Moreover, it said that there are more than 3 million snaps that are added to the Story option everyday. Further, it said that 170 million users who have access to AR-powered features across the world use it 30 times in a day.
