Snap Chat upgrades AR

New design, voice assistant and AR lenses: the photo app Snapchat was launched last Thursday on Snap Partner Summit 2020 introduced many innovations.

The photo app Snapchat is driving the competition with Apple and Google in augmented reality, in which digital content on the screen is integrated into real environments. After the first fun applications such as virtual masks or cat whiskers, Snapchat built a business platform that allows users to try on trainers on the display or get an impression of the colour of cosmetics on their own face, for example. These functions are familiar from other providers; Pinterest, for example, has also experimented with virtual try-ons or make-up, as our Report shows.

The fact that Snapchat not only wants to contribute to entertainment was also recently demonstrated when Snapchat worked for the WHO to contain corona, as we reported.

Off into augmented reality with Local Lenses

At a partner conference last Thursday, Snap presented its expanded arsenal for app developers in this area. This includes the "Local Lenses" function, in which entire streets are scanned in 3D to enable augmented reality experiences based on these models. It is the extension of last year's Lenses function, which was introduced to us with vomiting skyscrapers. Headlines made.

The "Scan" function recognises objects in front of the camera and displays information about them - Snapchat cites plants or dog breeds as examples. Google has built a similar visual search engine with its "Lens" service. Snapchat, on the other hand, does not do everything itself, but serves as a platform for various specialised services. Various apps can integrate the Snapchat camera with their functions - and also combine it with their own algorithms for machine learning.

With the "Dynamic Lenses" function, developers can integrate information from their apps in real time. This could be particularly interesting if, in addition to smartphones, there are also AR glasses in which digital content is projected onto the lenses. According to media reports, Apple is one of the companies working on this. The iPhone company has also been focussing on AR applications for years.

Source: Personal / Snap / Youtube