The iPhone X’s exclusive AR Snapchat Lenses were first shown off at the iPhone X keynote last year. Jump forward seven months and Snap has finally gotten around to releasing them.
Available only to owners of Apple’s flagship handset, the Lenses work using Apple’s TrueDepth front-facing camera, technology which is reportedly two years ahead of the competition.
The three debut Lenses include a Mardi Gras-style mask, a Day of the Dead skull, and a gold-plated eye covering. Hopefully more will be added over time.
Compared to the existing Lenses found on Snapchat, the iPhone X Lenses stick more tightly to the face, and also reflect the surrounding light sources.
Snapchat’s love of Lenses
Snapchat’s Lenses are one of its most popular features. The company has said that 1 in 3 of its daily users checks out the lenses each day. It has also attempted to monetize its Lenses in order to drive revenue from advertisers.
The self-destructing messaging app has had a tough time this year. Although very popular among its predominantly young user base, it has stalled in its growth. Late last year, Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel announced that changes would be made to the app after Snapchat fell short of expected growth projections for the quarter.
A redesign of the app followed, although it has been immensely polarizing. A Change.org petition concerning the update attracted more than 1.2 million signatures from disgruntled users. Most notably, Snapchat’s value fell by $1.3 billion after reality TV star Kylie Jenner Tweeted about her disapproval of the app, saying “Sooo does anyone else not open Snapchat anymore?”
Today’s update isn’t going to help things turn around immediately. Nonetheless, it’s a neat tech demo for the company — and should serve as a nice calling card for Snapchat’s focus on Lenses. Who knows, the feature may even sell an iPhone X or two!
Source: The Verge
