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Snap has launched a series of updates and evolutions across its AR products today. We’re here at Lens Fest to document it all – just as we were last year to see the unveiling of Spectacles Gen 5 and Snap OS. By comparison, this year’s updates are less splashy but equally substantive.
The lack of gadgetry at this year’s Lens Fest is also for good reason. Snap is priming itself for next year’s consumer Spectacles launch, meaning that this year’s Lens Fest is all about software to set the table. It wants to hit the ground running with content and capabilities in place.
For example, Snap is future-proofing current lens creators. Lenses created in advance of next year’s Consumer Spectacles will be portable and compatible with the Faceworn format. This automatically uplevels Lens creators everywhere, while seeding Spectacles’ content ecosystem.
Meanwhile, today’s updates carried another theme: AI (as expected). This happens on two levels: creator-facing and user-facing. The former is all about automating and empowering creator workflows, while the latter is about generative AR and the art of speaking lenses into existence.
Lastly, core AR capabilities are pushed forward, including interactions, graphical fidelity, games, and monetization tools for creators. All these tools are built for today with an eye towards a facewon future, They each trace back in some way to priming the pump for consumer Spectacles.
The Highlight Reel
Going deeper into Lens Fest particulars, here’s a highlight reel of updates and evolutions that we’ve synthesized to save you time.
AI Updates
Snap is evolving developer workflows by integrating generative and agentic AI into the core platform. Updates include:
Lens Studio AI: This new feature allows developers to simply describe what they want, and from there the AI can write code, guide development, suggest assets, and even generate full Lenses. It can also debug scripts and drive the UI to make changes.
Blocks Framework: A new framework of modular, AR-ready components like scripts, assets, and effects. Developers can use, remix, and share over 50 pre-built Blocks or create their own custom components, making them accessible through Lens Studio AI.
Lens Studio for Mobile & Web: These new tools, which now leverage the Blocks framework, allow creators to browse, edit, create, and publish Lenses on the go, including a powerful chat-based creation tool for remixing or generating Lenses from scratch with AI.
Core AR Capabilities
Snap is unleveling the baseline AR capabilities in Lens Studio for higher fidelity and functionality. Updates include:
Realistic StyleGen: Expanding on our fullscreen ML effects, this new option unlocks true-to-life fit, texture, lighting, and perspective, allowing you to create scenes with stunning, real-time detail.
Enhanced FaceGen: The next iteration of FaceML, providing finer details and reliable control over hair, facial geometry, and expression for complex AR experiences.
Selfie Attachments: Bringing state-of-the-art 3D asset generation to life with automatic, context-aware real-time AR placement.
Glam & Glitter: A streamlined, intuitive interface to quickly iterate and produce professional-quality makeup, sparkles, and gems.
AI Clips (coming soon): Tapping into our ultra-fast video generative model, this will allow you to produce your own image-to-video Lenses for fun, personalized, and instantly shareable videos.
Games & Monetizatioon
Snap is expanding Mini games, as well as ways for creators to monetize lenses and build a business around their work. Updates include:
Lens+ Payouts: Following a successful pilot, Lens Creator Rewards are expanding with Lens+ Payouts. Creators can now make money based on engagement from Lens+ and Snapchat Platinum subscribers, allowing them to build a portfolio of monetized Lenses across games, effects, and interactive tools.
Camera Kit is free w/o branding: The powerful AR SDK is now totally free with optional Snap branding, making it the most accessible tool for client work, web experiences, in-app integrations, and AR mirrors.
Games Chat Drawer: To boost engagement, Lens Games are being brought directly into Chat, placing games closer to where friends connect.
Live Multiplayer Matchmaking: A new foundation for real-time social play is coming next year, promising the most direct way to connect people in Lens-powered games.
Enhanced Games Tools: New Asset Library components like Character Controller, Camera Controller, and the Input System make building and customizing social games easier, supported by a leveled-up Leaderboard and new Turn-Based gameplay options.
Prepping for Consumer Spectacles
Snap is launching a set of tools that are directly related to Spectacles, letting creators get started on sharpening their skills and porting their work. Updates include:
Future-Proofing: All Lenses built today will be compatible with Specs next year.
Snap OS 2.0: Recent updates, including a revamped OS for faster performance, native browser, WebXR Support, and a new UI Kit/Mobile Kit, are accelerating AR development.
EyeConnect & Travel Mode: New system-level features like EyeConnect enable seamless co-located Lens experiences, and Travel Mode allows for on-the-go AR use, ensuring your digital content stays anchored and stable.
Commerce Kit: For the first time, select developers in the US will be able to accept payments directly inside Lenses on Spectacles, enabling sales of digital goods and premium features.
Snap Cloud powered by Supabase: Snap Cloud provides developers with instant APIs, edge functions, secure storage, real-time capabilities, and more in their builds. This makes it easy to offload heavy assets and build richer, more dynamic, and privacy-safe projects.
Brands: We’ll announce a handful of new branded partnerships/ experiences with brands like Tripadvisor, Figma, ILM Immersive, Avatar, and more.
The Countdown Begins
So there you have it. With this wide selection of updates, the countdown begins for Spectacles 2026 consumer debut. And though we don’t know the specific launch date, Snap could follow tradition and launch the device at next year’s Lens Fest. That means we’re about a year away.
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