Snapchat has launched a Create Your Own Lens tool, adding to the long list of features that have recently been added to the popular communications app.
A recent report revealed that the number of Snapchat daily average users grew by 17.7 percent last year, compared to only 2.2 percent for Facebook. With Snap's continuous work on developing new features, the app will likely keep attracting new users.
You Can Now Create Custom Snapchat Lenses, For A Price
Snapchat Lenses, which were launched in September 2015, are augmented reality masks that are placed on top of a user's face, adding details that range from cute puppy ears to the ever-popular rainbow vomit.
Snapchat is now taking Lenses one step further with the launch of the Create Your Own Lens tool in the United States. Unlike the Lens Studio, which is geared toward businesses, the Create Your Own Lens tool is designed to allow regular users of the app to create their own customized lenses.
The tool is accessible through desktop browsers or through the iOS version of Snapchat, and it will be rolled out to the Android version soon. Upon launching it, users will be able to choose from 150 different templates, which can then be personalized with text. After the Lens is finalized, the user will choose the geofence where it will be available and how long it will be up.
The usage of the Create Your Own Lens tool is free. However, making the lens available to Snapchat users will come at a starting price of $9.99. Snapchat said that the price is affordable enough for regular users, and to illustrate, making a custom lens available in a block for a day will cost $92.
With the Create Your Own Lens tool, Snapchat users will be able to create memorable ways to share events. Snap is likely hoping that with custom lens, attendees will share their experiences through Snapchat, instead of other social media and communications apps.
What Are The Other New Snapchat Features?
The Create Your Own Lens tool adds to the growing list of new Snapchat features that have been added this year.
In January, Snapchat began to allow users to share photos and videos to users outside the app, then later updated the Bitmoji feature to expand the customization options for avatars. Earlier in February, Snapchat rolled out an in-app Snap Store, and the most recent report revealed that a Do Not Disturb feature was quietly added to the app.
Snap is looking to stay afloat amid the growing competition for Snapchat, which includes Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram. The Create Your Own Lens tool will not push Snapchat to the top by itself, but it does provide a very unique functionality that is not seen in other apps.
