Snapchat Is Rumored To Have Prepared Its Own AR Glasses

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The “millenials-loved” photo-messaging app is said to develop a special AR glasses to complement its service.

The company has reportedly been staffing up a team to work on them and CEO Evan Spiegel has even been caught wearing them in public. The photo-messaging app has now joined the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) suggesting it’s augmented reality glasses could be moving closer to becoming a real product. The admission into SIG as an “adopter” hints at the possibilities of the company producing a device that connects to smartphones via Bluetooth.

Originally launched as an app for users to send photos and messages that disappear, Snapchat has expanded beyond its original scope in recent years. Recently, the company added Stories, augmented reality “lenses,” face-swapping, Bitmoji support and the ability to import photos and videos through Memories and Discover content channels.

Snapchat needs to look beyond its app if it doesn’t want to be brushed aside by Facebook’s might in the coming years.
Despite having 150 million daily active users who are addictively engaged with the app and a valuation of almost $20 billion, Snapchat faces fierce competition, especially from Facebook-owned Instagram.

instagram-vs-snapchat

As evidenced by Instagram Stories, Facebook has shown it’s not afraid to blatantly copy the hell out of Snapchat. For Snapchat, Instagram Stories is a real threat to its core functionality. Even though it’s a complete clone, Instagram has more reach through its 300 million daily active users.

However, it’s still unclear whether Snapchat will ever produce its rumored augmented reality glasses or not.