Oliver Mitchell

New Scan Feature for Snapchat

Snapchat is one of the most widespread social networks nowadays. Despite a lot of competitors in the field, the platform remains quite active and doesn’t stop improving its application. The new features keep appearing,  like Scan and Camera Shortcuts. Thus the app is not the only way to communicate with friends now. Besides, Snapchat has developed its original programming. 

AR glasses were the innovation people discussed a lot. The developers said you could experience the magic with them, and it’s not far away from the truth. The spectacles bring augmented reality to life. The first version of the AR glasses was a sensation. Snapchat uses similar technology to create a new feature named Scan. 

This function was available in the previous version, but now it has become much easier to use. You can find a Scan button below the main record button. Snapchat strives to provide users with search results after scanning what they want. In practice, that means you can scan the food you have in the fridge, and the application will show you the recommendations on your diet. You also can find matching clothes. Other search results might help you with nutrition, plant varieties, and dog breeds. 

The platform has come closer to Google Lens with this new feature. The function uses Snapchat Lenses that pull suggested AR filters, the effects of which are quite similar to AR glasses. Also, Scan can detect the music in the environment nearby. Snapchat has combined several applications in one feature. There is even Screenshop for searching the similar clothing as on your photo.

Snapchat plans to cooperate with new partners in the future, for example, with Allrecipes to offer users meal suggestions. Though the “Camera Snapshots” feature is now available only for iOS, it should appear on Android till the end of the year. So, Snapchat is opening a new era when you can scan everything around you. However, it’s not clear how long customers need to consider the application not as a communication-specialized platform yet.