2025 marks ten years since the introduction of Lenses by Snap Inc., with the company highlighting the growth of its global developer community and new advancements in augmented reality (AR) technology. Over the past decade, more than 400,000 developers have created over 4 million Lenses, making it one of the largest ecosystems for creative digital expression.
Snap Inc. announced several updates aimed at making its platform more attractive for developers, supporting monetization, and providing advanced tools for AR development. The company is focusing on three main areas: enhancing the developer experience on Snap, enabling creators to generate business results from their work, and offering new tools to advance AR technology.
In the area of social gaming, Snap reports that over 175 million people play Lens Games on Snapchat each month, with the number of users sharing these games increasing by 130% compared to last year. The company is introducing Lens Games directly into Chat through a new Games Chat Drawer and expanding the Games category in its Asset Library to help streamline development workflows. Additional features such as turn-based gameplay and improved leaderboards have been added, with live multiplayer matchmaking planned for next year.
Lens Studio, Snap’s AR creation tool, has received updates to enable more personalized and engaging Lenses. These enhancements are designed to give developers greater expressive power.
Snap is also expanding its monetization offerings for creators. After a pilot program, Lens Creator Rewards will now include Lens+ Payouts, allowing creators to earn money based on engagement from Lens+ and Snapchat Platinum subscribers. This initiative enables creators to build a portfolio of monetized Lenses.
The Camera Kit, which brings Snap’s AR technology to other apps, websites, and AR mirrors, reached over 68 million monthly active users in the third quarter of 2025. The company has removed mandatory branding from Camera Kit in response to developer feedback, allowing for more flexible and professional AR experiences.
A new tool called Lens Studio AI has been introduced to simplify the process of building Lenses. This tool can write code, guide users through development steps, generate complete Lenses, debug projects, and suggest assets. In addition, a framework called Blocks has been launched, allowing developers to build modular AR components and share them within the community.
Mobile and web versions of Lens Studio have also been updated to support Blocks and offer chat-based creation tools powered by AI.
Snap provided an update on its fifth-generation Spectacles, a wearable device for real-time AI-powered experiences. The company plans to launch Specs publicly in 2026. The new Snap OS 2.0 features improved performance, a native browser with WebXR support, and new tools for interface design. All current developer projects for Spectacles will be compatible with the upcoming version.
New system-level features for Spectacles include Travel Mode for uninterrupted AR experiences while traveling and EyeConnect for instant setup of shared Lenses between users. Developers can now use Commerce Kit to accept payments directly within Lenses, marking the start of monetization options on Spectacles.
Snap also announced partnerships that bring new experiences to Spectacles, including Star Wars: Holocron Histories from Industrial Light & Magic, Synth Riders, and Avatar: The Last Airbender from Paramount. Additional collaborations with companies like Figma, Tripadvisor, and Mastercard are expected in the future.
The company introduced Snap Cloud, developed in partnership with Supabase, to provide developers with APIs, edge functions, secure storage, and real-time capabilities. This infrastructure is intended to support more dynamic and privacy-focused projects.
“Since the very first Lens, our vision has been simple: to build technology that brings people closer together by helping them express themselves and connect with friends,” a statement from Snap reads.
“Our goal is to be the most developer friendly platform in the world, and our commitment has never been stronger,” according to Snap.
“Whether you create games, AI experiences, or effects, you can now build a portfolio of monetized Lenses,” the company stated.
“Everything you’re building today for the current version of Spectacles will be compatible with the new Specs, ensuring your work is future-proof from day one,” Snap said.
“This makes it easy to offload heavy assets and build richer, more dynamic, and privacy-safe projects. From full-length games to immersive, location-based experiences, Snap Cloud represents our long-term commitment to giving you the infrastructure to build world-changing Lenses,” according to Snap.
