Snapchat launched its new mobile Lens Studio app. For years, creating custom filters required a computer setup, some technical know-how, and patience. This new iOS-exclusive app alters that requirement and puts Augmented Reality creation tools in the palm of your hand.
When I first opened the app on my iPhone, I was satisfied with how intuitive it felt. I created my first lens in under five minutes. That level of frictionless creativity is what mobile-first users have needed for years, particularly on Android. Here’s how it works and why it needs to expand beyond Apple devices.
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How Snapchat’s lite AR Lens Studio app works
The new Lens Studio mobile app for the iPhone allows you to create Snapchat filters or lenses from your phone. You can pick from pre-made templates or go wild mixing your own effects for skin-smoothing, background changes, hilarious face morphing, and AI-powered transformations.
The app greets you with Snapchat’s signature yellow theme and a feed full of filters created by other people to inspire you. Remixing them is possible if you’re struggling to start. If you want originality, tap the big Plus button at the bottom of the screen to build a lens from scratch.
The creation menu shows various lens categories, ranging from Appearance and Filter to Face Gen. Appearance is my favorite because it’s where most of the beauty and makeup tools are located. I had fun using the Retouch, Smooth, Teeth, Eye, Blush, Highlight, and other features under it. Each comes with a slider to control how strong or soft the effect looks. Plus, you can mix as many categories as you want and preview everything live with your camera on.
When you’re happy with your masterpiece, publish it to Snapchat for the world to try, and you can edit it if you get new ideas. I made a soft glam filter on my first attempt. That filter is now live with over 6,700 views, 6,000 plays, and 86 shares on Snapchat’s public Lens page.
Lens Studio takes a more direct approach to creativity
Not as dramatic as the PC app, but it works
Creating Snapchat filters wasn’t always easy. You had to use the desktop version of Lens Studio on your Windows or macOS computer to do everything. That meant installing the software and navigating the complex editor. The interface is primarily built for designers and developers. Unless you’re good with 3D objects, tracking points, scripting, and importing assets, there is no simple slider to help you do things faster.
You’ll need to layer and connect everything properly, from adding a camera to assigning materials, creating triggers, and linking them with behaviors. Seemingly simple tasks, such as making a virtual pair of glasses follow your head movements, require an understanding of face tracking and object binding. You also have to simulate the effect on a model or keep sending previews to your Snapchat app to see the results. The mobile version removed these manual processes, but it’s limited to iOS devices.
The new mobile app fits a pattern that’s been playing out for years. Android users get the short end of the stick because of deliberate prioritization by Snap Inc. Originally, Snapchat was built for iPhones first and optimized for Apple’s tightly controlled ecosystem. It was fair because every iPhone has the same camera APIs, rendering pipeline, and system behaviors. That made it easier for the company to deliver consistent performance.
Also, not every app needs to launch on both platforms at the same time, especially when a small team is trying to perfect a new concept. However, as Snapchat launched the app on Android and grew in popularity, they never rebuilt the version from the ground up to match that quality.
Android users are still stuck with a lazy camera feed that doesn’t use the phone’s actual camera sensor. Instead, it relies more on a screenshot video. That’s why content looks blurry and the filters are sluggish, even on flagship phones with better cameras than an iPhone.
Android has the potential to elevate Lens Studio
If only Snapchat believed in us the way it believes in Apple
Source: mockup.photos
The Lens Studio app is a stripped-down version of the full desktop software. It may not offer the same level of control or advanced layering options found on a PC. Still, it delivers a casual and accessible experience, lowering the barrier to entry for non-technical users. Limiting it to iOS makes no sense.
In 2021, Snap’s CEO confirmed that Android users had surpassed iOS users in total app usage. That was four years ago. Since then, the gap has widened. Android now dominates the market in Africa, India, Southeast Asia, and South America while holding a massive share across Europe and lower-income US segments. These regions represent the cultural core of the internet, where people set trends and remix them.
Android users are often meme-makers, storytellers, digital hustlers, and creative with the software, given its open source nature. Excluding them from AR creation sends the message that Snapchat values creation, but only if it comes from an iPhone. It may not be intentional, but it reinforces the elitist perception that Android phones are the lesser phones.
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What’s next for Android Snapchat users?
For now, we’ll wait for Lens Studio to come to us. You can continue using existing filters on the app or try alternative apps. Although no software rivals Snapchat in filter depth and real-time AR effects, you can combine capable photo editing apps to achieve similar effects. If your focus is on appearance and image refinement, use Snapseed, Photoshop Express, and Lightroom Mobile.
These apps offer great skin enhancement sliders and AI-powered edits. Stack those effects and export results that feel as polished as a Snap filter, especially if you combine Canva or Adobe Express for overlays and text effects. Also, if your goal is to build AR content for stories and social media, CapCut and VSCO offer templates and animation tools.
