Snapchat Spectacles Get GPS-Powered AR Lenses and New Hand Tracking Capabilities

Snapchat on Monday commemorated six months since the launch of the new fifth generation Snapchat Spectacles by announcing new AR effects and platform features for the augmented reality (AR) glasses. Lenses, which is what the company calls its AR effects, can now be built using GPS, GNSS, compass heading, and custom locations to provide real-time waypoint-based navigation. Further, users can take advantage of leaderboard integration, system AR keyboard, and new hand-tracking capabilities.

New Features for Snapchat Spectacles

Snapchat published the details about the new features for Snapchat Spectacles in a newsroom post. Developers can now build lenses using GPS, GNSS, compass heading, and custom locations for the AR glasses. The company gives an example of NavigatAR, a sample Lens developed by Utopia Labs. It is said to help users move from point A to point B leveraging GPS, Snap Map Tiles, and compass heading. Meanwhile, the Pioneer Lens can be used to build AR walking courses.

Snapchat says users can also enjoy special experiences with Peridot Beyond which now allows them to see and interact with their Dot and their friends' Dots in the same session. For a smoother progression, it integrates Spectacles and the Peridot mobile game. Additionally, Wabisabi's Doggo Quest uses SnapML to recognise the pup and overlay visual effects on the AR glasses.

Sports enthusiasts are also getting a benefit with Snapchat's latest feature rollout for the fifth generation Spectacles. The new Basketball Trainer offers a holographic AR coach and shooting drills which automatically track the score using SnapML.

Alongside new Lenses, Snapchat announced that it is bringing a new system keyboard to Snapchat Spectacles with full and numeric layout. Additionally, the AR glasses can now have an integration of Lenses and the leaderboard to keep track of the high scorers. Users can open Lenses from message threads such as Snapchat, iMessage, and Google Messages.

There are new hand tracking capabilities too. The social media platform says a phone detector can identify when a user has a phone in their hands, while a grab gesture and other refinements are aimed at reducing false positives while typing.

Snapchat has also introduced a new initiative called Spectacles Community Challenges. The company says Spectacles developers can win cash prizes for submitting new or updating existing Lenses. They will be judged on engagement, technical excellence, and Lens quality. The first challenge starts on April 1 and they will be eligible for May prizes.