Snap Inc Taps Indian Developers to Expand AR Innovations on Snapchat
Snap Inc views Indian developers as a key driver in advancing its augmented reality (AR) efforts and establishing Snapchat as a premier platform for immersive AR experiences.
Rapid Growth of India’s AR Developer Community
“Over the last two years, the AR developer community in India has grown by more than half,” stated Srivatsan Jayasankar, Head of AR Developer Relations at Snap Inc. The company, an early adopter of AR, sees lenses and filters as essential tools for increasing engagement, attracting new users, and introducing AR-driven advertising innovations.
India: A Leading Market for AR Development
Snapchat has over 200 million users in India, making it the company’s second-largest market for AR developers. While Snap has 375,000 developers globally, Jayasankar noted that India contributes a significant share. Indian users interact with lenses 80 billion times monthly, with over 85% using AR features to celebrate festivals.
AR’s Expanding Influence in Advertising
Speaking at India AR Day in Mumbai, Jayasankar highlighted the transformative power of AR in communication. “The camera plays a huge role in AR. It has massive potential to change how people express themselves and communicate with their friends and family. That’s how we view very simple, playful lenses.”
Brands Embracing AR for Marketing
Brands increasingly utilize Snap’s AR tools for targeted marketing. Ajio’s sale campaign on Snapchat engaged 42 million users and achieved a 22x Return on Ad Spend (ROAS). Similarly, Myntra’s collaboration with Snap enabled users to explore and purchase speakers through AR-powered interactions.
Expanding AR Accessibility for Brands
Snap Inc continues to enhance AR adoption among businesses, making it easier for brands to leverage AR technology. The company’s Sponsored AR Filters allow brands to create overlays that users can add to Snaps after capturing content, offering a new dimension to digital advertising.
Growing Developer Presence Beyond Metro Cities
Snapchat’s expanding Indian user base now includes creators from smaller towns. “We have a lot of AR developers who are creating lenses from regional cities. We conduct workshops where we train people on how to create regional lenses, which are then adopted by AR creators. We also see significant growth from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities like Coimbatore, Gwalior, and Ambala,” Jayasankar shared.
Lowering Barriers to AR Development
To attract more developers, Snap is simplifying AR creation. “We are making it simple to be an AR developer with our tools and start creating lenses,” Jayasankar emphasized, stating that no coding or design expertise is necessary. Easy Lens, introduced last year, enables users to generate AR content through generative AI, making AR development more accessible.
Snap’s Foray into AR Hardware
Beyond software, Snap continues to push AR boundaries with hardware like Spectacles. The fifth-generation Spectacles, introduced in 2023, allow developers to create AR experiences that could shape the future of wearable technology.
Future of AR: A Developer-Driven Ecosystem
“There’s a link between the lenses we have on the platform and the Spectacles. They are built using the same platform, Lens Studio. So, our developers who are building for Lens Studio today have the same capabilities to build for the Spectacles,” Jayasankar explained. Select Indian developers are already working on AR experiences for the new Spectacles.
While AR-powered glasses from Snap and Meta are not yet available to consumers, the industry is steadily advancing toward making them a mainstream computing platform. “With the fifth-generation Spectacles, we have added an AR layer, which lets you interact with digital three-dimensional objects around you,” Jayasankar added.
Rapid Growth of India’s AR Developer Community
“Over the last two years, the AR developer community in India has grown by more than half,” stated Srivatsan Jayasankar, Head of AR Developer Relations at Snap Inc. The company, an early adopter of AR, sees lenses and filters as essential tools for increasing engagement, attracting new users, and introducing AR-driven advertising innovations.
India: A Leading Market for AR Development
Snapchat has over 200 million users in India, making it the company’s second-largest market for AR developers. While Snap has 375,000 developers globally, Jayasankar noted that India contributes a significant share. Indian users interact with lenses 80 billion times monthly, with over 85% using AR features to celebrate festivals.
AR’s Expanding Influence in Advertising
Speaking at India AR Day in Mumbai, Jayasankar highlighted the transformative power of AR in communication. “The camera plays a huge role in AR. It has massive potential to change how people express themselves and communicate with their friends and family. That’s how we view very simple, playful lenses.”
Brands Embracing AR for Marketing
Brands increasingly utilize Snap’s AR tools for targeted marketing. Ajio’s sale campaign on Snapchat engaged 42 million users and achieved a 22x Return on Ad Spend (ROAS). Similarly, Myntra’s collaboration with Snap enabled users to explore and purchase speakers through AR-powered interactions.
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Expanding AR Accessibility for Brands
Snap Inc continues to enhance AR adoption among businesses, making it easier for brands to leverage AR technology. The company’s Sponsored AR Filters allow brands to create overlays that users can add to Snaps after capturing content, offering a new dimension to digital advertising.
Growing Developer Presence Beyond Metro Cities
Snapchat’s expanding Indian user base now includes creators from smaller towns. “We have a lot of AR developers who are creating lenses from regional cities. We conduct workshops where we train people on how to create regional lenses, which are then adopted by AR creators. We also see significant growth from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities like Coimbatore, Gwalior, and Ambala,” Jayasankar shared.
Lowering Barriers to AR Development
To attract more developers, Snap is simplifying AR creation. “We are making it simple to be an AR developer with our tools and start creating lenses,” Jayasankar emphasized, stating that no coding or design expertise is necessary. Easy Lens, introduced last year, enables users to generate AR content through generative AI, making AR development more accessible.
Snap’s Foray into AR Hardware
Beyond software, Snap continues to push AR boundaries with hardware like Spectacles. The fifth-generation Spectacles, introduced in 2023, allow developers to create AR experiences that could shape the future of wearable technology.
Future of AR: A Developer-Driven Ecosystem
“There’s a link between the lenses we have on the platform and the Spectacles. They are built using the same platform, Lens Studio. So, our developers who are building for Lens Studio today have the same capabilities to build for the Spectacles,” Jayasankar explained. Select Indian developers are already working on AR experiences for the new Spectacles.
While AR-powered glasses from Snap and Meta are not yet available to consumers, the industry is steadily advancing toward making them a mainstream computing platform. “With the fifth-generation Spectacles, we have added an AR layer, which lets you interact with digital three-dimensional objects around you,” Jayasankar added.
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