Snapchat hosts AR Day in India: 50% growth in AR developer community, 5th gen Spectacles showcased

Snap Inc held its second annual India AR Day event in Mumbai on Tuesday, showcasing developments in augmented reality (AR) technology and emphasising the significant growth of India’s AR developer community. The event highlighted that Indian developers now publish the highest number of AR lenses on Snapchat globally, with the community having expanded by over 50% in the past two years.

Bobby Murphy, Chief Technology Officer at Snap Inc, stated that the company is committed to developing new technologies and tools to support creative expression in India. "Indian developers are at the forefront of innovation, bringing engaging and creative experiences to life. In fact, among all countries, the highest number of lenses published on Snapchat comes from India," he noted.

Pulkit Trivedi, Managing Director for India at Snap Inc, added that the country’s more than 200 million Snapchat users engage with AR lenses over 80 billion times each month, highlighting the medium’s growing role in communication and content sharing.

The Mumbai event provided attendees with hands-on opportunities to explore Snap’s AR innovations. Among the demonstrations was Snap’s fifth-generation Spectacles – see-through AR glasses powered by the new Snap OS. The device, which features a built-in dimmer for both indoor and outdoor use, aims to offer a seamless, interactive AR experience through voice and gesture controls.

The event also featured Snap’s "Any Body Can Develop" experience, where creators and developers could experiment with creating their own AR lenses. Local initiatives were highlighted as well, with Snap reporting that over 120 meet-ups were hosted in 2024, reaching more than 6,000 AR developers across a range of cities including Surat, Coimbatore, Rajkot, Trichy, Trivandrum and Gwalior. Educational partnerships with institutions such as K.J. Somaiya in Mumbai, Pearl Academy in Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi, and Loyola College in Chennai were also announced, aiming to equip students with essential digital creative skills.

In addition, Snap introduced the India Lens Awards, an annual competition recognising innovative AR lens creations in five categories. Winners included Pratyush Gupta for Best Viral Lens (Perfect Pitch Game) and Krunal MB Gediya for Best Game (Diwali Game), among others.

Snap Inc has also been active in supporting sponsored AR initiatives, enabling brands to reach audiences through creative AR advertising. Persica Picardo, co-founder of XRFX Studio, recounted her experience of utilising Snap’s Lens Studio to develop custom AR effects for a variety of brands. Her company, which now works with clients including Coca-Cola, Google, and Amazon Prime Video, recently reached a revenue milestone of $100,000, underscoring the commercial potential of AR applications.

The event underscored Snap Inc’s vision for an AR ecosystem in India where creators, developers, and brands can collaborate, reflecting the country’s growing influence in the global AR landscape.