Snapchat adds in 3D camera mode, the latest salvo in its race for features with Instagram – TechCrunch



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The new version of Snap's The glasses already have a 3D feature that allows you to see the world with immersive filter effects, and the flagship application of the company, Snapchat, is upgraded. The company announced today a new 3D camera mode that will allow users to create and share images with depth effects similar to those of a diorama that move when you tilt your phone.

The 3D Camera mode is available from today for those who use the iPhone X and later versions with an update of the Snapchat application, where the feature is accessible via Camera mode, using the drop-down menu on the right. Images can also be viewed (but not created) on older and other phone models (including Android).

In addition to 3D Camera mode, those who create images will also naturally be equipped with a new library of 3D effects, lenses and filters; and once you have finished creating the images, you can also save them on your film for use as well.

The move to 3D is the latest salvo for Snapchat in what has been a long battle of features with Facebook, and more specifically Instagram. . We have long documented the story of how Snapchat led the charge with new photographic concepts on its application – from the fundamental aspect of ephemeral images to the emergence of 39 goals and filters, and stories to create stories of clichés and videos. – Only to see Instagram (and to a lesser extent, Facebook itself) follow suit with similar features.

The situation of the copy function is particularly difficult for Snapchat, which is still behind Instagram for all users and has already seen its growth slow down massively after the implementation of its rival, Stories. Snapchat recently reported 203 million daily active users, while Instagram currently states that its SADs exceed 500 million.

However, overall, the objectives and the photo effects still have a long way to go, especially because currently, about 70% of the daily users of society are turning to the objectives to decorate their images, which makes it a very sticky feature that keeps them globally on Snapchat. The initiative of Snapchat to continue to innovate (even if it is copied) is therefore commendable.

And in the moving target that matches consumer tastes, this model will probably also evolve with the more recent competitive developments: it will be precisely interesting to see how and if the rise of the popular music application TikTok will impact the features that we see. on these two older rivals.

Despite all this, ironically, with the 3D, Facebook was actually ahead of the game in launching AI-based 3D images as early as October 2018. Until now, this feature has never been extended to Instagram. However, with the addition of Snapchat to the action, I would not be surprised to see 3D also appear on Insta.

To be clear, the 3D function based on iPhone X and newer models further deletes the existing models of the iPhone because they are created with the help of data d & # 39; Image and depth that can be collected on the front of the iPhone X lens.

On the other side, you may be surprised to find that the same functionality does not appear on his Android application, especially because there are a large number of high-end Android devices capable of capturing the same types of depth. and other image data than the top models of the iPhone.

Snapchat had a story with Android. While this is a popular platform for mobile apps as a whole, Snap had to redefine its Android Snapchat application for a while because it was so slow and buggy, which made it fall the users. Finally, he has recovered a part, but it seems that for the moment, his biggest users use enough iOS so that Snap continues to give him priority with regard to the new functionalities. It will be worth looking to see how long it takes Snap to extend this feature to Android. (We ask.)

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