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(Pocket-lint) – If you use Snapchat, you will know that its built-in camera can be used to apply augmented reality effects to your face and the world around you. In 2019, Snapchat updated its app with an awesome camera-based feature called Scan that lets you quickly point your phones at objects to learn more about them. Now Snapchat’s camera is getting a major update that moves Scan to the front and center of the camera so that all users can access it easily.
Here’s what you need to know.
What’s new with the Snapchat camera?
Scan becomes a visual search engine
As of August 26, 2021, Snapchat’s camera is giving Scan a bigger prominence and updating it so that it can identify a range of things, from clothes to dog breeds. Scanning will also make it easier for you to find AR effects like lenses, as it can suggest which ones to use based on what you’re looking at and other criteria.
Essentially, this makes Snapchat’s camera a visual search engine. Honestly, this is basically a copy of Google Lens, which also allows you to scan items through your phone’s camera to identify items. Google Lens is limited to Pixel phones, Android phones, and the Google mobile app. Also, let’s not forget that Pinterest has its own virtual search feature, called Lens, which displays similar images (including items to buy) based on what you’ve scanned using the built-in camera. of the application.
So, how is Snapchat unique to these offers? Well, the Snapchat app immediately opens on Camera – and now Scan – where nearly 300 million daily users can easily access either. Snap said 170 million people were already using Scan at least once a month, and that’s when he buried Scan behind a few more taps.
What can you do with Scan now?
Leverage partners to identify more things
This latest version of Scan, which Snap previewed at its developer conference earlier this year, can now detect and identify dog ​​breeds, plants, wine, cars, and food nutritional information. – the majority of which are provided by other companies – such as Vivino, which identifies wine, and soon Allrecipes will use Scan to suggest recipes based on images of your food ingredient. Snap plans to continue adding more features over time, building on third-party partners and what it develops.
Acquisition of Screenshop makes it possible to buy clothes
Perhaps the most interesting upgrade to Scan is a clothing purchase recommendation engine that Snap created after acquiring Screenshop, an app that lets you upload screenshots of clothing to find items. similar for sale. Scan can now do just that, and it will allow you to purchase clothes that you discover. Scan’s purchase feature is also coming to the Memories Camera Roll section of Snapchat, letting you search and buy clothes based on what’s already saved in photos or screenshots in the app.
Camera shortcuts appear in Scan to surface Lenses
Scan gets what Snap calls camera shortcuts. The idea is that if you point your camera at something, like your dog, you will be presented with lenses specially designed to work with these dogs with a song clip and color filter, which you can apply simultaneously. Snap also plans to bring camera shortcuts to its Spotlight feature, so that a viewer of a video can jump into their camera and use the same combination of effects they just saw in the video.
The point is, this camera shortcuts feature is currently limited to dogs, sky photos, human feet, and dancing. But Snap plans to expand the offerings available over time, with the idea that you’ll use Scan to check out AR lenses and other effects Snapchat has long offered in different places in its app.
How to find Scan in Snapchat
As we mentioned before, Snapchat has been experimenting with its visual Search Scan feature since 2019. But, until now, it took a few clicks to find and use it – so presumably many people have often overlooked it. . With the update rolling out, Scan will be visible whenever the Snapchat camera is opened.
Written by Maggie Tillman. Originally published on .
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