Snap Inc. has begun to release a revised operating system for its augmented-reality eyewear, a step that points toward the launch of its first mass-market glasses in the coming year. On Monday the firm introduced Snap OS 2.0, presenting it as a sturdier and more refined platform for its existing Spectacles. At present, these glasses are reserved for developers, having been distributed to them last year. The public version, known as Specs and expected in 2026, will be smaller, lighter, and powered by the same software.
Rising Competition in the Smart Eyewear Market
For years the company has attempted to make headway with smart eyewear, though its earliest products were designed chiefly to capture images and video rather than to display digital content. Its renewed push comes at a moment of heightened competition. Meta Platforms has drawn attention with its Ray-Ban line and is preparing its own augmented-reality model, called Artemis, for 2027. Reports suggest that Apple and Google are also developing similar devices.
At the core of Snap’s new system lies a rebuilt browser, designed to be simpler in appearance, quicker in loading, and easier to move through, the company has said. The browser is able to play long videos and can be used across many kinds of sites, from newspapers to online stores.
New AR Tools Aim to Personalize User Experience
The firm is also revising its set of AR tools, known as Lenses, within the updated software. Among them is the Spotlight Lens, which draws upon a person’s viewing habits inside the Snapchat app and carries them over to the glasses. In this way, the device is able to recognize a wearer’s tastes and put forward material of a similar kind.
Gallery Lens Brings Instant Playback and Sharing
Another app, named Gallery Lens, allows wearers to look back at recordings made with Spectacles and then share them through Snapchat Stories or send them to others. In the past, one had to move the clips from the glasses to a phone before viewing; now as much as half a minute of footage can be played straight on the device itself.
Gaming Expansion: Partnership with Kluge Interactive
The company has also joined with Kluge Interactive, known for its virtual-reality rhythm game Synth Riders, to create a version suited to Snap OS. As in the original, players evade obstacles in time with the music, though this edition will include elements designed for the glasses in particular. Meanwhile, Snap is still inviting developers to apply for access to Spectacles before the public launch scheduled for next year.
Final Words
Following several years of spectacles that were more of spectacle than spectacular, including the earliest versions which were little more than a walking, blinking security camera, Snap appears to have a mission to break the wearable tech that people would actually want to wear. The competition heating at a rate that is even more rapid than a phone in full sunlight, and already the Meta Ray-Bans are turning heads and Apple is reportedly brewing something in their secret laboratories.
However, the strategy by Snap to allow developers to kick the tires initially may be a smart move, particularly because most consumers are yet to decide whether they desire computers attached to their face. It is yet to be determined whether AR glasses will graduate out of the cool technology showcase to a necessity in 2026.
