Snapchat launches Lens Explorer

Snapchat has introduced a new feature called Lens Explorer that enables users - discover and unlock thousands of lenses built by the Snapchat community around the world.

The company launched Lenses long time back, letting users create them using Lens Studio tools. Now, in a bid to make it more easier, the social media network has brought a new way to find those lenses within the app.

One can witness the new Lens Explorer feature in the Lens Carousal that pops up when you tap the camera screen. Users can now browse through all the unique Lenses created until now, and can also check the Stories that have been created using them. The new Lens Explorer will be available on iOS.

The company said, "With the introduction of Lens Explorer, Community Lenses will for the first time be discoverable alongside the main Lens Carousel, offering Snapchatters even more Lenses to play and express themselves with and boosting exposure for Lens creators," a Snapchat spokesperson said in a statement. "Making Community Lenses more prominent within the app is just the latest way we're excited to be investing the creator community."

To get started in Lens Explorer, one just needs to tap the new icon (it’s a smiley face) that appears when the Lens Carousel is active. Tap a Lens tile to unlock a Lens and be taken directly to the Snap Camera or browse through the featured Our Stories. Unlock a Lens by swiping up on Snaps in these Stories.

Besides, since the launch of Lens Studio in late 2017, Snapchat claims, creators have submitted over 100,000 unique Lenses which have been viewed by Snapchatters over 2.5 billion times. Lenses were launched in 2015, and Snapchat says that it is now "the world's most engaged and creative AR platform." The company claims that over 70 million users play with Lenses, for an average of three minutes per day.