Faster Browser and Redesigned Interface
Snap has announced Snap OS 2.0, the latest version of its operating system for AR glasses. The update introduces a native browser, WebXR support, and several new tools to enhance the overall user experience.
Snap designed the new browser for speed and efficiency, reducing power consumption and improving page loading performance.
It includes a redesigned home screen featuring widgets, bookmarks, and a refreshed toolbar for easier navigation.
Users can type or speak website URLs, refresh pages, access history, and resize windows for a laptop-like browsing experience.
Gallery Lens Enhances Memory Sharing
With Snap OS 2.0, the company also introduced the Gallery Lens for Spectacles.
This feature allows users to scroll through a carousel of videos, select favorites, and share them directly with friends.
Additionally, users can post these captures to Stories without leaving their immersive AR environment.
The layout offers creators and casual users a seamless way to relive and organize memories.
Travel Mode Improves AR Stability
Another major addition is Travel Mode, which stabilizes AR content while users are in motion.
This feature ensures accurate tracking during travel in cars, airplanes, or other moving environments.
By minimizing disruptions, Travel Mode enhances comfort and consistency during extended AR sessions.
Spotlight Lens Expands Video Integration
Snap also launched a Spotlight Lens that overlays videos directly onto real-world environments.
For example, users can watch vertical videos from creators while completing routine tasks.
Spectacles’ portrait field of view aligns naturally with vertical video, strengthening the immersive effect.
Spotlight content can remain fixed in place or dynamically follow the user’s movement.
WebXR Support Opens Creative Opportunities
Perhaps the most important update is WebXR support within Snap OS 2.0.
This feature lets users access immersive augmented reality experiences directly through WebXR-enabled websites.
For developers, it creates more flexibility and broader opportunities to design interactive AR experiences.
Competition in AR Heats Up
Snap unveiled these upgrades shortly after releasing its fifth-generation Spectacles for developers last year.
The company also confirmed a consumer version of the AR glasses is scheduled for launch in 2026.
Importantly, the announcement arrives just before Meta’s Connect conference, where Meta plans to unveil competing innovations.
