What Snapchat desktop lens app was discontinued in January 2023?

Snapchat called its discontinued desktop lens app Snap Camera.

Launched in 2018, Snap Camera brought Snapchat’s mobile-style Lenses to macOS and Windows computers. It worked as a virtual camera that could feed the effects into video calls, livestreaming software, and services such as Skype, Twitch, YouTube, and Zoom.

Snap announced that Snap Camera would no longer be available as a standalone app on January 25, 2023. The shutdown did not mean that Snapchat’s Lenses disappeared altogether: the company continued offering camera and Lens experiences through Snapchat for Web and other products. The desktop app itself, however, was retired.

A common mix-up is confusing Snap Camera with Snapchat’s main mobile application. Snap Camera was a separate computer utility focused on webcam effects, while Snapchat remains the broader messaging and multimedia service. The app became particularly recognizable among streamers and remote-video users during the growth of webcam-based communication.