How to Use Snapchat World Lenses

We’ll show you how to use the new Snapchat World Lenses to upgrade your selfies with more than just a filter for your face. You can now overlay a Snapchat filter on the world around you, not just on your face.

The new Snapchat update adds support for World Lenses, which is the new name for these special effects. This comes over a year after Snapchat added Snapchat Lenses that go over your face to liven up a Selfie.

Even if you don’t want to use Snapchat to send the photo, you can use it to take and then to save a Snapchat World Lens photo that you share on Facebook or Instagram.

You need an iPhone or Android phone with the latest official Snapchat update installed to use Snapchat World Lenses. You don’t need to pay extra for any of these new Snapchat World Filters.

How to Use Snapchat World Lenses

This is how to use Snapchat World Lenses on iPhone or Android. You need to install the November 8th or 9th update on your phone to access this.

The video above shows you how to use the new Snapchat World Lenses. You can use them for a photo or a video. Some include different effects depending on the camera you use, while others look the same in front or rear facing modes.

Open Snapchat and then tap on the middle of the screen. You don’t need to tap on a face or an object, just the screen.

Tap to open the Snapchat World Lenses.

This will pull up a small selection of Lenses at the bottom. If you are using the rear facing camera it will put the Snapchat World Lenses at the front. If you are using the front-facing camera they will be at the end of the list.

Some include a special effect for the world and for your face. They are identified with a line down the middle of the Snapchat World Lens.

Pick the Snapchat World Lens and then interact with it.

Tap on the Snapchat World Lens you want to use and follow any on-screen directions to tap or look around. When you want to record, hold the Lens button or tap to take a photo.

You can then choose to download the photo or share it to your story or to a specific person.

Below you see the Snapchat World Lenses that are available at the start. There are only seven of them, but we expect this to grow over time.

Snapchat World Lens - Air Horn

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The Snapchat World Lens air horn is fairly self explanatory. This will sound an airhorn and shoot exclamation points all across the screen. You can use this in any setting, and it appears that it will change slightly based on current events. During the election it was patriotic, shooting red, white and blue.  This does not include a selfie option that changes, but you can still use it with the front-facing camera.

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