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Android users have to wait for custom face lenses on Snapchat

Once again, Snapchat is rolling out a new feature for iOS users but not Android users, claiming an Android update is "coming soon".
By
February 8, 2018
TL;DR
  • Snapchat is rolling out a new feature: custom lenses for your next birthday party, wedding, graduation, etc.
  • iOS users can try the features out right now, while Android users will have to wait.
  • Snap says the Android update is “coming soon.”

There are a few things Snapchat is notorious for, like popularizing the idea of vanishing photos, pioneering the “Stories” feature that’s now ubiquitous across apps like Instagram and Facebook, and, of course, giving people the ability to look like they are puking a rainbow.

But here at Android Authority, Snapchat is most notorious for rolling out new features to the iOS version of the app while making Android users wait for those same updates. We’ve talked about it quite a few times, like here, here, and here. That being said, readers will not be surprised to learn that a new feature is rolling out to Snapchat users that gives them the ability to create custom face lenses, but only iOS users will be able to try it out. Naturally.

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Face lenses place an overlay on your selfie picture or video to make it look like you are a puppy, have a crown on, or yes, vomiting rainbows. But these new custom face lenses let users add special text or other characters to the overlay as part of a celebration, like a wedding, birthday, or graduation party. Starting at $9.99, customers can choose the radius of where the custom overlay will be available and how long it will be live.

This custom overlay feature has actually been around as a third-party product for quite some time. Snap, which has had some financial difficulties since going public, must have gotten sick of seeing that money go to other companies instead of themselves.

If you are an Android Snapchat user, you can still design and order an overlay; you will just have to use a computer instead of your phone. An Android rollout of the new feature is “coming soon,” according to Snapchat. We’ve certainly heard that before.