Snap shuts down its desktop camera app that lets users apply filters during video calls

Snap is shutting down its desktop camera app that lets users apply filters like cat ears and pirate hats during video calls. The company said on a support page that the product would be discontinued on January 25, but didn't say why it was discontinuing the app. Users will not be able to download or use Snap Camera after the deadline.

The company launched Snap Camera in 2018 for creators to use with video conferencing apps like Skype, YouTube, Google Hangouts, Skype, and Zoom. The app, available on Windows and Mac, allowed users to switch between different face filters while on a video call or live stream.

Users may experience a blank screen after the Snap camera is disabled later this month, so it's best to uninstall the app and switch to your default camera.

The company said compatible AR lenses will work with the web version of its app, which launched last July.

In response to a creator on Twitter, Snap said they are more focused on expanding access to the camera kit for the web.

"We are adjusting our web investments for the AR creator and developer community to focus on expanding access to Camera Kit for the web. Stay tuned for more information this year , and you can continue to use Lenses on your desktop with Snapchat for web,” he noted.

The Snap Camera app shutdown, first spotted by The Verge, isn't entirely surprising. Last year, it cut 20% of its workforce and shut down its drone product months after launch.

In December, the company also announced that it planned to shut down location-based social app Zenly, which was acquired in 2017. As the company will now focus on e-commerce partnerships and paid lenses to generate more revenue with a -down team size, side projects like a desktop camera app will likely be scaled back.