Snapchat's AI-Powered Imagine Lens Now Free for US Users

Snapchat makes its first open prompt AI Lens available for free in the US | TechCrunch

Snapchat is making its new "Imagine Lens," the company's first open prompt image-generation AI Lens, available to all users for free. The Lens was initially launched in September but only for paid subscribers. With the Lens, users can edit their own Snaps using custom prompts or generate their own. For instance, you could prompt the app "turn me into an alien" after snapping a selfie, or request an image of a "grumpy cat." The company suggests you could use the Lens to try on Halloween costume ideas, or reimagine your friend in a new look, among other things. The results can be shared with friends, posted to your Story on Snapchat, or shared beyond the app. The broadened availability of the AI Lens follows the launch of AI video-generating apps from Meta (Meta AI) and OpenAI (Sora), which compete for young people's attention with even more advanced AI tools and features than photo modifications. For instance, Sora lets users generate videos of themselves after providing the app with a one-time video and audio recording to capture their appearance. Friends can share these AI personas, dubbed "cameos," with one another, so they can star in videos together. That puts pressure on other social apps like Snapchat to keep up, so making the AI image Lens free to use seems a worthwhile investment for the app maker. Until now, Snapchat's AI Lens was only available to Lens+ and Snapchat Platinum Subscribers, the company says. With the expanded rollout, Snap is making a limited number of image generations available to all free users, as well. At launch, free users in the U.S. will be able to access the new Lens, with plans for other markets underway, starting with Canada, Great Britain, and Australia. The Lens is found near the front of the in-app Lens Carousel, or you can search for it by name. To create, tap the caption to edit your prompt, or use one of the preloaded suggestions if you need inspiration. The company notes that Snapchat users access Lenses more than 8 billion times per day.

Snapchat is making its Imagine AI lens free. Here's how to get it.

The AI-generated video competition has heated up with the recent launches of OpenAI's Sora 2 and Google's Veo 3, and it looks like Snapchat is doing everything it can to stay in the race. The company announced on Wednesday that its Imagine AI, a lens it previously launched in September for paid subscribers, will now be free for all U.S. users. Imagine AI allows users to create AI-generated content simply by typing a prompt. In the video example given on Snapchat's press release, a woman pranks her colleague with a video of her work desk and the prompt, "The ceiling is leaking water all over her desk." The AI then generates an image that matches that description. Imagine Lens is currently free for all users in the U.S., and Snapchat has said it's "beginning to expand it" to users in Great Britain, Canada, and Australia.

You can now try Snapchat's Imagine Lens without a subscription

What's happened? Snapchat's first open prompt image generation AI Lens, Imagine Lens, is now free for all users in the US. Introduced last month, the Imagine Lens was previously exclusive to Lens+ and Snapchat Platinum subscribers. Like other AI-powered image and video generation tools, it lets users generate or edit Snaps using custom prompts. Why is this important? By making the Imagine Lens free for all users, Snapchat is giving more users a chance to experiment with AI-generated Snaps. This move could attract new users while boosting engagement among the platform's existing user base. It also positions Snapchat as a viable alternative to Instagram and TikTok, both of which offer similar AI-powered features. With the Lens now available for free, Snapchat users no longer have to rely on ChatGPT or Gemini's Nano Banana for their image generation needs. Why should I care? If you're in the US, you can now try out Snapchat's Imagine Lens without paying for a subscription. The Lens offers a fun and easy way to level up your Snaps or bring new ideas to life. You can use the Imagine Lens by selecting it from the Lens Carousel and tapping the caption to enter a prompt. The AI-generated Snaps can be added to your Story or shared with friends in Snapchat or through another app. Recommended Videos What's next? There's some good news for Snapchat users outside the US as well. The platform plans to expand Imagine Lens availability to more markets, starting with Canada, Great Britain, and Australia. However, it has yet to outline a release timeline for the same.

You can now turn yourself into an alien on Snapchat for free

Users can share generated images directly in chats, Stories, or export them beyond Snapchat. Snapchat has made its "Imagine Lens," the company's first open-prompt artificial intelligence image generator, available for free to all users in the United States. The feature was initially launched in September exclusively for the platform's paid subscribers. The Imagine Lens enables users to edit their own Snaps or generate entirely new images by inputting custom text prompts. For example, a user could take a selfie and enter the prompt, "Turn me into an alien," or request an image of a "grumpy cat." The company suggests the tool can be used to experiment with Halloween costume ideas or to digitally reimagine a friend's appearance. Once created, these images can be shared directly with friends, posted to a user's Snapchat Story, or exported for use outside of the application. This wider release of the AI Lens follows the introduction of AI video-generating applications from competitors Meta and OpenAI, which have introduced advanced tools aimed at a similar young demographic. Meta has launched Meta AI, while OpenAI developed Sora. These tools provide features beyond static photo modifications, increasing the competitive pressure within the social media landscape. OpenAI's Sora, for instance, allows users to generate videos of themselves after they provide a one-time video and audio recording to capture their appearance. These resulting AI personas are called "cameos" and can be shared among friends, enabling them to feature each other in collaboratively created videos. The presence of such advanced capabilities from competitors serves as a factor for other social apps like Snapchat to expand their own AI feature sets. Prior to this update, access to the Imagine Lens was restricted to Lens+ and Snapchat Platinum subscribers. With the expanded availability, free users now receive a limited number of image generations. The initial free rollout is confined to the U.S. market, but the company has confirmed plans to expand to other markets, starting with Canada, Great Britain, and Australia. To access the feature, users can find the Imagine Lens located near the front of the in-app Lens Carousel or by searching for it by name. To use the tool, an individual can tap the caption area to write a custom prompt or select from a list of preloaded suggestions for inspiration.

Snapchat Makes Its 'Imagine Lens' AI Tool Free for Everyone

The feature was previously part of the Snapchat Lens+ subscription, but it is now free, Snapchat is being generous today as it is making its newly released 'Imagine Lens' prompt-based AI tool free for everyone. This tool was previously exclusive to paid users and let them generate custom AI lenses using text prompts. Snapchat introduced the Imagine Lens tool last month, allowing you to create an AI-generated lens or Snapchat's version of a filter using a text prompt. For example, you can type a prompt like, "turn me into a fluffy dog," and it will generate a dog filter and apply it to your selfie. However, upon launch, this feature was exclusive to the Snapchat Lens+ subscription, which costs $8.99 per month and offers access to exclusive lenses. Now, the company has released a blog post announcing that it has made this AI feature free for all users. This means you don't even need the Snapchat+ subscription to be able to use this feature. It seems like a sudden decision by Snapchat to turn this once paid tool into a free one, especially given that they have also started charging for Memories storage. But it could be a response to OpenAI's Sora 2, which is essentially TikTok with AI-generated videos only. No matter the reason, it is good news for the users as you can now try out, create your own lenses with the Imagine feature, and share your creations with your Snapchat friends.