Snap has unveiled Snap OS 2.0, the latest version of its software powering AR glasses, Snap Spectacles. The update introduces a native browser, WebXR support, and several quality-of-life improvements. This rollout follows last year’s debut of Snap’s fifth-generation Spectacles for developers, with a consumer release expected in 2026.
The announcement arrives just ahead of Meta’s Connect conference, where new developments in smart glasses and AI are expected to be revealed.
Key Features in Snap OS 2.0
The new browser is designed for speed and efficiency, offering optimized page loading and lower power consumption. Users can navigate the web with a new home screen featuring widgets, bookmarks, and a toolbar for typing or speaking URLs, refreshing pages, and browsing history. Resizable windows make the experience feel closer to using a laptop.
WebXR support enables direct access to augmented reality experiences from compatible websites. This opens new possibilities for immersive browsing without leaving the Spectacles environment.
Spotlight and Gallery Lenses
A new Spotlight Lens lets users overlay vertical video content onto the real world — for example, watching videos while doing chores. Snap emphasizes that Spectacles’ portrait field of view is ideal for vertical video, allowing content to be anchored in place or follow the user.
The Gallery Lens provides an interactive way to view captures from Spectacles, displaying them in a carousel for easier browsing, organizing, and sharing.
Another addition, Travel Mode, stabilizes AR content and tracking systems during movement, making the glasses more reliable in cars, planes, or other shifting environments.
What The Author Thinks
Snap’s decision to roll out features like a native browser and WebXR shows it wants Spectacles to be more than a novelty — it wants them to be practical tools. But the real hurdle will be convincing users that wearing AR glasses daily makes sense. Until the form factor becomes lighter, sleeker, and less intrusive, these advancements risk being exciting only for developers and niche enthusiasts rather than the mainstream audience Snap ultimately needs.
Featured image credit: Alexander Shatov via Unsplash
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