India AR Day 2023

India AR Day 2023 took place in Mumbai on Tuesday, hosted by Snap Inc, where innovations in augmented reality (AR) technology were showcased alongside the impressive expansion of India’s AR developer community. The event revealed that developers from India are now the leading contributors of AR lenses on Snapchat worldwide, experiencing a growth of over 50% in just two years.

Commitment to AR Technology by Snap Inc

Bobby Murphy, Snap Inc’s Chief Technology Officer, emphasised the company’s dedication to fostering new technologies and tools that facilitate creative expression in India. Murphy remarked that Indian developers are leading the charge in innovation, creating engaging experiences. The data shows that India has the highest volume of lenses published on Snapchat compared to any other country.

Engagement and Reach of Snapchat Users

Pulkit Trivedi, Managing Director for Snap Inc in India, highlighted the engagement levels, noting that over 200 million Snapchat users from the country interact with AR lenses more than 80 billion times each month, underscoring its significant role in communication and content sharing.

Interactive Experience at the Mumbai Event

Attendees at the Mumbai event enjoyed interactive sessions to explore Snap’s latest AR technologies. One notable demonstration was Snap’s fifth-generation Spectacles, clear AR glasses operating on the new Snap OS. These glasses include a built-in dimmer designed for both indoor and outdoor environments, promising a fluid AR experience through voice and gesture commands.

Creative Opportunities with AR

Snap’s “Any Body Can Develop” hands-on experience allowed creators and developers to try their hand at creating personalised AR lenses. Local initiatives were showcased, where Snap reported hosting over 120 meet-ups in 2024, connecting with more than 6,000 AR developers across various cities such as Surat, Coimbatore, Rajkot, Trichy, Trivandrum, and Gwalior. Additionally, collaborations with educational institutions like K.J. Somaiya in Mumbai and Pearl Academy in Bangalore were announced, aiming to provide students with vital digital creative skills.

India Lens Awards Celebrating Creativity

Snap also launched the India Lens Awards, an annual event that recognises outstanding AR lens innovations across five different categories. Among the winners, Pratyush Gupta received accolades for the Best Viral Lens with his Perfect Pitch Game, while Krunal MB Gediya was honoured for the Best Game for his Diwali Game.

Support for Sponsored AR Initiatives

Moreover, Snap Inc is actively involved in promoting sponsored AR ventures, allowing brands to connect with audiences through inventive AR advertising. Persica Picardo, co-founder of XRFX Studio, shared insights on how her team utilised Snap’s Lens Studio to create custom AR effects for several brands. Her company, which has collaborated with major clients such as Coca-Cola, Google, and Amazon Prime Video, recently achieved a significant milestone by reaching $100,000 in revenue, reflecting the vast potential of AR applications.

The event reaffirmed Snap Inc’s vision for a thriving AR ecosystem in India, facilitating collaboration between creators, developers, and brands, and highlighting the country’s emerging influence in the global AR arena.