Snapchat lenses are coming to Microsoft Teams

Tired of using virtual backgrounds to spice up your Microsoft Teams calls? Now you have a new way to express yourself during business meetings. Microsoft and Snap today announced the integration of Snapchat Lenses into Teams, and they’re ready to bring some fun to virtual meetings.

As part of the integration, Teams users will have access to a collection of 26 popular lenses during meetings. With the help of lenses, you can transform into a cartoon character or add funny backgrounds to your video. According to Snap, the new integration is designed to provide more fun and engaging meetings. You don’t need to download anything to access Lenses, as you can get started by clicking on “Video Effects” and selecting the “Snapchat” tab.

“With the rise of hybrid and agile work, our customers need tools that help them connect and create a productive and enjoyable work environment,” said Nicole Herskovitz, vice president of Microsoft Teams. “That’s why we’re excited to bring Snapchat’s most popular lenses to Microsoft Teams meetings so users can add even more personality and fun to video calls. With Snapchat lenses for Teams, we offer customers a new way to express themselves and communicate dynamically and engagingly with colleagues.”

Snap says the integration is made possible by Snap’s Camera Kit , an SDK from Snap that allows partners to use Snap’s AR technology in their own apps and websites.

It’s worth noting that this is Microsoft’s second integration with the Camera Kit. The company also used the Camera Kit to bring Snap AR to Flip, Microsoft’s video learning platform. Since adding Snap AR to the Flip web platform, the company has seen a 60% increase in the number of students and teachers creating videos.

Today’s announcement comes months after Snap shut down its desktop camera app, which allowed users to apply filters to video calls. At the time, Snap said it was more focused on expanding access to the Camera Kit for the web. The company first introduced Snap Camera in 2018 as a way for creators to spice up their Twitch broadcasts, but the camera app really took off during the 2020 pandemic when people started using it with video conferencing apps like Microsoft Teams, Skype, YouTube, Google Hangouts, Skype and Zoom. The app, available for both Windows and Mac, allowed users to switch between different face filters during a video call or stream.

Snap says it continues to work closely with new partners on Camera Kit integration, which means we’ll likely see Snapchat lenses appear on more mainstream apps and platforms in the future.