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Snap Augmented Reality Technology

Snapchat fuels rumours it is creating augmented reality goggles as it joins Bluetooth industry group

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By Rebecca Stewart, Trends Editor

September 5, 2016 | 3 min read

Snapchat has joined the industry group that handles the Bluetooth wireless standard, prompting rumours that the company is looking to make a move into hardware.

Snapchat AR

Snapchat has fueled rumours it's creating wearable AR technology

According to the Financial Times, the messaging app has signed up to become a member of the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG); a prerequisite for any device maker that wants to use the wireless standard in its hardware.

Being a member of the Bluetooth SIG allows users to use the technology to connect wearable devices, like smartwatches and selfie sticks, to connect to smartphones.

The move has raised some questions about the startup's next big project, and follows on from reports earlier this year which claimed that Snapchat had hired a slew of professionals with experience in AR and wearables, including former staff from Microsoft’s HoloLens project and Qualcomm Vuforia.

Publishers like CNET, have previously reported on Snapchat's apparent ambitions to make the leap from software to hardware, and signing up to the Bluetooth consortium has fueled speculation that the photo-sharing app is designing a pair of AR goggles.

Snapchat is listed as a member of the group's website, and has also registered a unique 'company identifier' with the Bluetooth SIG, which the FT has likened to being similar to claiming a domain name for a website.

Snapchat has yet to comment on whether the project is happening, but if rumours are true the hardware could have the power to enhance its in-app 'Lenses' offering, which lets users customise their snaps with animated overlays.

Snapchat boasts 150 million daily active users, and has doubled the number of daily video views on its service to 10bn in under a year.

Snap Augmented Reality Technology

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