Snapchat's ambition is to be much more than just the app you use to send goofy selfies. It wants to be a leader in augmented reality, the futuristic tech that could one day replace our phone screens with graphics overlaid onto the real world.
Snapchat laid the groundwork for its next big push into AR in an update to its app on Tuesday. The update adds special filters for the phone's rear camera that Snapchat calls "World Lenses."
These lenses work similarly to Snapchat's existing selfie lenses, which can turn you into everything from a puppy dog to Hillary Clinton.
Where World Lenses differ in a key way is that they don't just track someone's face, but instead overlay 3D effects all over your surroundings. For example, one World Lense in Snapchat places smiling clouds above you that puke rainbows when you point your camera up at them.
