Snapchat Unveils Lenses for Dogs - How to Use Them

How To
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You can now add fun animations to your best friend in Snapchat.

Dogs are finally having their day on Snapchat. While this social/augmented reality app was made popular in part by the fact that you could turn your own face into that of a canine, Snapchat now lets you add lenses to your furry best friend.

Credit: Snapchat

(Image credit: Snapchat)


This new feature gives users the option to overlay such animations as eyeglasses, butterflies, and even floppier ears to your favorite pooch. At the moment, there are only a few lenses available, but Snapchat plans to add more. It seems only natural that Snapchat would add this feature, as lenses for cats have been available for about a month.

As with the other lenses in the Snapchat app, using the ones for dogs is fairly straightforward. 

  1. With the Snapchat app open, tap on your dog's face.
  2. Swipe left or right to select the lens you want to use.
  3. Press the circular shutter button in the app to take a photo or video.

MORE: How to Use the New Snapchat Like a Pro

After running like a greyhound to a fast lead with more than 191 million users, Snapchat stumbled like a corgi trying to jump a wiemeraner with both its first- and second-generation Spectacles, a pair of $150 glasses with a built-in camera that let you take photos and videos and upload them to the Snapchat app. This past year, the company lost three million daily users, and had to redesign its app in response to complaints about its usability. 

Lenses for dogs probably won't bring more users to the platform, but should please those puppy-lovers who have already installed Snapchat on their phones.

Mike Prospero
Mike Prospero
U.S. Editor-in-Chief, Tom's Guide

Michael A. Prospero is the U.S. Editor-in-Chief for Tom’s Guide. He oversees all evergreen content and oversees the Homes, Smart Home, and Fitness/Wearables categories for the site. In his spare time, he also tests out the latest drones, electric scooters, and smart home gadgets, such as video doorbells. Before his tenure at Tom's Guide, he was the Reviews Editor for Laptop Magazine, a reporter at Fast Company, the Times of Trenton, and, many eons back, an intern at George magazine. He received his undergraduate degree from Boston College, where he worked on the campus newspaper The Heights, and then attended the Columbia University school of Journalism. When he’s not testing out the latest running watch, electric scooter, or skiing or training for a marathon, he’s probably using the latest sous vide machine, smoker, or pizza oven, to the delight — or chagrin — of his family.