Snap has launched a stand-alone Lens Studio iOS app and web tool, the corporate announced on Wednesday. The brand new instruments are designed to make it simpler for anybody to create AR Lenses by textual content prompts and easy enhancing instruments.
With the Lens Studio app, customers will have the ability to do issues like generate their very own AI results, add their Bitmoji, and browse trending templates to create custom-made Lenses.
Up till now, Lens Studio has solely been accessible by way of a desktop software for skilled builders. Whereas the desktop software will stay the first software for professionals, Snap says that the brand new iOS app and internet software are designed to permit individuals in any respect ability ranges to create Lenses.
Picture Credit:Snap
“These are experimental new instruments that make it simpler than ever to create, publish, and play with Snapchat Lenses made by you,” Snap wrote in a blog post. “Now, you’ll be able to generate your personal AI results, add your dancing Bitmoji to the enjoyable, and categorical your self with Lenses that replicate your temper or an inside joke — whether or not you’re on the go or close to your laptop.”
Whereas Snap at the moment has an ecosystem of over 400,000 skilled AR builders, the corporate is trying to entice extra people who find themselves desirous about creating Lenses with the launch of those less complicated instruments.
Snap is taken into account a frontrunner in AR because of its early adoption of the know-how by its AR filters and Lenses, and it’s clear the corporate is dedicated to investing within the house, whilst others could also be retracting from it. Final yr, Meta angered creators after it determined to shut down its Spark AR platform, which allowed third events to construct augmented actuality (AR) results. By opening up entry to AR creation, Snap is doubling down on its imaginative and prescient for the know-how.
As Snap is bringing AR creation into the fingers of extra individuals, the corporate can be rolling out superior instruments for professionals. Yesterday, Snap released new Lens Studio tools that AR creators and builders can use to construct Bitmoji video games. The instruments embrace a turn-based system to allow back-and-forth gameplay, a brand new customizable Character Controller that helps totally different gameplay types, and extra.
On this weekly column, Android Central Wearables Editor Michael Hicks talks concerning the world of wearables, apps, and health tech associated to operating and well being, in his quest to get sooner and healthier.
Might was a horrible month for my 2025 health objectives. I solely ran 23 miles after averaging 60 my first 4 months. A number of work journeys like I/O wore me out, however I’ve to be trustworthy: The most important points are motivation and climate. It is getting hotter in California, and I am months out from my New Year’s resolutions. I would like a coaching reboot.
I believe lots of you’re the identical. That is why June is the best month to retool our objectives, with wearable tech to assist.
The individuals who organized Global Running Day acknowledged that folks want a coaching reboot in the summertime. They encourage individuals of all health ranges to run, jog, or fast-walk a couple of miles on the primary Wednesday of June yearly.
It is a pretty idea, and I encourage individuals to hitch the enjoyable with their native operating org or store. Many health watches and apps like Garmin, Apple, and Strava will reward you with digital swag. However that is simply at some point a yr, and never everybody loves operating like I do.
So I labored on a extra complete three-month plan to outlive the summer time warmth and are available out of the season in higher form than after I began, utilizing my fitness watch and different instruments to maintain me accountable. This is how I like to recommend you do the identical.
June: Deal with steps in the beginning else
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Despite the fact that the ten,000 steps a day rule began off as a advertising gimmick, I actually bought a lot more healthy after I walked over 10,000 steps every day for a month. The precise quantity is bigoted; the vital half is prioritizing consistency greater than depth.
Why? As a result of there’s loads of legitimate causes to skip a tough exercise after a workday: Tiredness, lateness, or obligations like cooking dinner will add up till you have spent a complete week slacking. However the one cause to skip a stroll is lethargy. You possibly can stroll an hour whether or not it is blazing scorching or at evening by streetlight, even should you’re worn out.
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Plus, should you begin doing a summer time exercise like {golfing}, pickleball, or softball, you will naturally get steps even should you’re not monitoring a particular “exercise” like a run or hike. Your smartwatch will maintain you trustworthy on how a lot you have truly moved and should you’ve burned enough calories to earn that post-match beer or dessert.
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Most smartwatches have a widget or Tile displaying whether or not you have hit your steps aim. My Garmin watch provides me badges for hitting 30 miles of strolling or 300,000 steps per thirty days, whereas a Galaxy or Apple Watch will reward you for closing your each day rings. It is a helpful solution to inspire your self.
In case you do not do anything this June, reap the benefits of the late sundowns and pledge to stroll for at the very least 8,000 steps a day.
Purchase an epic fantasy audiobook or obtain a podcast that’ll maintain your thoughts occupied for dozens of hours, or else use the time to name household. Deliberate multitasking makes it really feel much less like wasted time, and you may find yourself losing weight in the long run just by staying agile.
June to July: Keep accountable with tech and folks, not simply cash
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A number of watches and apps have nice self-guided coaching instruments I might suggest. Garmin Coach and each day prompt exercises tailor runs, walks, or power coaching to your means stage. A Pixel Watch provides you with a target cardio load and each day run recommendations like Tempo or intervals. TrainingPeaks has well-regarded paid coaching plans, whereas manufacturers like COROS have free training calendars.
All of them share one key drawback, although: Solely you possibly can maintain your self accountable and motivated, and also you would not be studying this if motivation weren’t a problem! Belief me, I get it.
Individuals use paid incentives like gymnasium memberships to strain themselves to work out, so they don’t seem to be “losing cash.” However unfavorable motivation solely goes thus far earlier than disgrace takes over. You possibly can at all times inform your self you will “go tomorrow” repeatedly when, once more, solely you might be holding your self accountable.
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That is what makes summer time a good time for adults to reboot their objectives. Not like college students who’ve sports activities golf equipment all yr besides summer time, adults can sometimes discover group actions this time of yr for individuals trying to rekindle their love of sport and make connections.
Be part of a flag soccer league, operating membership, pickleball class, or some other group or group sport. You are a lot much less more likely to flake out with no legit excuse as a result of others count on you. It is extra enjoyable than a solitary exercise, so it feels much less like work.
A few of these actions will proceed into fall, however summer time is often when sports activities and coaching orgs recruit new members. So take the time this weekend to Google your finest close by choices and get signed up for one thing enjoyable earlier than finish of June. You will nonetheless must work out correctly different days of the week, however these group days will maintain you limber and motivated.
July: Go all-in on sleep monitoring
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Based on research cited by BBC, individuals get (on common) an hour much less sleep in June than in December, and half-hour much less REM sleep. Early daylight wakes you, the lengthy days maintain you out and lively for longer, social consuming worsens your sleep high quality, and hotter temperatures make it laborious in your physique temp to drop the two–3º vital for unimpeded sleep.
You will hopefully spend June getting steps and becoming a member of group sports activities that tire you out for higher sleep. However should you’re spending evenings figuring out, it is easy to fall into revenge bedtime procrastination (RBP). You keep as much as stream exhibits, sport, or scroll social media feeds, regardless that it makes you depressing the following day, since you really feel you deserve to unwind.
Now that you’ve got established good daytime exercise habits, use July to maintain your self accountable with higher and extra constant sleep.
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For this, I might suggest a smart ring since they’re extra comfy for sleep monitoring than a smartwatch, in addition to extra specialised. My Ultrahuman Ring Air notes stats like HR drop, pores and skin temperature, time in sleep phases, restlessness, and period.
In fact, many health smartwatches monitor the identical stats, should you’d quite not purchase two separate units. What’s vital is utilizing instruments like Garmin Physique Battery, Fitbit Every day Readiness, Samsung Vitality Rating, and so forth to maintain your self accountable.
I interviewed Google’s clinical sleep lead earlier this yr, and he warned that persons are “horrible estimators” of their very own tiredness and might perform with a “extreme quantity of sleep impairment that you just’re not even totally cognizant of.” It is really easy to construct unhealthy sleep habits in summer time and put on your self out, so use July to repair these habits.
July to August: Give your self some deload weeks
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As my gym-nerd associate at all times tells me, even probably the most devoted athletes pushing for severe features want the occasional deload week to allow them to regain their power and attain higher heights.
In case you’ve managed to fill the primary half of summer time with fixed walks, video games, and early bedtimes, you are both going to make figuring out your whole life-style and character, or you are going to burn out and fall again to regular.
That is why, because the terrible summer time warmth sticks round, let your self off the hook and goal for fewer (however more durable) exercises via August. Construct off of your summer time coaching basis to push for brand new PRs, however take extra relaxation days in-between. Then, when September arrives, set your self a brand new three-month coaching routine and journey a brand new wave of enthusiasm.
Hopefully, by the top of August, you will have established higher habits and located the fitness smartwatch instruments to maintain you motivated via the remainder of the yr.
Google is celebrating 10 years of Google Images with the launch of a redesigned editor. The redesign provides new AI options — Reimagine and Auto Body — which have been beforehand solely accessible on Pixel gadgets, bringing the instruments into the palms of extra customers.
The Reimagine characteristic makes use of generative AI to remodel objects and backgrounds in photographs with textual content prompts. For instance, you would ask to interchange a depressing sky in considered one of your photographs with “clear blue skies.”
The Auto Body characteristic suggests alternative ways to border a photograph, whether or not it’s by cropping, widening, or utilizing generative AI to fill within the clean areas.
Picture Credit:Google
Google says the brand new editor provides customers useful strategies and places all its modifying instruments in a single place. You should use AI-powered strategies that mix a number of results for fast edits with the brand new “AI Improve” choice. For instance, you would mix AI results like picture sharpening and object removing.
Or, you may faucet particular elements of a photograph to get urged instruments for modifying that space. For instance, Google might recommend that you simply alter the lighting or blur the background.
Google notes the redesign will begin rolling out globally to Android gadgets subsequent month, with iOS following later this .
The tech big additionally introduced which you could now share albums with QR codes to make it simpler for others round you to entry an album. You can additionally print out the codes for a bunch occasion, the place anybody with the code will have the ability to view and add photographs to the album.
Google is rolling out a sequence of upgrades to its Play Retailer to assist Android app builders higher market their software program and providers to shoppers. Among the many highlights are new instruments for managing subscription apps, matter pages that permit customers discover a particular topic on the Play Retailer, a brand new function that enables individuals to pattern audio from builders’ apps, and a extra versatile checkout expertise that may make it simpler for builders to promote add-ons, amongst different issues.
Google final week shared various Android-related announcements at a pre-show earlier than the beginning of its annual developer convention, Google I/O. Nevertheless, it saved the Play Retailer enhancements for Tuesday’s keynote at Google I/O, highlighting their significance to Google’s backside line.
Right this moment, tech giants like Apple and Google are going through a market the place app builders have extra selection in how they worth and promote their cell software program, because of anticompetitive rules, new legal guidelines, and up to date courtroom victories. Consequently, Google has been working to make its personal Android app market extra compelling for builders, who now collectively promote over a quarter-billion subscriptions.
For starters, the corporate stated it’s giving builders the helpful potential to halt totally reside app releases if the developer identifies an issue that must be rapidly addressed.
Picture Credit:Google
One other function, initially solely obtainable within the U.S., will add new “matter browse” pages for media and leisure on the Play Retailer, permitting customers to attach with apps associated to over 100,000 completely different exhibits and films.
Picture Credit:Google
For instance, you may lookup a favourite present, film, or sports activities occasion and discover out which apps you may use to stream them. (Plus, the prevailing “The place to Watch” function that deep hyperlinks customers to their subscribed apps will roll out to the U.Okay., Korea, Indonesia, and Mexico after it initially launched within the U.S. final yr.)
These pages will probably be accessible from a number of locations inside the Play Retailer, together with the Apps House web page, retailer itemizing pages, and search.
Builders will even be capable of add a hero content material carousel and YouTube playlist carousel to app listings on the Play Retailer. For apps which have audio content material, the Play Retailer will quickly launch audio samples on the Apps House web page. (This function is already reside for Well being & Wellness app builders within the U.S. Google says in early checks, audio samples helped enhance app installs by 3x.)
Picture Credit:Google
Curated areas, a function launched final yr to Google Play customers to attach with their pursuits — like comics or soccer, as an example — will even roll out to extra areas and classes this yr. Google famous that the curated house for comics was pretty fashionable, reaching over 920,000 customers in Japan per thirty days.
Picture Credit:Google
Within the Play Console for managing apps, a brand new asset library will assist builders set up their visible property, together with importing them from Google Drive, tagging them, and cropping them for reuse. Different new metrics will supply insights into apps’ itemizing efficiency.
New devoted overview pages for testing and releasing software program will arrive, in addition to pages centered on monitoring and enhancing app releases. Each of those will embrace extra metrics and actionable recommendation for builders in a brand new “Take Motion” part.
Subscription administration instruments are getting an improve, too, with added assist for multi-product checkout for subscriptions, which suggests builders will be capable of promote subscription add-ons alongside their base subscriptions underneath a single cost schedule.
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For customers, this results in a simplified checkout expertise, whereas additionally letting them higher management their subscriptions when it comes time to improve or downgrade their add-ons.
The Play Retailer will remind customers of their subscription advantages in additional locations, together with within the Subscription Heart, in reminder emails, and through buy and cancellation flows. The modifications, which have already rolled out, are reducing voluntary churn by 3%, Google claims. Builders will moreover be capable of select to supply a grace interval of 30 days or account maintain of as much as 60 days when their prospects’ cost methodology declines, giving the customers time to repair the issue earlier than their account is cancelled.
The Engage SDK, launched last year, has supplied builders a approach to ship customized content material suggestions to customers’ residence screens on Android units. Now it’s including assist for extra classes, like Journey, and is rolling out to extra markets, together with Brazil, India, Indonesia, Japan, and Mexico.
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Plus, content material created with the SDK will probably be featured on the Play Retailer later this summer season, along with present areas like Collections on users’ Android smartphones or the Leisure House on choose Android tablets.
Google notes that the Play Integrity API, which is designed to assist fight rising threats on the Play Retailer, has been enhanced with stronger abuse detection for all builders and system safety replace checks to safeguard an app’s extra delicate actions, like transfers or information entry. It is going to additionally be capable of detect if a tool is being reused for abuse or repeated actions, even after a tool reset. This latter function will probably be supplied in beta.
