Snapchat has introduced a Time Machine Lens, which is basically an age-related filter, that lets users change their appearance by dragging a slider on the screen. If the slider is on the extreme left, it will show a younger you and if you slide it to extreme right, it will show an older you -- all in a split second. Once you get the desired result, you can share it with friends. Snapchat says it uses advanced machine learning and training models in this filter to deliver the result in real time.
To try this lens, download the app from App Store (iOS) or Play Store (Android). When you open the app, it will automatically open to the camera and a user can open Lenses Carousel by pressing Smiley Button or tap on screen. Find the Time Machine Lens in carousel, and select the direction you want the camera to shoot using the rotating arrows. Time Machine works using both the front-facing and rear-facing cameras. Adjust the age by using the slider and tap to capture the Snap.
For iOS, the lens is supported on iPhone 6s and higher, and for Android, the company says it supports newer devices including the Samsung Galaxy S10, Samsung Galaxy S10+, Samsung Galaxy S9, Samsung Galaxy S9+, Samsung Galaxy A70, Huawei P20 Pro, Huawei Y7, Huawei Y9, Xiaomi Redmi Note 7, OnePlus 6T, and Google Pixel 3a. Outside of these devices the Lens will support photo ‘post capture’ functionality.
This is not the first time that an app has offered this functionality. Earlier this year, an app called FaceApp became the internet phenomenon after people started to use it and post their images on social media platforms. The app applied several predefined filters/make edits and the most common edit was the one that made people look old. Soon the app was mired in controversy raising concerns over users’ privacy.
Media reports said that FaceApp, a Russian startup, uploaded all the photos that were clicked using the app to cloud without making it clear to the users that the processing is not done on the device. Another issue was reported by iOS users who alleged that the iOS app was overriding settings because even if they denied image access to the app, it was were still able to load the image from their galleries. The company later confirmed that most of the processing was done in the cloud. It also clarified that the app ‘might’ store photos in the cloud but they are deleted from the servers within 48 hours from the upload date.
