Snapchat Unveils Filters That Can Recognize Pets, Food, Landscapes, More

A new Snapchat update can recognize objects within a Snap photograph and then furnish pertinent filter options related to the image.

The new filters, which first began rolling out last week, according to Mashable, appear in the bottom carousel. The filters automatically recognize certain categories of objects and scenes — including concerts, beaches, pets, sports, and food — and offer border animations and stickers pertaining to the image at hand. A photo of a dog generated an “It’s A Pawty!” sticker, according to Mashable

(see screenshots below), while an image of the beach generated a sticker that reads “Ocean View.”

The new filters arrive as Snapchat is in the midst of a complete redesign, following longstanding complaints that it is too difficult to use.

Filters are also a revenue generator for Snapchat, in that marketers can pay to offer branded filters based on users’ locations and interests. Mashable notes that the new contextual filters could be branded in the future — given that Snap filed a patent for an ad system using precisely this technology back in 2015. Snapchat also employs image recognition tech in other features throughout the app, including, for instance, the ability for users to search through public Stories or past Snaps with keywords.