Patreon’s Snapchat-Like Lens Product, After Launching On Mobile Devices, Is Now On The Web Too

Patreon, like many other media companies, recently took a page out of Snapchat’s book by launching Lens, which lets users sent short, disappearing photos and videos to those who support them financially. That feature, which resembles Snapchat’s Stories, is designed for use on mobile devices, but it is now available beyond phones and tablets. Lens has launched on the web, giving Patreon users more opportunities to connect with their backers.

On Patreon, contributors who kick in money to fund their favorite creators gain access to special perks. One of the platform’s exclusive offerings is Lens, which it announced among a slew of updates last year. With Lens now available on the web, backers can consume Stories-like content directly from the Patreon pages of the artists they support. For visitors who have not yet become patrons, those posts will remain grayed out until a financial contribution is made.

“We hope bringing Lens to web makes it easier for patrons to access behind the scenes content from creators,” reads a blog post published by Patreon. “We’re excited to continue improving Lens and building better tools for creators to grow and monetize their creative businesses.”

Patreon is not the only media company making its mobile-first features compatible with desktop devices. Another notable example of that strategy concerns the app Go90, which was originally launched as a mobile-only destination for original video programs but has since come to the web as well. For Patreon, which has long been hailed for its creator-friendly approach, increased flexibility for its users is a wise choice.