Snap Camera brings Snapchat lenses to your desktop video chats

Among Windows enthusiasts, the lack of a Snapchat app during Windows 10 Mobile's heyday was a bit of a sore point. That's still not changing, but Snap today surprised everyone by launching a desktop app for Windows. But don't get too excited: this isn't the full Snapchat experience.

Called Snap Camera, the new app lets you use one of Snapchat's most iconic features, lenses, with your PC's webcam. While you still won't be able to send snaps back and forth to your friends like you can on mobile, Snap Camera lets you spice up your video chats, game streaming sessions, and anything else that uses your camera.

Yes, that means you can add a set of virtual puppy dog ears to your head the next time you're in a Skype chat. Just try to remember to turn it off before any business meetings.

Snap Camera

For game streamers, in particular, Snap Camera has some interesting additions. There's a dedicated Twitch extension that you can use to "reward new subscribers with custom Lens reactions," according to Snap. But the app also includes some special lenses that can turn you into characters from popular games like World of Warcraft, Overwatch, and PlayerUknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG).

It may not be the full-fledged Snapchat app many were begging for on Windows 10 Mobile, but Snap Camera looks to be a fun addition for Windows. If you want to check it out for yourself, you can download Snap Camera for free right now.

See at Snapchat

Dan Thorp-Lancaster

Dan Thorp-Lancaster is the former Editor-in-Chief of Windows Central. He began working with Windows Central, Android Central, and iMore as a news writer in 2014 and is obsessed with tech of all sorts. You can follow Dan on Twitter @DthorpL and Instagram @heyitsdtl