Meta has just announced that it will be shutting down the Meta Spark Studio platform which lets users create AR (Augmented Reality) filters for Meta-owned social media services. Facebook, Instagram and Messenger will not only lose the tools to create filters, but also any third party filters that currently exist.
This means users and brands can no longer create custom filters that affect a person’s appearance during recording a video or even a live video call. Those filters you might have played around with that made you look like an ancient wizard or a sleepy cat? Gone. Funnily enough, Meta has decided to keep its own filters around.
What’s not funny is that some people had actually made a livelihood around the Meta Spark Studio platform. These people will now be out of a job without much notice. Understandably, the Meta Spark community on Facebook is very unhappy, with a poll showing that the majority of users are asking for at least a year before Spark is shut down. Some even argue that Spark should be made freemium.
Meta Spark Studio lets users create their own custom filters like this one. | Image credit — Meta
According to Meta, the decision was made after “thorough assessment”. The company says it wants to focus on prioritizing other products going forward. Undoubtedly, this also includes the AI-powered AR smart glasses Meta has been working on for years.
The XR (Extended Reality) division at Meta — which also includes AR — is undergoing massive changes. Meta recently restructured Reality Labs following the unprecedented success of the Ray-Ban smart glasses powered by Meta AI. A new subdivision will now focus on wearables similar to the Ray-Ban glasses.
Meta Spark Studio and anything created using it will cease to exist on January 14, 2025. So you’ve still got a few months to play around with Meta’s AR tools before they’re gone forever.
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Abdullah is an ardent believer in the future of VR, and can't wait to see what more it brings to the table as technology improves. He enjoys covering new software releases in the XR industry, as well as major news about hardware and companies focused on VR.
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