Snap Inc. has released Snap OS 2.0 in advance of the release of its next-generation Spectacles AR glasses, due for release next year. The OS 2.0 XR operating system will power both the fifth and sixth generation Spectacles, the first that the company will market directly to consumers after years of selling AR glasses made for developers building AR experiences for the Snapchat app. The new OS aims to simplify content viewing and sharing with Spectacles as well as heightening Internet exploration via a native browser with WebXR support. Snap is still keeping details like pricing and the specific release date for the consumer Spectacles under wraps.

“Besides being lighter and smaller than the 2024-era glasses, that’s essentially all we know about the next version of Specs,” reports Road to VR, adding that last week’s release of Snap OS 2.0 does, however, make clear that the company will be launching Specs with “an overhauled web browser, more intuitive UI for viewing content in AR, as well as porting the popular XR rhythm game ‘Synth Riders’ (2018).”

Snap detailed the OS 2.0 features in a newsroom post that also highlights a “dedicated Spotlight Lens” that will for the first time be freed of tethering to a smartphone, creating  “larger-than-life” experiences that spatially overlay augmented content onto the real world.

“Now you can do the dishes while your favorite creator’s video plays seamlessly in front of your eyes, or layout comments in 3D space,” Snap says by way of use cases. Users will be able to anchor such content “or have it follow you as you move around.”

Snap has also added portrait orientation to Spectacles’ field of view to accommodate vertical video, “allowing you to enjoy content without ever having to look down at your phone.”

CNBC writes that Meta’s upcoming AI-powered smart glasses, internally called Hypernova, are set to take center stage at Meta Connect 2025 (today through Thursday).

“Snap’s latest AR glasses update is threatening to make me forget all about Meta before it even has a chance to showcase its new tech,” writes TechRadar, expressing a view shared by multiple tech outlets.

Tom’s Guide called the Spectacles OS 2.0 implications for XR smart glasses “game-changing,” suggesting the Snap eyewear “will usher in that next generation — thanks to the huge ecosystem of Lenses,” the company’s library of AR filters that overlay interactive 3D effects and animations onto a user’s face, body or surroundings in real time.

Related:
Snap’s Next Smart Glasses Get a Major OS Overhaul to Rival Meta Ray-Bans, ZDNet, 9/15/25