Snapchat's new Harry Potter lens lets you practice your wizard skills
Good news, Harry Potter fans: you can now live out some of your Hogwarts fantasies in Snapchat.
The app added a new Harry Potter-themed lens that transports you into the famed wizarding school so you can practice spells.
Created by Jam City to promote its new Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery game, the lens is one of Snapchat's new "shoppable" lenses, which integrate "buy now" and app install buttons directly into the lens.
Like other "shoppable" lenses, it turns into a mini game that requires you to practice various spells from the books by drawing on your screen. Here's what it looks like in action.
While the lens will likely be a hit with the app's Harry Potter fans (Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery currently holds the top spot on the App Store's chart of most-downloaded games), the lens is also yet another example of why Snapchat's new lenses are so powerful.
Increasingly, augmented reality lenses are becoming the most important part of Snapchat's app. As Facebook and Instagram continue to hammer the company on the Stories front, lenses are one of Snap's best shots at engaging users in a way that Facebook can't (Facebook's augmented reality masks are far less developed than Snapchat's offerings).
And, what better way to prove that than with some good old-fashioned wizard magic.
Karissa was Mashable's Senior Tech Reporter, and is based in San Francisco. She covers social media platforms, Silicon Valley, and the many ways technology is changing our lives. Her work has also appeared in Wired, Macworld, Popular Mechanics, and The Wirecutter. In her free time, she enjoys snowboarding and watching too many cat videos on Instagram. Follow her on Twitter @karissabe.
