Snapchat has made a name for having some pretty outrageous, fun, and inventive augmented reality lenses, so the company is running with that to get users to help with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) coronavirus relief fund.
As Engadget reports today, the new AR lenses are just part of a major push by Snapchat to help users find a way to donate to the WHO in an effort to combat the global COVID-19 pandemic, specifically the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund. Snapchat users will be able to use their phone’s camera to scan 23 currencies in 33 different countries. There are AR filters that will show how that money is being used to help fight against the pandemic, including for medical supplies, patient care, and research.
Donating is pretty simple, and Snapchat users will then be able to encourage friends and contacts to do the same.
But that’s not all, either, as Snapchat is also building a similar idea into the Discover tab:
Snapchat is also giving media publishers covering COVID-19 on its Discover platform a swipe-up-to-donate feature. To date, over 68 million Snapchat users have viewed COVID-19-related content on the platform, so the feature has the potential to reach a huge population. Snap says over 40 percent of Gen Z in the US has tuned in to the content.
This is not Snapchat’s first foray into relief related to COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. The social network launched mental health tools back in March, a “Here For You” tool meant to alleviate the anxiety swirling around the pandemic. The company also has other lenses that promote social distancing.
The new AR lenses to help promote donations are available now for Snapchat users.