Snapchat sees surge in downloads of digital face masks amidst coronavirus outbreak

For those unaware, Snapchat’s Snap Camera feature includes several filters that are also called as ‘lenses’ to overlay on the user’s faces when they click or shoot themselves. While some of these lenses are created by artists, some are from Snapchat itself.

The app’s feature called Snap Camera, which overlays animations and effects on their faces with an augmented-reality filter is witnessing a spike in downloads amid the outbreak. (AP)

Now that most of the employees across the globe are given the option to work from home in order to prevent spreading of the coronavirus, there has been a natural rise in the communication app usage time and Snapchat is one of them. As per a report from Bloomberg, the firm is said to be witnessing a 10-fold surge in downloads ever since the starting of this month. But the highlight is that the app's feature called Snap Camera, which overlays animations and effects on their faces with an augmented-reality filter is witnessing a spike in downloads amid the outbreak.

For those unaware, Snapchat's Snap Camera feature includes several filters that are also called as 'lenses' to overlay on the user's faces when they click or shoot themselves. While some of these lenses are created by artists, some are from Snapchat itself.

As mentioned in the report, the digital face mark download spike gave some indication of how popular video-chat services are becoming, as more state and local governments advise citizens to shelter in place to avoid contracting Covid-19. Although more employees are moving towards corporate chat services for work, they seem to be using services are Snapchat to spend some virtual happy hours with friends or family members.

But Snapchat is not the only service that is facing a spike in downloads, services like Facebook, YouTube, Netflix and more have also confirmed to be in a similar situation. While Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently confirmed that the firm is preparing to handle more video calls in the coming days, YouTube and Netflix have decided to tone-down the video resolution in Europe so they can handle the internet pressure since people have started working from home.