Snap OS 2.0 is a small step towards AR glasses you might actually wear

"Last September, Snap revealed its fifth-generation Spectacles, upgraded AR glasses with a twist: they were only ever released to developers. One year later, we still haven't seen even a glimpse of the consumer-ready version of those glasses, which the company still says is coming in 2026, but Snap is ready to show off Snap OS 2.0, a software update to those developer Spectacles that signals its plans for mainstream AR."

"The big changes are actually surprisingly boring. A better web browser, a gallery app, some translation tools. These aren't the fun, whimsical AR experiences that Snap has pushed in the past - they're the functional things, the ones that might make next year's new version of Specs a practical product rather than a glorified tech demo. They help sell Specs as a product you'd actually wear, beyond your living room or office and out there in the rest of the world."

"Take the browser. Snap says it's been optimized for faster page loading and less power usage, but it's also added more of the conveniences you expect from a browser, like bookmarks and resizeable windows. Now you can either awkwardly type a URL into the address bar using the virtual keyboard, or simply speak it out loud. I made the obligatory visit to www.theverge.com, which loaded up only a little slowly, in a mobile view that makes sense for the glasses' simplified pinch-and-drag gesture controls."

Snap revealed fifth-generation Spectacles last September and released developer-only units. Snap plans a consumer version for 2026. Snap OS 2.0 delivers practical features such as an improved web browser, a gallery app, and translation tools. The update emphasizes functional utilities over whimsical AR experiences to make Spectacles more useful in everyday settings. The browser is optimized for faster page loads, lower power use, bookmarks, resizable windows, and voice entry for URLs. Mobile-optimized sites render appropriately with pinch-and-drag gestures, and more demanding sites can load, indicating stronger mainstream readiness.

Read at The Verge