Will the era of filters end? Meta announced, on Tuesday (27), the closure of Meta Spark, which allows the creation and sharing of augmented reality effects. The platform will stop working as of January 14, 2025.
In a statement sent to creators, the company — which is behind Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger — said the decision was made after a “thorough evaluation” and that third-party AR filters would no longer be accessible. Meta explained that the company’s own AR effects would still be available in the apps.
The company also expressed its gratitude to the community of creators, businesses, and others involved in the development of Meta Spark. Launched seven years ago, the platform has played a major role in popularizing augmented reality, allowing millions of users to experience the technology.
Meta stressed that the decision extends to Meta Spark Studio, Meta Spark Players, and Meta Spark Hub. Furthermore, it stated that the discontinuation is part of the company’s broader strategy to focus on products that will better meet the future needs of consumers and enterprise customers.
The company also pledged to make the transition as seamless as possible, ensuring users can create AR effects by the official shutdown date. The announcement came as a surprise to many creators, as the content — which modifies faces, bodies, and environments in real time — primarily serves to spread the word or promote marketing actions.
Meta’s statement quickly spread on social media and caused many netizens to react on the web. Seen:
I was simply shocked by this news that Meta Spark will cease to exist as of January 14, 2025, and that was my source of income, by making filters for Instagram 😭😭😭😭 Dude 😭😭😭😭 😭😭😭😭
– Amadele. (@iledamamont) August 27, 2024
While I was creating a filter for Instagram, I received an email saying that they would stop using filters created in Meta Spark. pic.twitter.com/iiF0Ad0aas
– Raulino (@Feliperaulino) August 27, 2024
It’s unbelievable that Meta would disable Instagram filters, when they were the only thing that saved this dirty social network… I’m angry! #MetaSpark
— Victor ⓟ • 💚 (@victorbzzrra) August 27, 2024
I was in a meeting with a client this morning selling filters, then came home and saw an email from Meta canceling Spark AR. Do you think I look like a Zu*kenb*erg clown? pic.twitter.com/5yecCjlEjC
– Jess (@ciganasempaut) August 27, 2024
Guys, as of January 2025, Target will no longer have filters made by people in the community or brands. This is truly the decline of social media. Not to mention, I’ll miss out on a way to make money.
– 👽 🛸 (@hyper_psycho_) August 27, 2024
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