Meta to discontinue platform for creating AR filters for Instagram

Meta on Tuesday announced a major update coming to Instagram and its other apps. However, rather than adding a new feature, the company is removing one. That’s because Meta has confirmed that it will be shutting down its Spark platform, which lets anyone create AR filters that can be used on the camera within apps like Instagram and Facebook.

Instagram’s AR filters are going away

Meta’s Spark was created as a response to Snapchat, which already provided AR filters for users to take photos with. However, after an “thorough assessment,” Meta says that Spark will be shut down on January 14, 2025.

“We are deeply grateful to the community of creators, businesses, and other key stakeholders who have been part of the Meta Spark journey. When we first launched this platform seven years ago, experiences infused with augmented reality were new to most consumers,” the company said in a blog post.

With the end of Spark, Instagram and Facebook will no longer provide third-party AR filters for photos. The only ones that will remain available will be those created by Meta itself, which will surely reduce the catalog of available filters. Many creators have been complaining about the decision, since it’s common for them to promote their profiles through custom filters.

Meta says the decision is part of “larger efforts to prioritize the products we believe will best serve the future needs of our consumers.”

AR filters will remain available in Meta’s apps until Spark is shut down next year. More details can be found on the Meta website. On a related note, Instagram announced on Tuesday that it’s rolling out new fonts, effects and animations for writing text in Stories and posts.