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Snapchat starts charging for Lenses and then retweets complainers

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Snapchat users have been playing about with Lenses for a few months now. The feature comprises animated selfie overlays that in just a couple of taps can have you barfing rainbows or looking like a monster.

The seven available lenses are free to use and, in keeping with Snapchat’s ephemeral theme, one disappears from the lineup each day, with a new one appearing.

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In the latest of several recent monetization efforts, the LA-based startup on Friday launched a store offering 30 new lenses for 99 cents each that you can use over and over.

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For those who don’t want to fork out for the feature, the seven free lenses remain, with a new one continuing to appear each day.

Snapchat, a startup that seems to like doing things a little differently, decided to retweet messages from some of the naysayers:

At the same time it retweeted a few positive ones to balance things up a bit:

This latest in-app purchase from Snapchat follows another rolled out in September that lets users replay snaps up to three times for 99 cents. And like Lenses, it also offers a free version of the feature that gives users one chance a day to take a second look at a snap before it disappears.

As for this latest in-app purchase option, you can preview each of the store’s lenses for free, but it’ll cost you a buck to use them in a snap. To activate lenses, simply press and hold on your face and the overlays will appear at the bottom of the display. Swipe to the end of the free options to locate the store’s offerings.

The new store for Lenses is currently available to Snapchatters in several countries, including the U.S., U.K., and Australia, though if you’re elsewhere and are desperate to gussy up your mug, be patient, it’s bound to go global soon enough.

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Trevor Mogg
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