Instagram to remove popular beauty filters in January 2025

Instagram users will soon bid farewell to many of their favourite augmented reality (AR) filters. Meta, the parent company of Instagram, announced it will discontinue its Meta Spark platform for third-party AR tools and content on January 14, 2025.

Filters have become a daily staple for millions of Instagram users, transforming selfies and videos with everything from playful animal ears to avant-garde digital makeup. However, this landscape is set to change dramatically with Meta's decision.

"AR effects built by third parties – including brands and our wider community of AR Creators – will no longer be available beginning on this date," Meta stated in its announcement. The company clarified that AR effects created by Meta itself will continue to be accessible across its family of apps.

This move marks the end of an era for Meta Spark, which launched seven years ago when AR experiences were still novel to most consumers.

Meta acknowledged the platform's impact, noting that "the imagination, innovation, and creativity of our AR creator community has helped extend the reach of AR to hundreds of millions of people."

The decision comes as part of Meta's broader strategy to "prioritise the products we believe will best serve the future needs of our consumers and business customers alike," according to the company's statement. While this may streamline Meta's offerings, it leaves many creators and businesses in limbo.

Users and creators have until January 14, 2025, to continue using Spark and third-party AR effects across Meta's platforms.

The company has promised to make the transition "as smooth as possible" and directed stakeholders to its FAQ page for updates and recommended actions.