Singapore – Meta has announced that it will shut down Meta Spark, the platform’s augmented reality (AR) platform, on January 14, 2025–according to a recent FAQ update by the tech giant.
With this update, Meta Spark by third-party creators will be removed from Meta products, including Facebook, Instagram and Messenger. Additionally, Meta Spark products (Meta Spark Studio, Meta Spark Hub and Meta Spark Player) will no longer be accessible.
Meta also clarified that Meta’s first-party AR effects will remain, and users will be able to access them on Facebook, Instagram and Messenger.
“After thorough consideration, it was determined that Meta will prioritise investments in other company priorities. As a result, we’re not able to continue to support the Meta Spark platform long term,” the company said.
The company recommends AR creators or businesses who have published effects to Facebook, Instagram or Messenger to download and save their project files, assets and demo videos prior to January 14, 2025. If they want to continue to showcase the AR effects built using Meta Spark tools, Meta recommends to create a portfolio on an external website.
“Meta is committed to our long-term investments in new computing platforms that will bring us beyond today’s 2D experiences on mobile. With the decision to shut down the Meta Spark platform, we’re also shifting resources to the next generation of experiences, across new form factors like glasses,” Meta further added.
In addition, Meta has also advised brands and agencies to switch to third-party AR platforms by the end of 2024 to early 2025 if they want to still create AR-centric experiences.