Snapchat is adding audio recommendations and song syncing

Snapchat users will soon have a handful of new tools to make content that includes trending songs or sounds.

First, the company is introducing a sound recommendation system for Lenses, its popular augmented reality (AR) filters. Users will be able to discover which sounds other people are using with the lens they’ve applied and add popular audio to their own photos or videos. The feature is now available to US users and rolling out globally.

Snapchat is also adding a feature that automatically syncs uploaded photos and videos to the beat of songs when making a montage. Users can add anywhere from four to 20 photos and videos; the feature could be helpful when making content based on trending audio or challenges.

Snap has been gradually adding more tools as it tries to compete with TikTok through its shortform product Spotlight. Last fall, the company introduced Director Mode, a more advanced video editing option for creators. And to sweeten the deal, the company was offering huge cash payouts to people making popular videos at the time, though that pool of money has been cut several times in the last year.

Though TikTok still dominates the shortform video space, Snapchat is leaning heavily into the AR filters that are now a central part of trending content across platforms, including TikTok. In December, Snap announced new ways that lens creators could make money through digital products that users can purchase in the app. Snap says 250 million of its users are “engaging with augmented reality” on a daily basis and that nearly two-thirds of user submissions to Spotlight use the platform’s editing tools or AR filters.

Snap appears hopeful that AR could be a meaningful source of revenue it needs; the company plans to announce more AR shopping efforts for brands in the next few months.