Lovers Apart is one of the first multiplayer augmented reality experiences ever launched on Instagram — a pioneering project funded by Meta winner of its Request for Projects program aimed at pushing the boundaries of social AR.

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Conceptualized and directed by Thibault Mathieu, this interactive narrative experience lets two people — each on their side of a video call — reunite two lovers lost in the Metaverse. Through facial gestures and coordinated interaction, users must collaborate in real time to help the characters reach each other across the split screen.

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The experience was simultaneously available on Instagram and Messenger, making it both accessible and instantly shareable. It redefined what a "filter" could be: not a solitary visual effect, but a cooperative micro-story, powered by emotion, proximity, and technology.

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At its core, Lovers Apart explored one of the most fundamental themes of our time: connection at a distance — blending AR storytelling with social functionality in a way only Meta’s platforms could allow.

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The result: over 20 million users worldwide, making Lovers Apart one of the most widely used and emotionally resonant AR experiences ever produced on Meta’s platforms.

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A poetic and technically innovative use of AR to bring people closer — even when they're far apart.