Snap has ended its planned Perplexity rollout inside Snapchat, closing out an AI search partnership that had been in limited testing but never reached a broad launch.

What changed

In its Q1 2026 investor letter, Snap said it "amicably ended the relationship" with Perplexity during the quarter and that its current revenue guidance assumes no contribution from Perplexity. That is a more definitive outcome than the company described in February, when its Q4 2025 investor letter said the two sides had "yet to mutually agree on a path to a broader roll out."

Snapchat's own support documentation showed the feature was still only a test. The help page for Perplexity on Snapchat says users could access a dedicated AI chat shortcut, but also notes the product was "rolling out slowly" and might not be available to everyone.

Why it matters

The update is a useful reality check on consumer AI distribution. Embedding a third-party answer engine directly into a mass-market chat app sounds straightforward, but shipping it at scale means aligning product behavior, safety, monetization, and user experience. Snap's disclosure suggests that alignment never fully happened.

For now, the conservative takeaway is not that Snap is backing away from AI altogether. The company is still highlighting other AI-adjacent bets in its earnings materials, including augmented reality features and intelligent eyewear. But the Perplexity integration has moved from pilot to dead deal, and Snap no longer expects it to help 2026 revenue.