Snapchat’s Gender-Swap and Baby Filters Doubled App Downloads

But can the company build on the momentum?

Illustration: Sally Thurer

Last month, Snapchat achieved the kind of virality most companies can only dream of.

On May 8, Snapchat released a photo filter (a “Lens” in Snapchat parlance) that, by rounding a users’ face and smoothing away their wrinkles, transforms them into a toddler. Over…