Avatars, a feature that lets users create a digital depiction of themselves, have started to roll out on WhatsApp. The Bitmoji-like feature was previously made available to Android and iOS beta testers of the Meta-owned instant messaging service. According to the firm, users will be able to create their own digital representations or personal avatars using a combination of hairstyles, facial traits, and clothing thanks to the functionality, which is now available to all users as part of a wide-scale deployment. Additionally, WhatsApp will offer 36 unique stickers that represent various emotions and acts.
On Wednesday, the instant messaging service blogged about the new Avatars feature. An Avatar can be used as stickers or as the user's WhatsApp profile photo. According to Meta, these stickers will come in 36 variations of well-known emojis and activities, and they might give users "a fast and enjoyable method to convey feelings with friends and family," she adds.
Snapchat, which now owns Bitmoji, which was originally developed by Bitstrips, was the first to popularise personalised avatars on social media. Like Facebook and Facebook Messenger, Instagram, which is also owned by Meta, has already implemented support for avatars.
The Bitmoji-like 3D avatars that WhatsApp supports seem to be the same models that are offered on other Meta-owned applications. Avatars were originally introduced to the Meta family by Facebook in 2019 through Messenger and the News Feed. The business enabled capability for including these digital avatars in Facebook comments and stories a year later, in 2020.
The business wants to offer Avatars as a way for people to have fun and express themselves creatively as well as a privacy option. According to the corporate blog post, avatars can be "a terrific method to express oneself without using your real photo so it seems more private."
By updating WhatsApp to the most recent version and going to Settings > Avatar > Create Your Avatar, users can access the Avatars functionality.
In the future, WhatsApp promises to add improvements like lighting, shading, different hairstyle textures, and more to the app.
