Facebook and its Avatars for Messenger and the News Feed

Have you heard that Facebook introduces Avatars since every app needs its own Bitmoji fun? Avatars are currently being tested in Australia as a Bitmoji-like addition to standard reactions and generated GIFs. A global roll-out is in the cards for later this year at the earliest, so I can only imagine that you are curious to find out more.

How will these its Avatars for Messenger and the News Feed will be like? We have no clue whether Avatars might make their way over to Facebook-owned subsidiaries Instagram and WhatsApp, but here’s what we do know for sure so far:

Staying anonymous… on Facebook?

Users will have the chance to start creating their avatars with a selection of gender neutral people to customize with 18 traits and clothing items. Such avatars will be perfect for users who want to stay anonymous in profile photos or in Groups. This is though a funny thing for a company literally called Facebook, but you get the point.

The company is also planning an update that will bring more age-based attributes such as wrinkles. Facebook is though very sensitive about having users take a photo and having artificial intelligence generate a base Avatar to start with. All clothing and accessories are free at this stage, but Facebook acknowledges that it has an opportunity for branded wardrobes too, so I am taking a guess that this might change at a certain point.

Users will eventually see their Avatars appear whenever they tap into customizable sticker packs. They can then choose a sticker to use within a post or a comment on a post.

As for the Bitmoji resemblance, app researcher Jane Manchun Wong first spotted the Avatars in development over a year ago. So, I kind of know why Bitmoji pops in your mind immediately. However, the new designs have a more polished, 3D look compared to the original flat style.

They look less like Bitmoji, Snapchat’s own customizable emoji, but they are still a part of the digital avatar game. No one can deny that!