WhatsApp released the avatar function, and now you can create your custom icon directly in the app for Android and iPhone (iOS). The feature, which has been in testing since November of this year, will be made available to the entire user base over the course of the day. After making the avatar, it is also possible to use it as a profile picture or even as a sticker, in a pack of 36 stickers automatically created by the app. According to Meta, Mark Zuckerberg’s idea is that the novelty works as a “digital version” of each user, following the entrepreneur’s intentions to create a metaverse in his apps.
Also according to what has been disclosed so far, WhatsApp avatars will receive continuous updates, including more customization options. This includes, for example, different types of shading and hair textures. So in case, the avatar you create today is not 100% to your liking, you will be able to modify it later.
You can choose traits such as skin color, hair type, clothing, and facial features for your character. WhatsApp avatars are the same as the ones used on Facebook, Zuckerberg’s company, so it is possible that in the future the dolls created in the apps will be integrated. However, for now, there is still no official information about this.
As for the sticker packs, Meta explained that they will be made automatically by the app and seek to reflect “different emotions and actions”. For this reason, they would be a quick way to “share feelings” on WhatsApp in a more personalized way.
Before the official launch of the app, to use an avatar on WhatsApp, one had to resort to third-party methods. One of them was the Memojis on the iPhone (iOS), a native feature of Apple’s operating system that was released in 2019 with iOS 13, while users of Android phones had to use some external apps for this – such as BitMoji, for example.
How to make avatars on WhatsApp
- To make an avatar in WhatsApp, you first need to make sure that your phone is up to date. To do this, go into your phone’s app store – Google Play Store for Android, and App Store for iPhone – and in the search tab, type in “WhatsApp”;
- When the app appears in the search, check if there is a button saying “Update” and/or “Pending Update”. If so, tap on it and wait;
- Once the update is done, go into WhatsApp and open the Settings menu. On Android, this can be accessed by the three dots icon on the top right of the screen. On iPhone just tap on the tool icon in the right corner;
- If you already have WhatsApp on your phone, you will see an option called “Avatar” in the Settings menu. Tap on it;
- Then go to “Create Avatar” and follow the steps indicated by the application to build your avatar.
If you want, you can also use your avatar as your profile picture. To do this, go into the settings (top right of the screen on iPhone, and top right on Android, in the three-dot menu), tap on your photo, and then go to “Edit”. Then select the “Use avatar” option.
Also, if you get tired of your avatar and no longer want to have it, you can quickly delete it from the app. Just open the application, go to the settings menu, and then look for the Avatar area. There, go to “Delete Avatar” and confirm the deletion by tapping “Delete” again. It is worth remembering that if you do this, and you want to get a WhatsApp character again, you will need to redo it by following the previous instructions.
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