Meta Introduces Avatar Video Call Feature on Instagram and Messenger

Meta announced today that users can now use their avatars to answer and make video calls on Instagram and Messenger. The company says the new functionality will allow users to take part in video calls in instances where they’re not camera-ready. The result is an animated video call when you and your friends are looking and talking to each other, without actually seeing each other.

Easier Avatar Creation and Personalization

As part of today’s announcement, Meta shared a few other updates regarding avatars. The company shared that it’s testing an easier way to create avatars on Facebook and WhatsApp where you can take a live selfie and receive a suggested avatar option generated from your selfie. You can pick from these options and further personalize them to best represent yourself.

Meta also announced that you can now share animated avatar stickers in Instagram and Facebook Stories and Reels, Facebook comments, and 1:1 message threads on Messenger and Instagram. You can send stickers where your avatar is doing certain actions, like waving hello, dancing or slow clapping.

In addition, Meta is rolling out the ability for users’ avatars to hang out with their friends’ avatars in stickers. You can now tag a few friends to Facebook Stories, so you and your friends’ avatars can appear in a sticker together. The new functionality is called “Social Stickers” and lets you share stickers of you and a single friend in 1:1 message threads.

Standardizing Avatar Looks Across Platforms

Meta says users may start to notice that VR avatars look a little different than those across its apps, noting that the proportions are more proportional. “No one wants to look like a cake pop, and now, you don’t have to,” the company wrote in the blog post. “We’re standardizing the look of our avatars across all our platforms, so the way you show up in VR will match how you show up on Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp. Not only does that mean your avatar will look a little more realistic, it also means you’ll be better able to show off your ’fits since the focus won’t be drawn to your comically oversized noggin.”

Increasing Self-Expression in the Metaverse

Meta revealed back in April that that more than one billion avatars have been created across its platforms. The company first introduced avatars in 2020 as a way to compete with Snap’s Bitmoji and has been continuously updating them since to make them appear more realistic. In today’s blog post, Meta says “avatars give us a glimpse of the opportunities for self-expression that will be afforded by the metaverse.”

With the introduction of avatar video calls on Instagram and Messenger, Meta is aiming to provide users with a new way to communicate without being camera-ready. Whether this new feature will be embraced or considered odd and creepy remains to be seen, but with the increasing popularity of avatars and the company’s commitment to self-expression in the metaverse, it’s clear that Meta is pushing the boundaries of digital communication.

“We’ve all been there: A call comes in but your hair looks like a hot mess… Wouldn’t it be great if there were a third option between camera-off and camera-on to let you feel a little more present on the call? Cue your Meta Avatar.”

With avatars becoming more realistic and standardized across platforms, users can expect a more immersive and personalized experience in the metaverse. Meta’s avatar-related updates, including easier creation, animated stickers, and social interactions, further enhance the possibilities for self-expression. Whether you want to wave hello, dance, or simply hang out with your friends’ avatars, Meta is striving to make avatars a seamless part of our digital lives.