WhatsApp says that the several haircuts, facial features and outfits add up to “billions of combinations”, so your avatar can be well and truly unique
(Picture: Meta)WhatsApp has introduced the ability to immortalise yourself as a cartoony avatar to share with friends and family in conversation.
The messaging app says that the several haircuts, facial features and outfits add up to “billions of combinations”, so your avatar can be well and truly unique. Once created, a custom avatar can appear in 36 stickers, showing your cartoon visage clapping, winking, thinking or crying as you please.
We’ll explain how to make a WhatsApp avatar, but first, why would you want to?
Why would I want a WhatsApp avatar?
WhatsApp avatars certainly aren’t for everyone. You don’t need one to continue to use the service and WhatsApp is sensibly choosing it as an optional feature, rather than forcing it on its two billion users worldwide.
When introducing avatars, WhatsApp highlighted two benefits. The first is that it’s a “fast and fun way to share feelings with friends and family”, which is a bit more personalised than the several blank-faced emojis.
The second is more of a stretch, with WhatsApp highlighting the privacy benefits of using a cartoon version of yourself as your user picture, rather than an actual photograph.
How to make a WhatsApp avatar
Convinced you want a WhatsApp avatar? Here’s how to make one and customise it to your liking.
1. Open WhatsApp and any chat. You may want to start a conversation with yourself so that you don’t accidentally send an underdone avatar to an unsuspecting contact.
2. Tap on the stickers button. It’s the icon on the right-hand side of the text box, highlighted in red above.
3. You should see a box at the top of the menu advertising avatars and encouraging you to make your own. Tap it.
4. Press the ‘Get started’ button at the bottom of the promo page.
5. You’re now ready to make your avatar. Cycle through the various options in the middle of the page to customise your avatar to your liking.
Rather neatly, you can use your phone’s selfie camera to bring up a live stream of yourself to perfect the fine details. It’s the mirror icon in the top right-hand corner, just underneath ‘Done’.
6. Once you’re happy, tap the aforementioned ‘Done’ button and your avatar is saved.
7. To use your avatar in a chat, tap the stickers button again. You’ll now see your face displaying a gamut of emotions for you to choose between. If you ever want to refine it, tap the edit icon on the right-hand side of the filters highlighted in red above.
