Many manufacturers and applications today offer virtual avatars for users. This is not the case with WhatsApp, but the error may soon get a fix.
The WABetaInfo site, always first on the news concerning the messaging service, indeed affirms that Meta would develop this functionality since last March. For the moment, we have very little information, only clues.
We do not know what type of avatars will be in use by WhatsApp, since no image representing them has leaked. However, we have a visual that suggests that these characters would be animated. WABetaInfo indeed shows a video call during which the front camera of a smartphone is deactivated.
WhatsApp is developing 3D avatars
The “Switch to Avatar” option suggests that it will be possible to put your virtual character instead of your head. We can imagine an avatar in the style of those of Apple or AR Emojis from Samsung; that is to say in 3D and animated according to the movements of the user.
But it is not impossible that we will finally have a 2D Emoji in the style of Bitmoji; or those of Messenger. Meta indeed already offers to create a character in its image; but these only appear as stickers and has no animations.
For the moment, WhatsApp has not communicated on the subject. But if there will be avatars, there is no doubt that Meta will announce the thing with great fanfare, given that it is a major visual novelty. In any case, the service continues to evolve in order to improve. For example, it is now possible to hide profile picture and last seen from specific people or to leave a group without notifying all participants.
However, the application remains at the center of concerns with regard to the protection of personal data Europe has thus demanded clarification on the new policy of the service which was put in place in 2021.