One of the ways that Meta has to get a little closer to its still premature metaverse, is through avatars. The firm led by Mark Zuckerberg has been including them on some of its platforms for a few months. Among them, Facebook or Instagram, so that the user can create their own and share it, for example, through a direct message or use it to react to a story. Now, Meta has also wanted to take them to WhatsApp.
According to wabetainfo, the ability to create and share a custom avatar is currently available in beta and only to a lucky few, but will likely be expanded to the final version in the coming weeks. Users, specifically, will be able to generate their own avatar —or any other custom one— through a new creation menu that will be available in the app settings. In the same way as on Instagram and Facebook, it will be possible to modify the shape of the face, skin tone, hair, add completes, etc.
After setting up the avatar, WhatsApp will automatically create a pack of stickers that can be used in chats. They are, in fact, the same ones that are generated on Instagram, and they allow you to easily show some common reactions: sadness, joy, love, doubt, etc. There are also stickers for celebrations or achievements, as shown in the screenshots revealed by wabetainfo. WhatsApp will also allow you to edit the avatar directly from the stickers section. It will also be possible to add it as a profile picture.
Avatars on WhatsApp, a way to get closer to the still distant metaverse
The inclusion of avatars in WhatsApp, we reiterate, is just a small introduction to the metaverse in which Meta works. It is a way to make users familiar with these virtual characters and it also serves the company as a promotion of what could come in the future. The development of a virtual world, however, is still a long way off. Above all, if we take into account the different obstacles that Meta faces: losses in profits, reduction of its workforce for this reason and very strong competition.
In any case, and while we wait for WhatsApp to include Meta avatars, it is possible to customize your own via Instagram. To do this, simply access the Stories section, take a photo and from the dropdown menu, select the avatar sticker. Next, start character creation. This will be saved for future use.