TikTok launches Avatars to compete with Bitmoji and Memoji
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TikTok has announced the launch of a new avatar feature designed to help users show their unique personality through the Avatars app.
The launch makes Tik Tok the latest social media app to add the avatar feature, now joining the likes of Snapchat, Apple, Instagram, Facebook and more.
You can access the new feature by opening the TikTok camera, going to the Effects section of the app, and tapping on Avatars.
From there, you see a panel with sample avatars. You can try avatar templates or click New to create your own custom avatar.
And you can create your own avatar by choosing from a range of hairstyles, accessories and makeup.
The platform says it designed the feature to be inclusive, from clothing to skin tones and hair color to texture.
Users can also experiment with sound effects to give new avatars a new sound, by choosing a voice pattern and speaking into the microphone.
Also, you can try different sound styles and choose the ones you like the most. Clicking on different sound styles will add or remove them from your avatar.
Once you are satisfied with your avatar, you can start recording videos. And when you record a video, you can become an avatar, because it mimics the way you move and follows your gestures.
There is also an avatar thumbnail option where you can choose an avatar and add it to the video. You can adjust the size of the thumbnail avatar and place it anywhere on your screen.
Users also have the option to change the reactions of the thumbnail avatars by tapping on the different emoticons displayed across the screen. Although, the thumbnail avatar feature is not available at launch. But Tik Tok says it's coming soon.
TikTok says it continues to improve its avatars to ensure that the experience is representative for all users. The company notes that it wants to get feedback from its community. Along with user feedback, the platform is working with the Creator Diversity Collective to ensure the feature is comprehensive.
Tik Tok competes with Snapchat and Apple
We're excited to see how people are using avatars to express creativity, the company said. And we continue to explore ways to bring Avatars into more of our experiences. We want to build spaces for self-expression and expand the ways people communicate across our global community.
The new Avatars feature can be compared to the Bitmoji Snapchat feature that has existed since 2016 and has been updated over the past few years.
Among the various updates are Bitmoji TV and the ability for users to play as Bitmoji in third-party games.
The new TikTok feature is also similar to that of a Meta company called Avatars, which was its response to Bitmojis. Meta recently brought Avatars to Instagram and posted the updated Avatars on Facebook and Messenger.
The company is now also allowing users to bring the same avatar across all meta platforms, including VR. Avatars can also be compared to Apple's Memoji.
Although, avatars are nothing new. But adding TikTok gives users a new way to create content through the app.
Aside from being a new way to express yourself, Avatars can also be useful for people who don't want to show their faces in videos. Avatars are released globally to all users.