To offer people more ways to express themselves as their avatars, we’re adding new facial shapes and assistive devices for people with disabilities.
25 May, Manila, Philippines – Meta has launched updated 3D Avatars to Facebook and Messenger in the Philippines! The new Avatars are more expressive, more customizable and more diverse. To better reflect the billions of unique people on this planet, Meta is adding new facial shapes and assistive devices for people with disabilities.
Meta is rolling out updated 3D Avatars to Facebook and Messenger, and for the first time Instagram Stories and DMs. Starting today, Filipinos can show up as their virtual self across apps via stickers, feed posts, Facebook profile pictures, and more. This also marks the first time Avatars will be available on Instagram.
Said John Rubio, Facebook Philippines Country Director, “Representations in the metaverse should reflect the diversity of the real world. Avatars are just the first step toward enabling everyone to show up how they choose. When you create your avatar you can choose the right facial features, body types, clothing styles, and more to create your virtual self. We offered more than one quintillion different combinations when we launched our updated avatars last year, and we’re continuing to add more options to give people even more ways to express themselves.”
Today’s update adds cochlear implants and over-the-ear hearing aids (for one or both ears) in a variety of colors, and on all platforms including VR. It also includes wheelchairs, which will appear in stickers on Facebook, in Messenger chats and in DMs on Instagram. Meta will continue to add more options over time based on feedback from the community.
Meta is also improving the look of Avatars. Subtle adjustments have been made to certain facial shapes and skin shaders to make avatars more authentic. Here’s an example of the same Avatar last April (left) versus now:
Throughout 2021, Meta added new eyes and noses, beards and hairstyles, outfits, body types and more. New items will continue to be added to the Avatar editor throughout 2022.
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