Facebook Introduces Avatars

As reported earlier this week, Facebook has released its new 'Facebook Avatars' Bitmoji-like tool to users in Australia, the first stage of a planned broader roll-out to all users later in the year.

Facebook Avatars enable users to create their own, cartoonish image of themselves, which can then be used in stickers across both Facebook and Messenger. Here's how the creation process works, and how the Avatar images look.

It wasn't a sticker pack, it wasn't listed as an app. Once you tap on the 'Try it' prompt, you're taken through a couple of quick overview screens which explain the new option.

Facebook keeps it simple here, there's not a lot of detail on the process - which could be a mistake, given that Facebook will want to appeal to older users who are less familiar with the Bitmoji creation process, or with the similar process of creating your likeness in a video game.

There are eleven categories that you can change to customize your character, with additional color and make-up options where relevant:

The elements are: 

• Skin tone

• Hairstyle

• Face shape

• Eye shape

• Eyebrows

• Eyewear

• Nose

• Mouth

• Facial hair

• Body shape

• Outfit

You put all the pieces together as best you can, and you end up with a sort of approximation of how you look, based on what you can change (note: my beard isn't quite this full, but you do what you can).

And that's it - you have your Facebook Avatar. Now, whenever you go to comment, you can tap on the Avatar Sticker pack and use a whole range of stickers adorned with your likeness.

So, cool right? Your own, little Facebook cartoon character which you can send out to all your friends.

Awesome!