Meta's 3D avatars are available on Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger, but not everyone's happy about the change. Facebook changed its name to Meta in 2021. The company's next big push is the metaverse, a virtual-reality space in which people can interact with others in a computer-generated environment.
The new 3D avatars are an essential part of the whole metaverse experience and will replace the existing avatars across all of Meta's platforms, whether users want them or not. Even though the metaverse isn't as popular as Meta hoped it would be, the company is still betting big on the VR platform.
The new 3D avatars enable people to use the same designs across all of Meta's platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and the Quest 2. According to an official blog post, the avatars will be closer in appearance to actual faces, thanks to greater customization options for skin tones and expressions to "better reflect the billions of unique people on this planet." Users will also be able to add wheelchairs, over-the-ear hearing aids, and cochlear implants as part of Meta's efforts to be more inclusive and true-to-life for a larger number of users.
Not Everyone Is Happy About The New Avatars
According to Meta's General Manager for Avatars and Identity, Aigerim Shorman, Facebook will automatically update the avatars of people who have already created them on the platform. Shorman further said that the algorithm will ensure that the new 3D avatars will respect the choices of users, which means the new icons will largely be similar to the existing ones. However, that isn't stopping people from being annoyed at the change. Many are also upsset about the fact that Facebook is automatically updating the avatars without giving them the option to retain their existing ones.
Despite the widespread discontent at the change, Meta is unlikely to make a U-turn. The new 3D avatars are part of the company's deliberate push into the metaverse and are now likely to stay, whether users like it or not. In fact, it has been in the works for at least around a year, if not more. As explained by Shorman, the company originally announced plans to introduce the new 3D avatars across all its properties in April 2021 when it first released its new avatars in VR. It took Meta around 10 months to finally bring its plans to fruition, so the chances that the company will give in to public demand are next to none.
How To Change Your Avatar On Facebook
While there's not much users can do about the 3D avatars, there's always the option to tweak the look of an existing avatar to take advantage of the new customization options. This can be done on the Facebook apps for Android and iPhone. Facebook also states that if users have synced their Facebook and Instagram profiles, they can use the same avatar on both accounts. To get started, open the Facebook app and tap the hamburger menu at the bottom right of the screen. Tap on 'Avatars,' and select 'Edit.'
Users can now make changes to their avatar, such as skin tone, body shape, hairstyle, makeup, facial features, eyewear, piercings, headwear, hearing devices, clothing, and more. Tap on 'Done' once the changes are made to save them. If users aren't happy with the new 3D avatars, they can choose to delete them entirely. To do this, tap the trashcan icon in the same avatar editor menu. It's worth noting that doing this will permanently delete a user's Facebook avatar with no way to recover it, short of starting from scratch again.