WhatsApp has started shutting down the avatar feature on Android and iOS, according to a message posted on its Help Center. This means you will soon no longer be able to create a new avatar, edit an existing one, or use it as your profile picture, though the company notes that any custom sticker packs you already have will "still be available to use."
The Avatar feature was rolled out globally on December 7, 2022, as a way for users to create a personalized, digital representation of themselves, similar to the avatars already used on Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger. The way it worked was you would navigate to your settings, open the Avatar section, and begin the creation process.
The editor lets you customize everything from your skin tone and face shape to your hairstyle and outfit. You could even use a "mirror" tool that activates your front-facing camera for a side-by-side comparison. It also lets you add accessories like eyewear, headwear, bindi, or ear piercings, and apply makeup.
Once you were satisfied with the digital version of yourself you just created, WhatsApp automatically generated a pack of 36 personalized stickers. This pack showed your avatar expressing a wide variety of actions and emotions (such as laughing, crying, waving, sending a heart, or celebrating). You could find and send these stickers directly from the emoji panel inside any chat.
While the company did not provide an actual reason for why it is killing the feature, low engagement from users is not exactly a bad guess. When was the last time you heard someone talk about WhatsApp Avatars? This decision lets the development team focus its resources on features people actually use.
In other WhatsApp news, the company is working on its own proprietary, end-to-end encrypted cloud storage solution to host user chat backups. This will give users an alternative to Google Drive and iCloud.
The service will reportedly receive 2GB of free storage dedicated to backups, with an option to upgrade to a 50GB storage plan for $0.99. To keep data private, backups will be safeguarded by a highly secure 64-digit encryption key, and users will restore their history using a passkey that relies on their device"s fingerprint or face ID.