From iOS 12, Animoji get a more prominent role on the iPhone. In this guide you can read all about how to use Animoji, how to turn yourself into a Memoji and in which apps you can use the cheerful characters.
After the hype of Animoji Karaoke in iOS 11, it was to be expected: with the arrival of iOS 12, the moving emoji are even more prominent on your iPhone. The update adds Animoji to FaceTime and gives iMessage new ways to use them. In this guide, we’ll walk you through all of the features.
Animoji: What are they and how do you use them?
Along with Face ID and the iPhone X, Apple introduced Animoji in 2017: large 3D versions of emoji that imitate your facial expression. By scanning your face through the Face ID camera, an Animoji on your iPhone screen can take over a variety of expressions, so that it frowns when you frown or smiles when you smile.
When using Animoji, Face ID is indispensable, which means that you need at least an iPhone X to use the feature. On older iPhones, you can receive Animoji from others, but you cannot create it yourself.
Animoji are a regular part of the Messages app that is standard on every iPhone and iPad. Starting with iOS 12, Apple also introduces them in FaceTime, so you can video call while an Animoji covers your face. Animoji quickly turned out to be a popular way to mimic songs: the hype surrounding ‘Animoji Karaoke’ was born.
This is how you make a Memoji: an Animoji of yourself
New with iOS 12 are Memoji, custom Animoji that represent yourself. Creating a Memoji is very easy, as long as your iPhone is running iOS 12 or higher and the device is equipped with a Face ID camera.
- Open the Messages app;
- Choose a chat conversation;
- Tap the Animoji icon above the keyboard;
- Swipe to the right and tap the plus sign with ‘New Memoji’;
- Follow the steps on the screen to create a Memoji.
In the screen that appears after completing the above steps, you can compose your own Memoji step by step. You can choose a skin color, hairstyle, eyes, glasses and more. Are you satisfied with the result? Then tap Done to add your Memoji to the Animoji screen of iMessage and FaceTime.
Using Animoji in other apps
The cheerful Animoji figures are of course the best to share with others. However, chances are that you use apps like WhatsApp more often than iMessage to talk to your friends. For now, Animoji are available exclusively for Apple’s own apps, but fortunately you can easily make them shareable yourself.
This way you can send an iMessage to yourself and then take a screenshot of your screen. Crop the image so that only the Animoji is still in view, and you can add the image directly to your Camera Roll. Then it is easy to share the image in any social app. You can also easily transfer an Animoji video to a GIF thanks to the Workflow app. We explain how to do this in the tip below.
Also read: Convert Animoji to gifs with Workflow: this is how you do it
How to use Animoji and Memoji in FaceTime
Apple is adding Animoji to FaceTime, the company’s video calling service, starting with iOS 12. A nice addition, because this allows you to change yourself into a Memoji of yourself while calling, or one of the many other available figures.
As soon as you call someone for a video call via FaceTime, the same star icon will appear in the lower left corner of the screen. This will bring up a menu with which you can choose an Animoji. Make your choice by tapping on it and your head will change live to that of the figure you have just chosen. While talking, the virtual head exactly imitates your movements.