Snapchat wants to create Bitmojis that look a bit more like you — starting with a selfie. On Tuesday, January 30, Snap Inc. announced Bitmoji Deluxe, a new addition to the Bitmoji app that allows users to use a selfie as a reference point, as well as adding more feature options to give users more diverse options for customizing their character.
The update now allows users to start their Bitmoji creation with a selfie to easily reference throughout the creation process. Don’t remember the exact shape of your eyebrows? Just consult that selfie. The original selfie can be consulted in several steps of the creation process, Snap says.
As users generate the avatar, Bitmoji Deluxe brings more physical attributes, styling preferences and personalities than the classic options in the app. The expanded options cover a range of categories, including new facial features, skin tones, and accessories. Expanded hairstyles are one of the most common requests from users, Snap says, so the Deluxe brings new hairstyles and colors, along with options for customizing with highlights and ombre effects. Snapchat says the changes are designed to help bitmojis feel more personal.
In addition to expanding the feature options, the Bitmoji app will now preview each new selection on the current character. Along those same lines, a new navigation bar sits inside the app at the bottom, offering access to the different categories, another change designed to further enhance the user interface.
The enhanced options are available by updating the Bitmoji app on both iOS and Android. Users can find the new options by selecting “change avatar style” in the settings menu and choosing the Bitmoji Deluxe. Snap says the classic bitmoji isn’t going anywhere either — users can return to their classic character by switching back in the settings. Like earlier versions of the app, the finished bitmoji can be used as an avatar for Snapchat, iMessage, Google Gboard. and other chat applications.
Snap says that the company will continue to use Bitmoji Deluxe to create avatars that are more inclusive. The social media and camera company acquired the Bitmoji app midway through 2016, quickly integrating into the Snapchat platform. Bitmoji Deluxe joins a list of updates since that acquisition, including geo filter options that change during the day, integration into the Snap Map and 3D bitmoji World Lenses.
Two new highly requested iCloud plugins just got added to ChatGPT, giving people who rely on Apple’s Mail and Calendar services a way to search emails, check appointments, and manage their schedules directly through the chatbot.
The integration is rolling out to all ChatGPT plans, including the free tier. You can access it on the web, desktop, and iOS.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.
Samsung’s scandal over its Game Optimizing Service, or GOS, has returned with a bill attached. South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission has tentatively fined the company 20.1 billion won, or about $15.1 million, over gaming claims made for the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S22, and Tab S8.
The regulator says Samsung promoted the devices as gaming powerhouses without disclosing that GOS placed preset CPU and GPU limits on certain demanding games. Samsung disputes that conclusion, calling GOS a legitimate way to manage heat.