Zoom has released a new avatar feature that allows users to change their face in a video call with a cartoonish animal of their choice.
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The feature is a bit like Memoji on the iPhone, but in Zoom video calls between users on almost all platforms, including Windows, macOS, iOS – but not Android.
"Available for Zoom Meetings and Zoom Webinars, Avatars replace your appearance with a virtual animal that mirrors your head movements and facial expressions," Zoom says in a blog post.
The feature aims to ease the hassle of video conferencing in a world where people come to work a few days a week but still rely on online video conferencing for the days they work from home. Microsoft is also shaping its popular Teams app for hybrid working, focusing on business scenarios, such as presenting a business idea with PowerPoint and Teams.
See also: Zoom exec: Hybrid work will stay after the pandemic
With this new feature, Zoom is appealing to consumers working from home and in the office, as well as students and educators.
Zoom is aware of the privacy issues that users need to consider: its app uses the device's camera to capture and process a person's live images, and then renders the user's face onto another person's device in an animal-style manner.
According to Zoom, the image of the user's face being processed does not leave the device. Also, the user's image is not stored or sent to Zoom's servers.
Zoom claims that the feature does not use facial recognition software and, therefore, does not identify the person.
To enable Avatars, you'll need to make sure you have a Zoom desktop client or mobile app running version 5.10.0 or later and that the feature is enabled by an account owner or administrator.
See also: Zoom: Fixes bug that left microphone on after calls
If all of this applies, here's how you can activate and select your avatar:
- Make sure your webcam is turned on and your video is enabled
- In the meeting toolbar, open the video options by selecting the 'Stop Video' menu
- Select the “Choose Virtual Background” or “Choose Video Filter” option.
- Go to the Avatars tab and select your avatar
Information source: zdnet.com
