Your Guide to Instagram Avatars

Instagram has been hard at work creating tons of new features for users lately. The new options have been coming so quickly that you can miss them if you blink. For instance, you might not realize that Instagram has unveiled avatars for users. This latest feature is still in its infancy, with room to grow in the coming months and years. Fortunately, you don’t have to wait to dig into the fun. With that in mind, get some information so you can start using avatars on Instagram.

What Are Instagram Avatars?

Right now, you use a profile picture for most of your social media channels. However, profile pictures have some limitations that Instagram is addressing with avatars. Avatars are more dynamic than profile pictures, allowing you to enjoy a more immersive experience on the app. In fact, they’re so flexible and fun that you might have a hard time going back to a standard profile picture.

For instance, your profile picture doesn’t come with a backpack that holds all of your digital goods, but your avatar does. The backpack contains your clothes and other digital property. You can even use it to hold your NFTs if you’ve purchased any.

Right now, you can use your avatar on Stories and when sending DMs. However, Instagram plans to expand the offering. Eventually, they might pop up all over the app.

Creating Your Avatar

If you’d like to be a part of the future of social media, you can create your avatar today. First, open Instagram and navigate to “Settings.” Then click on “Account” and tap “Avatars.” Then, you can create your avatar.

You can also set up your avatar after opening the Stories camera. You’ll just need to navigate to the sticker tray and click on “Avatar.”

Then, you’ll go through various steps to create your avatar. After choosing your skin tone, you can tap the picture frame in the right-hand corner. That will open your phone’s camera, and your live image will sit in the photo frame while you create your avatar. This makes it easier to pick the features that closely resemble what you actually look like.

Right now, there are an enormous number of options for designing avatars, including some things you might not expect. For instance, you can add an assistive hearing device to your avatar if you’d like.

However, you won’t find options for designing gender-specific avatars. Instead of checking a box, you’ll select characteristics that represent you as a person instead of as a gender.

Once you’re happy with your avatar, you can save the creation. Then, you can pull it up when creating Stories or sending DMs.

Editing or Deleting Your Avatar

Because there are so many options for creating avatars, yours might turn into a work in progress that needs a little tweaking from time to time. That’s not a problem, though, since it’s easy to edit and delete avatars. You just need to open your avatar and click on the “Edit” button. Then you can make changes or tap on the trashcan icon to delete it and start over.

While this is useful for finetuning your avatar, you don’t want to make drastic changes very often. Otherwise, you won’t manage to stay on brand. You want people to associate your avatar with your page, which will be challenging if it’s constantly changing.

Using Avatars in Stories

Once you create your avatar, you’ll be ready to use it in Stories. You’ll just tap on the sticker tray and click on the avatar button. Then, you can select one of the 44 avatar formats. The formats include messages, such as “Thanks,” and provide options for realistic facial expressions. It’s amazing how realistic those expressions are, allowing you to convey quite a bit with the three-dimensional renderings.

After choosing the format, you can position the avatar on your Story. You also have the option to resize it, so you can shrink it down or make it massive if you’d like to be bold.

Using Avatars in DMs

Next, you can add your avatar to your DMs. This is an easy way to infuse some personality into your messages.

First, open a conversation. Then, open up the sticker menu and select your avatar format. Once you select your avatar, Instagram will send it to the recipient. Right now, you can only send it as a separate message, meaning you can’t add anything extra. Thus, if you also want to write a message, you’ll need to type it separately. Fortunately, though, many of the available avatars include messages, such as “Let’s go,” “Yes,” “Good luck,” and “Bye.”

You should avoid using avatars when engaging in serious discussions, though. For instance, if you’re dealing with a disgruntled customer, it’s not a good time to pop out an avatar. Instead, they’re best used when keeping it light and fun.

Using Avatars Off Instagram

While the goal is to have these avatars travel the worldwide web eventually, the use is limited right now. However, you can sync your avatar between Instagram and Facebook. Then, you can enjoy the same brand identity across channels.

Is the Avatar Feature Missing From Your Account?

Currently, avatars are available to users in Mexico, Canada, and the United States. Instagram has announced that it will be rolling out the feature to users in other countries in the upcoming months.

If you live in a place that already has access, but you don’t see the feature, make sure your app is updated. After getting the latest update, you should see it in your settings or the stickers tray. If it still isn’t showing up, you’ll need to reach out to Instagram.

Create Your Avatar Today

Now that you know the basics, you’re ready to dive in and create your avatar. Remember that it can take some time to make. Thus, choose a time when you can focus on it to get the details right. Then, you can start using it to have some fun and add additional personality to your account. The dash of personality can help you boost engagement on Instagram.