Android XR's New ‘Likeness’ Avatars Place a Digital You in Video Calls

Some Android XR users can now create a digital avatar of themselves, called a "Likeness," for use during headset video calls. The idea is for other members of the call to "see" a representation of the Android XR user, whose actual face is obscured by their headset.

Likenesses work similarly to Apple's Personas. A user scans their face using Google's Likeness app, which is only compatible with specific high-end phones, including the Google Pixel 8 or newer, Samsung Galaxy S23 or newer, and Samsung Z Fold5 or newer, according to the blog Road to VR. (Google says the smartphone app eliminates the strain of holding a heavy headset up to their faces.) Once a Likeness has been generated, the headset's sensors animate the avatar in real time based on the user's real facial expressions and movements.

Android XR Likenesses reportedly function like any other video stream ...