Duolingo Introduces Avatar Creator for Select Users - What We Know

Duolingo has recently unveiled a brand new feature that allows users to create their own custom avatars.

First appearing in April 2023, the avatar creator has been gradually rolling out to Android users participating in the Duolingo beta program.

Source: Reddit

The avatar creator offers users a number of customization options, enabling them to design their avatars based on the distinctive style of popular Duolingo characters, such as Lily, Bea, and Falstaff.

These design options include:

Body shape
Facial features and expressions
Hairstyle and color
Glasses
Facial hair
Headwear
Clothes color
Background color

Replacing custom picture uploads

The custom avatar replaces the longstanding custom profile picture.

And, for the time being, once users switch to a custom avatar, they are unable to revert back to their original profile pictures.

Unsurprisingly, this has sparked contrasting reactions across Duolingo’s user base.

Some users have expressed enthusiasm for the update, relishing the opportunity to explore the various customization options. However, others have voiced frustration about the inability to return to their original photos.

It remains to be seen whether Duolingo will introduce an option to restore custom profile pictures in future updates.

Reinvigorating the Duolingo Shop?

The introduction of the avatar creator may bring about some much-needed improvements to the Duolingo Shop, which has been lacking fresh items for users to spend their hard-earned gems on.

With the new avatar creator, Duolingo may eventually expand its offerings in the shop, potentially enticing users to spend their gems on additional customization options.

Options could include custom outfits, hairstyles, and accessories. It is also possible that we could see the introduction of premium dynamic styles.

The avatar creator is currently limited to select Android users and there is no clear timeline for its availability on other platforms and devices.

However, Duolingo is well-known for its thorough A/B testing approach. If the avatar creator proves successful, it is reasonable to expect a wider rollout to all users by 2024.

What do you think about the new avatar creator? Yay or nay?

Let us know in the comments.

Matt

Hey! I'm Matt, the Duolingo-nut behind duoplanet. I started using Duolingo back in 2014, and my current streak stretches all the way back to May 2016. Using Duolingo I've reached a comfortable level in Italian and acquired a basic understanding of Russian. I've also gone deep into the Spanish, German and French courses, and intend to explore more languages in the years to come. Needless to say, I'm obsessed with language learning!