We have gone a long way since the first smiley faces available on Yahoo Messenger. Direct chat services are now filled with emojis—digital representations of human feeling and reactions. They are large, animated, and colorful, but that is not enough in the age of exciting, immersive technology. Samsung has decided to join the wave of social media platforms that have already adopted augmented reality technology. Thus, Samsung smartphone users can now chat using augmented reality emojis.
What are Augmented Reality Emojis?
Instead of creating a general-purpose emoji, which does not truly represent the user, Samsung phone owners can now turn themselves into an emoji. The AR animated icon will look like them, mimic their facial expressions and gestures and become their virtual presence in the chat service.
However, this was only the first step in the process of including AR technology in the features and capabilities of the most recent Samsung flagship. Starting from the most popular emojis created and shared by users, Samsung has enriched its predetermined list of emoji reactions. The company recently added 18 new augmented reality emojis to this list, making it double that of the previous version.
Access to Brand New Augmented Reality Emojis, One Update Away
In order to use the new AR emojis created by Samsung, phone users need to install the new camera update available for Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+. Unfortunately, at present only these phone models have the ARCore embedded in the mobile operating system, allowing native augmented reality experiences in chat through these emojis.
This camera update can be found in the My Apps section of the Galaxy Apps store. After applying the update, Samsung phone users can access the new augmented reality emojis either through the keyboard or from the Gallery app, by copy/pasting them into their messages.
Expanding our Existence to the Virtual World
Augmented reality emojis are not going to replace meaningful conversations. Instead, they will help people enjoy new technologies in new ways and build a virtual identity for themselves. This identity can be used for interacting with others, sharing experiences and feelings, and even encourage shy people to express themselves more openly.
Every new technology has the power to create a positive change in people’s lives. While augmented reality emojis are not at the top of the list, they will certainly encourage more conversations and a stronger connection between people.
