Apple patents avatar editor that lets you swap features with gestures
Apple describes a system for creating and editing digital avatars by capturing your face with a camera and allowing you to customize specific features. The interface displays a default avatar alongside an indicator for a chosen feature, which updates the avatar when you select it.
In the filing’s own words
The present disclosure generally relates to creating and editing user avatars. In some examples, guidance is provided to a user while capturing image data for use in generating a user-specific avatar. In some examples, a user interface allows a user to intuitively customize a user avatar. In some examples, avatars are generated for a messaging session based on an avatar model for a user of the messaging application. In some examples, an avatar editing interface updates a user avatar in response to gestures and based on the type of gesture and the avatar feature that is selected for editing.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. An electronic device, comprising: a display; one or more cameras; one or more processors; and memory storing one or more programs configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for: capturing, with the one or more cameras, image data of a user; selecting, based on the captured image data of the user, a first option for a physical feature of the user; concurrently displaying, via the display: a user-specific avatar generated based on the captured image data of the user, wherein the user-specific avatar is displayed with a representation of a predetermined option, different from the first option, for the physical feature of the user, and wherein the predetermined option is independent of the image data of the user; and an indicator of the first option for the physical feature of the user; detecting a user input corresponding to selection of the first option for the physical feature of the user; and in response to detecting the user input, displaying the user-specific avatar with a representation of the first option for the physical feature of the user.
Facts
- Company
- Apple (Apple Inc.)
- Official title
- AVATAR CREATION AND EDITING
- Publication number
- US20260281543A1
- Application number
- 19655346
- Filed
- Apr 22, 2026
- Published
- Sep 17, 2026
- Inventors
- 12
- Claims
- 11
Classified under
H04N 23/64 Electricity & electronicsG06F 3/048 Physics & computingG06F 3/04845 Physics & computingG06F 3/0488 Physics & computingG06T 7/20 Physics & computingG06T 7/70 Physics & computingMore from Apple in AI & software
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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.