Bitmoji lets you create a custom avatar and send personalized emojis.

Your Emoji Avatar

For better or worse, emojis have become one of the most popular ways for people to communicate. Apps like Emojli — the emoji-only social network — have shown that sometimes words aren’t really even needed to express yourself. The main problem with emojis — especially for iPhone owners — is that everyone has to choose from the same limited selection of pre-made icons. Bitmoji lets you create your own custom avatar, giving every emoji you send a more personalized touch. The app was made by the same people behind Bitstrips, which lets you design a custom avatar to be inserted into short, sharable comics. Bitmoji is the same idea, except your avatar is inserted into a handful of emojis that can be easily sent across multiple messaging platforms.

Full Customization

The avatar creation process on Bitmoji takes a while, but it also allows for a detailed amount of customization. You can choose your avatar’s gender, eye color, face structure, skin tone, facial hair, body type and a variety of other options. Chances are your finished product will at least differ from the avatars your friends create. If you already had a Bitstrips account, your avatar can also be used through Bitmoji. From within the Bitmoji app, you can browse tons of different emojis, all featuring your avatar in some capacity. You can click on any emoji to quickly share it through your SMS app, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, e-mail or Twitter. The app also comes with an iOS keyboard that lets you access the custom emojis from within Messages. Bitmoji is never going to replace the most commonly-used emojis, but it is fun to have the option to send something with a unique, personalized twist.