14 DAY TRIAL // While Microsoft no longer has a mobile platform to invest in, the company is fully committed to improving its apps and services on Android and iOS with features that can easily compete with the ones developed by Google and Apple.
The most recent example comes on Android, as the latest beta version of SwiftKey introduces a new feature supposed to compete with the already-famous Apple Animoji.
Called Puppets, it allows users to create a virtual character that reproduces their facial expressions and head movements, just like Animoji does on iPhones.
There are five puppets available in the latest SwiftKey beta version, namely Dinosaur, Panda, Cat, Own, and Dog. Users can record videos and then send them to contacts on apps like WhatsApp, and Microsoft says that any messaging app is supported, as long as it can share videos.
Support for all Android devices
The best news is that Puppets is a feature that works on all Android devices, as no special hardware is required.
“SwiftKey worked with the Microsoft Computer Vision and Microsoft Research Asia teams to bring Puppets to life. Unlike other facial tracking software, SwiftKey’s Puppets does not rely on users having a device with an inbuilt depth sensor in their camera and instead uses an RGB camera found in most Android smartphones. This means that more people than ever before with a wide range of smartphones will be able to share messages as a friendly character,” Microsoft says.
Puppets can be used on any device running Android N and newer, but Microsoft says that owners of high-end devices will get the best experience.
The company hasn’t yet announced an ETA as to when Puppets could go live in the production build of its third-party keyboard app, but anyone can give it a try by download SwiftKey beta APK from Softpedia using this link.
