Does Your Bitmoji Look Weird to You? Here's Why This Is Happening and How to Get the Old One Back

The Gist:

• Bitmoji users have noticed weird new changes to their avatars.
• The avatar creator implemented new designs earlier in 2023.
• Some users prefer the old style.

Whether you've actively made your own or you've been subject to these same-y looking avatars via your semi-tech-literate older relatives on their social media or their texts, you've probably seen Bitmoji creations floating around the internet on multiple occasions. First implemented in 2014 via the now-defunct tech company Bitstrips, Bitmoji remains active today as a popular avatar creator in which users can create personalized stickers of their likenesses to use in their messaging apps.

Bitmoji has long outlived its predecessor and remains in use by many today, having been implemented into popular apps like Snapchat. But with a generously long lifespan comes plenty of changes and updates, and not all of them are appreciated by the community.

Throughout 2023, for instance, users have noticed that their Bitmoji avatars look a little weird. As it turns out, the platform has implemented some new updates that has some folks hearkening back to simpler times. Let's break down the changes.

By now, you might have noticed that your Bitmoji looks significantly weirder than usual. And you're not alone. Many have noticed that their stickers look different than usual. In some cases, they look even worse than they did before. Well, the changes are on purpose, even if the reception to those changes wasn't.

Throughout 2023, Bitmoji began implementing a new form of 3D to its creation engine. Bitmoji originally introduced 3D avatars and stickers back in 2018, but this new avatar style brings more stylistic changes that are meant to create a more "immersive" experience.

According to an official blog post, this new style supposedly "improves characteristics like hair texture, face shading, and body proportions." This will apparently provide more nuance and definition to one's Bitmoji avatar.

Unfortunately, these new changes haven't been well-received. On Reddit, folks claim that the conversion to this newer 3D did not carry over some of the specifications on their Bitmoji creation, making them look off.

"I was so confused [as] to why my Bitmoji looked so different at first," one redditor wrote. "It looks better in 2D. [I'm] gonna just either delete my Bitmoji if I can or give it a makeover to make it look decent in 3D."

Some folks even claim that the new changes are causing some gender discomfort due to their limited options on body proportions and presentation.

"My partner has major body/gender dysphoria about [the Bitmoji options] and it really sucks for them to have to feel marginalized when they previously felt included."

Folks were already dubious enough on getting the old style of Bitmoji back when it first made the conversion to 3D. With the changes made in 2023, disappointed users have had their Bitmoji nostalgia renewed.

Unfortunately as of this writing, there are few avenues that people can take advantage of to get any older versions of Bitmoji back, especially after their many updates. As of now, though, you can still edit your Bitmoji character with as much detail and minutia as you like to ensure that even with the new changes, your character still accurately reflects your own desired expression.