Home » Dictionary

What is Animoji?

By Anushree Goswami Last updated : June 02, 2026

Animoji

You must have heard about emojis that are commonly used in messaging applications on smartphones. But what exactly is Animoji? Let's understand it in detail.

If we break down the word Animoji, it is derived from "Ani" and "Moji", where Ani refers to Animation and Moji refers to Emoji. Animoji is an animated emoji feature introduced by Apple with iOS 11. It uses the advanced facial scanning system available on supported Apple devices to detect and track a user's facial expressions in real time.

Using facial recognition technology, Animoji can identify various emotions and movements such as happiness, sadness, surprise, or anger. It then maps these expressions onto animated characters, creating a personalized animated emoji that mimics the user's facial movements.

After capturing the facial expressions, the generated Animoji can be saved and shared through the Messages app on iOS devices. Users can send these animated messages to their friends and family to make conversations more engaging and entertaining.

Animoji has become popular because it allows users to express emotions in a more realistic and interactive way than traditional emojis. Instead of selecting a static emoji, users can create an animated version that reflects their actual expressions.

Since Animoji captures facial movements, it is recorded as a short animated video that can be played repeatedly in the recipient's chat window. Users can also record and include their voice, making Animoji even more expressive and enjoyable.

How Animoji Is Better Than Emoji

• Users can capture and share their actual facial expressions.
• Animoji can include audio recordings along with animations.
• It plays as an animated video, making conversations more engaging.
• It provides a more personalized way of expressing emotions.
• Facial movements are tracked in real time for realistic animations.

Uses of Animoji

Animoji is primarily used in messaging and social interactions. It allows users to communicate emotions creatively and makes conversations more fun and expressive. Many users enjoy sending Animoji messages because they can represent their mood and personality more accurately than traditional emojis.

Summary

Animoji is Apple's animated emoji feature introduced with iOS 11. Using facial recognition technology, it captures a user's expressions and converts them into animated characters. With support for facial movements and voice recordings, Animoji offers a fun, interactive, and personalized way to communicate with friends and family.