Zoom has announced human avatars for its video meeting app. Using Zoom avatars, you can now appear as a cartoon version of yourself; they enable you to replace your physical appearance with a virtual avatar that mirrors your head movement and facial expression.

Avatars are an easy way to engage with your meeting attendees and add a bit of fun. In addition to offering a good middle ground for users who don’t want to use cameras, avatars can also be used to leverage body language and facial expressions without having to turn them on.

The feature is available for beta testers who have paid zoom accounts. Zoom adds that it will roll out new facial features, hairstyles and customization options as the beta proceed.

By introducing the new feature, Zoom has made a case for informal meetings and ensured the presence of users without them showing their natural faces or body.

zoom previously introduced animal avatars for users, as well as multiple template formats to ensure a better screen view. However, all of the updates are primarily available to paid accounts.