Google's Allo chat app now turns your selfies into personalized emojis

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Sometimes a single emoji or sticker says it all when chatting online, but what if you could make your own custom ones with just a snap of your face?

Google is introducing a new feature for its Allo chat app that uses neural network-generated illustrations to make emoji-style stickers out of any ol' selfie. Seems like a good use of the tech, right?

By looking at your face, Google's algorithms can perceive details like your eye color, skin tone, and hairstyle to combine features supplied by creatives like Steven Universe storyboard artist Lamar Abrams into a coherent series of quirky stickers.

According to Google, its neural network has enough features to make over 563 quadrillion combinations, ensuring that your emojis will be truly unique.

Your stickers, your way

Should you want to tweak the cartoon "you" Allo creates, you can also customize your aesthetics in the app using a step-by-step process similar to the popular personal avatar creator, Bitmoji. 

You can also delete and make new sticker sets anytime, should you get a haircut, start wearing contacts, or make another change to your look.

To use Allo's new selfie sticker-maker, hit the "+" symbol in the message composition bar, go to the sticker screen, then add a sticker set and select the "turn a selfie into stickers" option. 

You can also learn more how to use stickers and other add-ons to pep up your missives on Google's support page for Allo. The feature is rolling out now for Android users, with the iOS version to follow up later.

Though a novel feature, Allo's latest is impressive and gives it something to match up against Snapchat and Facebook Messenger. With Allo struggling to gain traction, emojis generated by selfies (which we're all taking anyway, right?) could give Google's creation a much-needed fun factor. 

• We expect to hear more updates on Allo at Google IO 2017

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