Miurror
Intro: Miurror is an iOS messenger app that shows you the facial reactions of your friends in virtual avatars when they read/reply to your message.
Status: 🪦☠️ 2022-Jan 2023, Development has been shut down following Google’s acquisition of the SDK that we relied on.
A heartfelt thank you to my unofficial advisor @TimSweeney for his incredible generosity and support.
Why Miurror
I’ve been thinking about this idea ever since I started playing Fortnite back in 2018. In the game, players use all kinds of skins (avatars) and emotes to express themselves and socialize with friends. But something I noticed is that my friends were often curious to see each other’s real facial reactions behind the avatars during gameplay. That got me wondering—what if we could extend this avatar-based social experience beyond games and into everyday smartphone use?
A virtual identity without real emotional input isn’t likely to feel trustworthy over time. We all know emojis don’t always reflect how we actually feel. While many social apps already offer avatar systems, users usually treat them like animated stickers or fancy emojis—not as true representations of themselves. What we’re aiming for is different: to build an emotional bridge between a person and their avatar.
Earned Secrets
- Even a flat expression means more than just text
- People deliberately express facial expressions when they reply to DM to delight friends Facial emotions are way more immersive in building relationships with new friends
Short Deck
