Google is finally starting to roll out its highly anticipated photorealistic avatars, dubbed “Likeness,” for compatible Android XR headsets, but millions of users won’t even be able to create one due to a strange phone requirement, as per Road to VR. This is Google’s answer to Apple’s Personas, and the idea is the same: the system scans your face to create a super realistic representation, then uses the headset’s cameras to animate that scan as convincingly as possible.
This phone requirement is a huge bummer. To create one of these top-tier Likeness avatars, you need the new Likeness beta Android app. That app only works if you own a Google Pixel 8 or newer, a Samsung Galaxy S23 or newer, or a Samsung Z Fold5 or newer. If you are an Android XR user who happens to own an iPhone, or if you just have an older or unsupported Android device, you are totally locked out of making your avatar.
Apple’s approach, which uses the Vision Pro headset itself for scanning, means anyone can generate a Persona avatar regardless of what kind of phone they happen to own. In comparison, Google actually has a really smart idea for the initial face scan. Instead of making you awkwardly hold a bulky headset out in front of your face, they let you use the phone app instead. Scanning yourself with your phone is definitely way easier and more user-friendly than trying to hold an entire XR headset steady with both hands.
It’s a great piece of convenience that is unfortunately gated behind a very specific device list
Once you get past the scanning hurdle, these Likeness avatars are super useful. Just like Apple’s Personas, they can function generically as a virtual webcam. This makes them instantly compatible with basically every major video call app you already use, including Google Meet, Zoom, and Messenger. This is a top-tier feature because it means you can use your realistic avatar naturally in existing services that expect a front-facing camera input.
For now, these first beta Likeness avatars are 2D only. You can’t currently transmit them in a spatial format or have a full “spatial meeting” where you chat face-to-face with fully spatial Likeness avatars. Apple’s Vision Pro can already handle spatial FaceTime calls, but Google says spatial meetings are definitely coming down the line. While it’s a bummer there’s no spatial meeting yet for Android XR, Google made the right call prioritizing virtual webcam usage at the start.
It’s unlikely we will see spatial calls between Likeness avatars and Persona avatars any time soon. However, that virtual webcam compatibility makes it trivial for both kinds of avatars to chat across different headsets. One thing worth noting is that even if you have the right phone, Likeness avatars won’t be compatible with all Android XR devices.
The introduction of Likeness avatars brings up the same challenge that Apple faces with Personas, besides, of course, the more infamous challenge it faced recently: as headsets shrink, how are manufacturers going to bring this level of avatar fidelity to smaller devices that have even less room for all the cameras essential for these kinds of avatars?
Apple at least got the ball rolling with their partnership with Porsche recently, but Google has managed to surpass them in the avatar department.
Published: Dec 12, 2025 05:30 pm