Both Google and Discord have now realized that users need to customize their avatars either to suit their personal tastes or for privacy reasons. While Gmail is getting customizable ‘Google Illustrations’, Discord is offering unique profile images for each server.
Google Illustrations will allow multiple Google services to have a totally unique avatar. Meanwhile, Discord is limiting the avatar customization feature only to premium Nitro tier subscribers.
The new ‘Google Illustrations’ tool lets users build a custom profile picture for Gmail:
Google offers a few dozen readymade avatars available to Gmail and Google Workspace users. However, the email provider never allowed any customization. If Gmail users need a unique avatar for their profile, they would have to hunt for one on the Internet.
Today Google is introducing a new avatar system called Google Illustrations. The tool basically lets users find and build a custom profile picture.
Ready for a new profile pic? Meet Google Illustrations: a collection of customizable designs to help you create a profile image to represent yourself across most Google products. https://t.co/iJ26HeUCuh
— Google (@Google) September 27, 2021
Moving ahead there will be three options to customize a profile picture: Users can take a brand-new picture, find an image already on the device, or Google Photos, and now, users can also select one from a “Google Illustrations” collection.
Google has reportedly added “hundreds of illustrations” with images from “various cultures, interests, and backgrounds.” Additionally, users can “adjust illustrations’ colors and focus”. Users can also adjust the image colors and focus, as well as pick individual elements from the picture.
Claim your Google Illustrations this afternoonhttps://t.co/JDrcqLYTLN
— Nerdlify (@nerdlify) September 27, 2021
The customized illustration will be applicable to Google Workspace (Gmail, Docs, etc.), Contacts for Android, Maps (reviews, location sharing), YouTube, and other Google services.
Accessing Google Illustrations is quite easy. Users will find the tool in the profile switcher section. Simply tap the present avatar, and the platform will open a redesigned UI in which “Illustrations” is the first tab.
Discord will allow setting a different avatar for each of their servers on which a user is active, but feature available only to premium Nitro tier:
Messaging app Discord announced today that it will allow subscribers to use a different avatar on each of their servers. The feature, however, is limited to the premium Nitro tier.
The new feature is now part of the ‘Edit Server Profile’, which was previously available as “change nickname” in the app. Users will be able to change their nickname as well as server avatar.
Discord is getting a new server profiles feature, allowing you to set a different avatar in each server if you have Nitro. This message popped up in Discord today, but the feature isn't live yet pic.twitter.com/EXesYZaBZM
— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) September 16, 2021
Several Discord users often rely on multiple servers. The platform is allowing such users to keep a unique avatar, and presumably nickname as well.
In addition to offering per-server avatar customization, Discord is also offering ‘Scheduled Events’. The platform reportedly claims communities are increasingly using stage channels to connect with members, in AMAs, open mic events, or other large-scale discussions.
Discord is not setting a time limit. But moderators and administrators can schedule up to a total of 100 events. The feature will be available on desktop, iOS, and Android.