Sunsetting Miurror (2023)

(2023.Jan)

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 @TimSweeney for his incredible generosity and support.

Why Miurror

1. 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 connect with friends. But I noticed something interesting — my friends were often curious to see each other’s real facial reactions behind the avatars during gameplay. That made me wonder: what if we could extend this avatar-based social experience beyond games and into everyday smartphone use?

2. A virtual identity without real emotional input doesn’t feel trustworthy over time. We all know emojis don’t always capture how we actually feel. While many social apps already offer avatar systems, people tend to use them more like animated stickers or fancy emojis—not as true representations of themselves. What we’re building is different:

an emotional bridge between a person and their avatar

What we learned

• Even a neutral expression carries more meaning than plain text

• People often add facial expressions when replying to DMs to make interactions more fun

• Facial emotions create a deeper sense of connection when building new relationships

Short Deck