This application transforms your text and voice messages into animated AI characters.

      Pixi Garden aims to enhance messaging by transforming your texts into animated AI performances.

      If you've ever felt that your text messages lack flair, you might want to explore this new app. Instead of sending mundane text or voice messages, Pixi Garden lets you share animated AI characters that convey your message with flair.

      So, what is Pixi Garden?

      A Pixi is basically an intelligent, animated 3D character that you can drop into someone’s direct message instead of writing out a message. Rather than reading your text, the recipient sees this character come to life, perform a little act, and communicate your message.

      The creators of this app, Pixi Garden, refer to this idea as “agentic media,” and honestly, I haven't encountered anything like it before. The app allows users to both send and receive these characters, which are not limited to just messaging.

      You can also instruct these characters to tell jokes or play games such as Tic Tac Toe and Whack-A-Mole. Currently, the app features only three pixis: a cat, a robot, and an animated envelope. My only concern with the app is that only the animated envelope can send voice messages, while the other two can only handle text.

      How do you even send a pixi?

      The biggest advantage of Pixi is that it doesn’t require you to download another messaging app. Instead, Pixi Garden functions directly within the Messages app, and support for WhatsApp and other platforms is reportedly on the way. This is a clever strategy, as no one wants to persuade their entire friend group to shift to a new platform just to send an animated character.

      During my testing, the messages I sent worked without any issues. There was a problem with the talking envelope, but after a few tries, it began functioning as well. That said, since the app is new, it might take a few months for developers to incorporate enough features to justify daily use.

      It’s an intriguing concept, and I enjoyed my brief experience with it, eagerly anticipating the future developments from the creators. The app is currently available for iPhone and iPad and can be downloaded from the App Store.

      Rachit is a seasoned technology journalist with over a decade of experience in the consumer technology sector.

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