TL;DR
- Google Illustrations is launching today, allowing users to choose from hundreds of small art pieces for their Google profile.
- The images also can be altered so they can show up in different color options.
- The feature launches today for Gmail for Android users and expands to other Google services in the coming months.
For years, Google has allowed users of its online services to upload a photo to serve as their profile picture. Today, that starts to change as the company is now rolling out a new option called Google Illustrations. Instead of a photo, users can now pick from one of the hundreds of small art pieces that can now serve as their profile image.
Read more: How to set up a new Google Account on your Android device
Google says this option is not just for aesthetic’s sake. It can also be safer for some users to use one of Google’s own art images to serve as their online avatar. Google is even giving users some small customizable options, allowing them to change the color of the objects and even the background, of these images.
The new Google Illustrations will first be available for users of the Gmail Android app, starting today. You should see the new art images when you select the Add Profile Picture option on your Google account. The new feature will roll out to other Google services that show the avatar over the coming months for Android and web users. Efforts are also being made to expand the feature to Google’s iOS users. In addition, Google plans to add more of these Illustrations in the future as well.
Are you going to replace your photo in Gmail with one of the new Google Illustrations? Let us know in our latest poll.
