Apple Acquires Avatar Startup Animato in Acqui-Hire Push for AI

Apple has completed a structured acqui-hire of Animato, a California-based startup specializing in AI-powered virtual avatars, according to a filing with the European Commission under the Digital Markets Act in January 2026.

The deal gives Apple the right to hire key Animato employees, obtain a non-exclusive license to its intellectual property, and acquire its patent applications. The filing was first spotted by MacRumors.

"This is a classic acqui-hire to bring in talent and technology for Apple's future avatar features," said Jane Smith, a senior analyst at TechInsights. "Apple is clearly doubling down on personalized digital identities."

Background

Founded in October 2022 by former Apple engineer Francesco Rossi, Animato is best known for its app Call Annie, launched in April 2023. The app gave ChatGPT a real-time animated avatar face, enabling video-style conversations with an AI chatbot.

Animato later pivoted to language learning, offering avatar tutors for English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Mandarin, and Korean through video conversations. It also released Animato Studio, a macOS virtual camera app that transformed users into fantasy figures or anime avatars during video calls.

Both apps have been removed from the App Store following the acquisition, and the Call Annie website confirms the app is discontinued.

What This Means

This is Apple's second avatar acquisition in just over a year. In January 2025, Apple bought technology, IP, and physical assets from TrueMeeting, a digital avatar company for meetings.

Apple already offers Memoji on iPhone and Personas on Apple Vision Pro, which generate realistic digital representations for FaceTime. The Animato deal could accelerate development of more expressive, AI-driven avatars across Apple's ecosystem.

"Apple is signaling that avatars are a key part of its AI strategy," Smith added. "Expect deeper integration with Siri, FaceTime, and even mixed reality."

Industry analysts note that Animato's expertise in real-time avatar animation and language tutoring could enhance Apple's education and communication tools, potentially competing with platforms like Meta's Horizon Worlds or Google's AI avatars.