Apple yesterday shared a new Animoji karaoke ad on its Korean YouTube channel to highlight the newly released "Citizen Kane" single from Korean indie group HYUKOH.
As with previous Animoji karaoke songs Apple has shared, the new spot features Apple's Animoji characters lip syncing to the new song.
HYUKOH's "Citizen Kane" single comes ahead of the planned release of the group's newest album on May 31.
Apple first adopted Animoji karaoke for two ads that were created for the 2018 Grammys, with Apple's characters singing "Redbone" by Childish Gambino and "Stir Fry" from Migos.
Animoji karaoke is a concept that was conceived by iPhone X users back in November of 2017 shortly after the release of the new device. People discovered that Apple's 3D emoji characters that are designed to mimic facial expressions and emotions could be used for lip syncing to songs, and for a short period of time, Animoji karaoke took over the internet.
Animoji are limited to iPhone X users because the front-facing TrueDepth camera is required to create the depth map that's used to animate them with a person's facial expressions, but in the future, Animoji will be available on additional devices. The next-generation iPad Pro, which is rumored to be adopting the TrueDepth camera, is likely to be the next device that will support Animoji.
Since the launch of the iPhone X, Apple has added four new Animoji characters, including the dragon, bear, skull, and lion, two of which are used in the new Animoji karaoke ad.
Apple is planning additional updates to Animoji karaoke in iOS 12, with rumors suggesting Apple will add more new Animoji characters. Apple is also said to be planning an overhauled Animoji interface and Animoji integration in FaceTime. Animoji support for FaceTime would allow users to use Animoji characters during FaceTime calls.
