Emerging
Published Jun 18, 2026Updated Jun 191
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Pixi Launches iOS App Bringing Interactive AR Characters to iMessage
Pixi has launched an iOS app that enables users to send interactive AR characters through iMessage. The characters, powered by on-device AI, react to their surroundings and can perceive facial expressions, with plans to expand through a marketplace where creators and brands can share custom characters.
Quick Facts
- Launched messaging-native app on iOS App Store
- Allows users to send AI-powered AR characters through iMessage
- Characters react to surroundings and interact with people in real time
- Visual and audio processing occurs on-device for privacy
- Offers robot, cat, and animated envelope characters at launch
Pixi, a startup founded by Mark Drummond (formerly of DreamWorks Animation and Apple), has launched its messaging-native app on the iOS App Store, introducing a new way for users to communicate through interactive augmented reality characters. The app allows users to send AI-powered AR characters through iMessage that come to life through the recipient's iPhone camera, reacting to their surroundings, interacting with people, and responding in real time.
The technology combines AR with on-device AI processing, enabling characters to understand and respond to their environment in contextually appropriate ways. For example, a virtual cat reacts when a real dog walks past, and characters can perceive facial expressions and emotional cues. All visual and audio processing occurs on the device to protect user privacy. At launch, Pixi offers a robot, a cat, an animated envelope character that chases users playfully, and interactive games such as tic-tac-toe and whack-a-mole.
Drummond describes the app as solving the psychological concept of "pebbling" or "creative gifting"—sharing tokens of affection beyond traditional text messages. "The consumer problem we're solving is thinking of a friend when they're not present," he explained to TechCrunch. "We can do something that's digitally native, and that uses everything we learned about AR on the iPhone." Rather than sending a birthday text, users can send characters that create a shared experience, transforming a simple message into a digital gift or playful interaction.
Pixi plans to expand its character library significantly through a marketplace where studios, brands, and independent creators can share unique characters. The company has demonstrated how characters like an Alice in Wonderland figure could interact with objects on a user's desktop in character-consistent ways, showcasing potential applications for movie premieres and product launches. Future plans include allowing users to generate their own custom characters through generative AI prompts, such as creating "a blue blob that threatens my friend and growls at them."
To send a Pixi character, users download the app on iOS and access it through iMessage by tapping the plus sign button. Recipients do not need to install the app to receive and interact with Pixi messages. Initially available only for iPhone models 11 and newer, the company plans to expand to Android devices and messaging platforms including WhatsApp and Instagram. While the app is free for users, brand partners will have the option to charge for their characters, though Pixi encourages free distribution to turn users into brand ambassadors.
Why This Matters
Pixi transforms casual messaging into an immersive creative experience by embedding interactive AR characters into everyday communication. For users, it redefines how people express affection and stay connected beyond text; for brands and creators, it opens a new distribution channel to engage audiences through custom characters. The privacy-first design (on-device processing) and iMessage integration make it accessible immediately without requiring recipients to install additional software, lowering friction for adoption and creating a platform advantage for AR innovation in messaging.
Timeline & Sources
Jun 18, 2026
WirePixi launches iOS app on App Store, allowing users to send AI-powered AR characters through iMessage
Jun 18, 2026
WireTechCrunch publishes article about Pixi's app launch and demonstration