Launched in 2017, FaceApp, has started trending once again after a two year hiatus. This time the app is making headlines particularly due to its new feature that allows the user to edit a picture to make the face look older or younger.
After going viral when it was initially launched in 2017, the app faced issues when it started enabling what amounted to digital blackface by changing a person from one ethnicity to another. However, the technology has become much more realistic, causing it to go viral once again.
Using artificial intelligence, the app creates realistic transformations of users' faces using various filters and features. Besides the aging option, there are features in the app to change your face, including changing your mouth to a smile, changing the color of your hair, and swapping genders.
The app has gone viral again after various celebrities from around the globe started posting pictures of themselves, using the app, that showed them as older versions of their selves. The list of celebrities includes the likes of the Jonas Brothers, the world famous singer and rapper Drake, actor and comedian Kevin Hart , former Miami Heat player Dwyane Wade and celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay.
Developed by the Russian company, Wireless Lab, FaceApp is now the top trending free app in the iTunes App Store.