Apple has quietly entered into a structured acqui-hire agreement with Animato, a startup focused on software enabling virtual avatars for video communication and tutoring applications. According to a filing with the European Commission under the European Union’s Digital Markets Act in January 2026, Apple is extending employment offers to select Animato employees while also licensing the company’s intellectual property and acquiring its pending patent applications.
Animato was founded in October 2022 by Francesco Rossi, an ex-Apple employee who spent seven years at the company before launching the startup. Animato gained recognition for its app Call Annie, released in April 2023, which provided ChatGPT with a real-time animated avatar face. This innovation enabled users to engage in video-style conversations with the AI assistant.
The Call Annie platform subsequently expanded to include avatar-based language tutors for English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Mandarin, and Korean, enhancing interactive learning experiences.
In addition to Call Annie, Animato developed Animato Studio, a macOS virtual camera application that allowed users to appear as fantasy characters and anime avatars during video calls and livestreams.
Following the acquisition, both Call Annie and Animato Studio have been removed from the App Store, and the Call Annie website now indicates that the application has been discontinued.
This transaction represents Apple’s second acquisition related to digital avatar technology within a little over a year. In January 2025, Apple acquired technology, intellectual property, and physical assets from TrueMeeting, a company specializing in digital avatars for meetings.
Apple currently offers avatar-centric features such as Memoji on the iPhone and Personas on the Apple Vision Pro, which create realistic digital representations of users for FaceTime calls.
The structured acqui-hire arrangement with Animato allows Apple to integrate specialized talent and innovative IP into its ecosystem, reinforcing its strategic focus on immersive avatar experiences across its product lines.
Apple Secures Animato Talent and IP in Strategic Acqui-Hire Deal Under EU Digital Markets Act In a transaction filed with the European Commission under the EU Digital Markets Act, Apple has acquired select employees and intellectual property from Animato, a startup specializing in virtual avatar software for vid... Read the full IIPLA article: https://iipla.org/news/apple-secures-animato-talent-and-ip-in-strategic-acqui-hire-deal-under-eu-digital-markets-act