Zao
Face-swap app that puts your selfie into movie and TV scenes.
About
Zao is a Chinese face-swapping app developed by Momo that went viral in September 2019. Users upload a single selfie and the app inserts their face into clips featuring celebrities and movie scenes, generating realistic results in seconds.
It shot to the top of China's iOS App Store within days, then drew intense scrutiny over a privacy clause granting broad rights to user content. WeChat restricted the app over security concerns, making Zao an early landmark in the public debate over deepfake technology.
What it can do
- Single-selfie face swap into video clips
- Celebrity and movie scene library
- Results generated in seconds
- Social sharing to WeChat
Setup
Download the app, sign up with a phone number, upload a selfie following the on-screen prompts, then pick a clip to star in.
Prerequisites
A smartphone. The app is primarily available in China.
Use cases
Works with
Trust score — 7/10
Scored 7/10 (metrics tier, metrics-v1). Evidence: Verified via vendor site/docs/GitHub and reputable coverage, wave 131; Trending score 72/100 from researcher assessment.
Sources
Every fact above was checked against these sources. Where a claim comes from the provider and couldn't be independently verified, the text says so.