A computer implemented method, comprising: at an electronic device having one or more cameras and a display apparatus: displaying, via the display apparatus, a virtual avatar, having a plurality of avatar features, that changes appearance in response to detected changes in pose of a face in a field of view of the one or more cameras, the face including a plurality of detected facial features, including a first facial feature; after the face was detected in the field of view of the one or more cameras with a first change in pose, the first change in pose including a change to the first facial feature, characterized in determining that tracking of the face in the field of view of the one or more cameras has failed; and in response to determining that tracking of the face in the field of view of the one or more cameras has failed, updating an appearance of a first avatar feature of the plurality of avatar features after tracking of the face failed, wherein the appearance of the first avatar feature is updated based on change characteristics of the first facial feature that were detected prior to determining that tracking of the face has failed, wherein updating the appearance of the first avatar feature includes: in accordance with a determination that the first facial feature had first change characteristics prior to detecting that tracking of the face failed, updating the appearance of the first avatar feature of the virtual avatar to a first appearance that is different from an appearance of the avatar when tracking of the face failed; and in accordance with a determination that the first facial feature had second change characteristics, different from the first change characteristics, prior to detecting that tracking of the face failed, updating the appearance of the first avatar feature of the virtual avatar to a second appearance that is different from the appearance of the avatar when tracking of the face failed and different from the first appearance. at an electronic device having one or more cameras and a display apparatus: displaying, via the display apparatus, a virtual avatar, having a plurality of avatar features, that changes appearance in response to detected changes in pose of a face in a field of view of the one or more cameras, the face including a plurality of detected facial features, including a first facial feature; after the face was detected in the field of view of the one or more cameras with a first change in pose, the first change in pose including a change to the first facial feature, characterized in displaying, via the display apparatus, a virtual avatar, having a plurality of avatar features, that changes appearance in response to detected changes in pose of a face in a field of view of the one or more cameras, the face including a plurality of detected facial features, including a first facial feature; after the face was detected in the field of view of the one or more cameras with a first change in pose, the first change in pose including a change to the first facial feature, characterized in determining that tracking of the face in the field of view of the one or more cameras has failed; and in response to determining that tracking of the face in the field of view of the one or more cameras has failed, updating an appearance of a first avatar feature of the plurality of avatar features after tracking of the face failed, wherein the appearance of the first avatar feature is updated based on change characteristics of the first facial feature that were detected prior to determining that tracking of the face has failed, wherein updating the appearance of the first avatar feature includes: in accordance with a determination that the first facial feature had first change characteristics prior to detecting that tracking of the face failed, updating the appearance of the first avatar feature of the virtual avatar to a first appearance that is different from an appearance of the avatar when tracking of the face failed; and in accordance with a determination that the first facial feature had second change characteristics, different from the first change characteristics, prior to detecting that tracking of the face failed, updating the appearance of the first avatar feature of the virtual avatar to a second appearance that is different from the appearance of the avatar when tracking of the face failed and different from the first appearance. in accordance with a determination that the first facial feature had first change characteristics prior to detecting that tracking of the face failed, updating the appearance of the first avatar feature of the virtual avatar to a first appearance that is different from an appearance of the avatar when tracking of the face failed; and in accordance with a determination that the first facial feature had second change characteristics, different from the first change characteristics, prior to detecting that tracking of the face failed, updating the appearance of the first avatar feature of the virtual avatar to a second appearance that is different from the appearance of the avatar when tracking of the face failed and different from the first appearance.