Google now lets you customize emoji. Here’s how to use them

Google turns a regular emoji into a set of customized emoji.

Google

Google is helping you be more expressive with a new feature coming to Gboard for Android that will let you create a mashup of different emoji. It’s called Emoji Kitchen and will let you mix your favorite emoji into customized stickers. For example, you can send a monkey emoji wearing glasses, or a ghost emoji with a cowboy hat on.

And you’ll be able to use the “customized” emoji in with other apps that work with Gboard, including Gmail, Google’s Messages app, Messenger, Snapchat, Telegram and WhatsApp.

Emoji Kitchen is rolling out to Android users who have Gboard starting today, so you may not see the update yet. Some Google updates take days to weeks to fully roll out, so keep checking for it. Here’s how to get started if you have it.

pleading-robot — Google’s new customized emoji are more expressive.

Google

Google

How to get the customized emoji

1. Make sure you’ve got the latest version of Gboard.

2. Using Google’s keyboard app with a messaging app, tap any emoji that you like. For example, the robot emoji.

3. Emoji Kitchen will open a group of stickers that you can choose from, like a robot emoji with tears of joy.

4. Select the customized emoji sticker you’d like to send to your friends.

Among your choices are angry kiss, heart money, pleading robot, cactus monkey and robot with tears of joy.

5. That’s it! Now you can share all your favorite emoji combinations.

For more Google messaging features, check out Google’s RCS texting, like iMessage for all Android phones. Also, take a look at our picks of the best Android apps of the year.