Windows insiders can already try this out on their devices

Dec 20, 2018 07:47 GMT  ·  By

The next Windows 10 update due in the spring of 2019 will include support for kaomoji, the latest trend in terms of emoji that relies exclusively on regular text.

Kaomoji has grown in popularity lately, and probably one of the most known examples is ¯\_(ツ)_/¯, which is being used regularly across social networks.

Microsoft knows this very well, and because kaomoji is more widely-used lately, the company wants Windows 10 to provide easy access to the most common face characters.

So the most recent Windows 10 19H1 preview build comes with support for this feature, bringing the most popular kaomoji right to the emoji UI within the operating system.

Symbols now available too

Users enrolled in the Windows Insider program can try this out right now by installing Windows 10 build 18305 and pressing the Windows + semicolon keys in a text box.

“Ever tried to type an em dash, and couldn’t remember the Alt key code? Wanted to post “flipping the table” in social media, but couldn’t remember the sequence of characters? When you press WIN+(period) or WIN+(semicolon), in addition to emoji the picker that appears will now include symbols and kaomoji too!” Microsoft announced in the release notes of the latest preview build.

Additionally, the emoji UI now comes with a dedicated button for symbols, with sections like punctuation, currency, language symbols, geometric, Latin, and math. All are available on the same screen and can be easily inserted into a conversation or text field with just a click or by tapping on them.

Windows 10 19H1 is projected to be finalized in March, and insiders in all rings should get the RTM build before the end of the month. On the other hand, the public rollout to production devices across the world is only expected to kick off in April.