Android emoji color options depend on your keyboard and Android version

Most Android phones do not let you change the color of individual emoji the way you might recolor a drawing app. What you can do depends on which keyboard app you use — Google Keyboard (Gboard), Samsung Keyboard, or a third-party option — and whether your phone runs Android 12 or later. Some keyboards offer skin tone modifiers for people emoji, and some let you search emoji by color. Others have no color options at all.

The most common misunderstanding is that emoji color lives in your phone's settings. It does not. Emoji color is controlled by the keyboard app itself, and different keyboards handle it differently. If you want more control, you may need to switch keyboards.

Key Takeaways

  • Gboard (Google's keyboard) lets you select skin tones for people emoji by long-pressing the emoji before you send it.
  • Samsung Keyboard has a color filter option in its settings that shifts the overall tone of emoji, but does not let you recolor individual ones.
  • Android 12 and later support emoji variants, but only if your keyboard app is built to show them.
  • Third-party keyboards like Swiftkey and Fleksy have their own emoji handling and may offer different color or tone options.

How to change skin tones in Gboard

Gboard is the default keyboard on most Android phones. To change the skin tone of a people emoji, open any text field and tap the emoji button (usually a smiley face icon at the bottom of the keyboard). Search for or scroll to the person emoji you want — for example, the waving hand or the person shrugging.

Long-press (hold your finger on) the emoji for about one second. A menu will appear showing five skin tone options: light, medium-light, medium, medium-dark, and dark. Tap the tone you want. That emoji will now appear in that skin tone the next time you use it from that same menu. Gboard remembers your choice for that specific emoji.

This works for any people emoji in Gboard — hands, faces, families, professions, and activities. It does not work for object or animal emoji, which have no skin tone variants.

Samsung Keyboard color filter settings

If you use a Samsung phone with Samsung Keyboard, open the keyboard settings by tapping the gear icon in the keyboard toolbar. Look for an option called Emoji style or Emoji color. Some Samsung phones offer a choice between different emoji sets (Samsung style, Google style, or others), and some offer a color filter slider.

The color filter does not let you pick a specific color for each emoji. Instead, it applies a warm, cool, or neutral tone shift across all emoji at once. This is a global setting, not a per-emoji one. If your Samsung Keyboard does not show this option, your phone's Android version or keyboard version may not support it.

Switching to a different keyboard for more options

If your default keyboard does not offer the color control you want, you can read and switch to a different one. Swiftkey, Fleksy, and Chrooma all have their own emoji pickers with different features. Some let you search emoji by color category (red emoji, blue emoji, and so on), which makes it easier to find what you need without changing the emoji itself.

To switch keyboards, go to Settings > System > Languages and input (or Keyboard and input methods on Samsung phones). Tap Default keyboard or On-screen keyboard and select the keyboard you want to use. You will need to read the new keyboard from Google Play first.

Keep in mind that switching keyboards changes how you type across your whole phone, not just emoji. Test the new keyboard in a few apps before deciding whether to keep it.

What Android 12 and later support

Android 12 introduced support for emoji variants — alternate versions of the same emoji with different appearances. This includes skin tone variants, hair color variants (for some emoji), and gender variants. However, your keyboard app has to be built to show these variants. Gboard supports them. Older or less-updated keyboards may not.

If you are on Android 12 or later and using Gboard, you should see the skin tone menu when you long-press a people emoji. If you do not, update Gboard from Google Play. If you are using a different keyboard, check whether that keyboard's developer has released an update to support emoji variants.

Emoji that cannot be recolored

Object emoji (pizza, car, house), animal emoji (dog, cat, bird), and nature emoji (tree, flower, cloud) do not have color variants in any standard Android keyboard. You cannot change the color of a pizza emoji to make it look different, because the emoji standard itself does not define alternate versions of it.

Some emoji do have variants you might not expect. The heart emoji comes in red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, brown, black, and white. The circle emoji comes in many colors. If you long-press an emoji and see no menu, that emoji has no variants available in your keyboard.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I change emoji color in the Android settings?

No. Emoji color is controlled by your keyboard app, not by Android settings. You change emoji appearance through the keyboard app itself, either by long-pressing the emoji or by adjusting the keyboard's own settings.

Why do my emoji look different from my friend's emoji?

Android phones can display emoji in different styles depending on the keyboard app and Android version. Gboard, Samsung Keyboard, and other keyboards may render the same emoji slightly differently. The emoji character is the same, but the visual design varies by app.

Does changing emoji color work in all apps?

Yes, as long as you are using the same keyboard app. If you set a skin tone in Gboard, that tone will appear in text messages, email, social media, and any other app that uses Gboard. If you switch to a different keyboard, you will use that keyboard's emoji picker instead.

Can I make emoji bigger or smaller?

Emoji size is determined by the text size in the app you are using, not by the keyboard. If you want larger emoji, increase the font size in that app's settings. The emoji will scale with the text.

What if my keyboard does not have an emoji button?

Tap and hold the space bar or look for a button that looks like a smiley face or grid icon. Some keyboards hide the emoji button until you enable it in settings. Check your keyboard's settings menu under Keys or Layout to turn on the emoji button.