To create emoji in Android, the most powerful and direct method is using Gboard's Emoji Kitchen, which lets you combine two existing emojis into a unique sticker mashup. This built-in feature turns your standard keyboard into a creative studio, allowing you to generate thousands of handcrafted designs without needing any external apps or graphic design skills.
How to create emoji in Android with Gboard Emoji Kitchen
- Ensure Gboard is installed and set as your default keyboard. It comes pre-installed on Google Pixel phones and is available as a free download from the Google Play Store for other Android devices.
- Open any messaging app (like WhatsApp, Messages, or Telegram) and tap the text input field to bring up Gboard.
- Tap the emoji icon (the smiley face) located to the left of the space bar to open the emoji picker.
- Select a base emoji from the standard library. After choosing it, Gboard will automatically show suggested combination options above the keyboard row.
- Tap a second emoji to combine with your base selection. The keyboard will instantly display the resulting mashup sticker above the typing area.
- Tap the generated sticker to insert it directly into your message and send it as an image.
What to know about your Emoji Kitchen creations
Emoji Kitchen creations are sent as stickers (image files), not as standard Unicode emojis, meaning they appear as pictures rather than text characters. Google artists have handcrafted between 15,000 and 100,000 different combinations, each designed manually rather than generated by AI. Not every emoji pair works together; if no combination exists for your selected pair, a "Nothing to see here" ghost graphic appears instead. Flag emojis are not supported in any combinations. A favorites feature is rolling out that lets you mark your most-used mashups for quicker access. Some older Emoji Kitchen combinations may no longer appear, even if the base emojis are still available.
Create a personalized avatar with Samsung AR Emoji
Samsung Galaxy phone users running Android 9.0 or later can create a 3D animated emoji that looks like them. To create a Samsung AR Emoji/Galaxy Avatar, open the Camera app, select "MORE," then "AR ZONE," and choose "AR Emoji Camera" or "AR Emoji Studio." In newer versions with Android 15 and One UI 7.0, this feature has been renamed "Galaxy Avatar," but the creation process remains the same. The resulting animated emoji can mimic your facial expressions and be used in messaging apps.
Use Emoji Kitchen on other devices
While Emoji Kitchen is primarily integrated with Gboard on Android, a web-based version is accessible on any device including iOS, Windows, and macOS. Simply search "Emoji Kitchen" on Google and click the "Get cooking" button to access the same mashup tool. This means you can create stickers even if you're looking for ways to add custom emojis to iPhone, or exploring emojis and custom keyboards on other platforms.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I save Emoji Kitchen creations to use later?
Yes, once you send a mashup sticker, it typically gets saved in your messaging app's recent stickers or images. Gboard is also rolling out a dedicated favorites feature that lets you bookmark specific combinations directly within the keyboard.
Why do some emoji combinations show a ghost instead of a sticker?
It means the combination is unavailable, not that there's an error. Try different base emojis or second emojis to find a working mashup.
Do Samsung AR Emoji work in all messaging apps?
They work in any app that supports image sharing, since they are saved as animated GIFs or stickers. However, some apps may display them as static images rather than animated avatars, depending on the app's media support.
Can I use Emoji Kitchen without installing Gboard?
On Android, you must have Gboard installed and set as your default keyboard to use the feature directly. However, you can access the web-based version from any browser on any device by searching "Emoji Kitchen" on Google.
Will my custom emoji look the same on other phones?
Emoji Kitchen creations are sent as sticker images, so they will look exactly as designed regardless of the recipient's device. Samsung AR Emoji may appear differently on non-Samsung devices since they rely on Samsung's animation engine, but the static versions will display correctly.
